View Full Version : U-2 over Wiltshire?
158747
31st Jul 2014, 18:43
This afternoon at approx. 16.10 I think I saw a U-2 flying over Trowbridge in a North Easterly direction. I heard a low flying aircraft pass over my house, but by the time I got out to the back garden with my binoculars I only managed to view it from behind. From the view I had it looked like it was possibly a U-2 with a smaller aircraft flying alongside. Can anyone confirm this?
Thanks
Hartington
1st Aug 2014, 04:02
One of the NASA highly modified (WB57F?) Canberras was at Oshkosh earlier this week. I heard several people comment how much it looked like a U2.
Don't you just love our cousins?
DaveReidUK
1st Aug 2014, 06:28
U-2s are a reasonably common sight in the southern UK, on temporary detachment to the US base at Fairford (about 30 miles NNE of Trowbridge).
treadigraph
1st Aug 2014, 07:04
Are they U-2s or TR-1s these days? I seem to recall Reagan or someone said to the USAF/Kelly Johnson around 1980, "you can have more U-2s as long as you don't call 'em U-2s!"
Incidently, I saw one of NASA's WB-57s show up on FR24 a few months back, it was somewhere around Newbury heading towards Strumble, already at 40000'. Out of Mildenhall/Lakenheath by the look of it.
AtomKraft
1st Aug 2014, 07:40
They've gone back to being U-2s again....:ooh:
Although there's also ER-2s at NASA.
SpringHeeledJack
1st Aug 2014, 09:11
I would concur with the Fairford location being the start/stop point. What interests me is what was the 'smaller aircraft' flying next to it ?
SHJ
I reckon you saw a Canberra PR.9 and a Hunter coming back from Culdrose Air Day? They are based at Cotswold Airport. If it had been a U-2 or WB-57 then it wouldn't go unoticed by the enthusiast community.
The Canberra and Hunter display together.
http://www.midair-squadron.com/mint-project/uploads/332800874.pdf
Mid Air Squadron - Home (http://www.midair-squadron.com/)
Air Day 2014 | Royal Navy (http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/features/culdrose-air-day-2014)
Reported on Fighter Control enthusiast forum.
'31/07
XH134 CANBERRA PR9 G-OMHD North of Exeter heading N/E guess from Culdrose 16.00.'
Planemike
1st Aug 2014, 12:06
Incidently, I saw one of NASA's WB-57s show up on FR24 a few months back, it was somewhere around Newbury heading towards Strumble, already at 40000'. Out of Mildenhall/Lakenheath by the look of it.
Picked one up over Manchester a couple of weeks back at 48000 ft. on its way to Chania.
Planemike
158747
2nd Aug 2014, 09:35
Thanks for the replies to my post, looks like a case of mistaken identity, I did not know there was a privately owned Canberra based at Cotswold Airport. I have just had a look at Flightradar24 which shows G-OMHD flying over Trowbridge at that time.
No problem, 158747. Glad that you were able to confirm the Canberra on Flightradar 24.
Megaton
5th Aug 2014, 17:02
Off topic but my eagle-eyed teenage son spotted a V-22 Osprey heading west(ish) yesterday over Lincolnshire.