LOW LEVEL HERC SCOTLAND

[Royalistflyer]

15.50 today RAF Hercules at treetop level straight up the Holy Loch at decent speed and into the hinterland flying between the hills. Wonder what that was about.

[MPN11]

Sounds suspiciously like a C-130 on a low-level Navex ;)

[StopStart]

Careful MPN, you've said too much already....

[andytug]

Remember seeing one flying up Glencoe, clearly following the A82, and a few hundred feet below us as we walked up one of the hills there.

[PersonFromPorlock]

"Run, sheep, run!" :p

[airborne_artist]

"Don't tell them your name Pike" ;)

[MPN11]

MPN11 grabs Mess Webley and heads for the car park, to do the decent thing :)

[cats_five]

Two flew slowly west over Falls of Bruar at about 14:00, followed by another at 16:15. At least one of the first pair, and the third one, had the tail gate open or opening, and I spotted a refueling probe on one of the first two. That doesn't mean the others didn't have them, just that I didn't notice them.

[PIK3141]

The two Hercs based at Prestwick all week for the regular detachment for low level training

[Old Fella]

Cats Five, if the "tailgate" (ramp & door) were open they would not (should not) have been above 150 Knots IAS, which is the limiting speed for Ramp Open on the C130. They were likely going to conduct an airdrop exercise, or at least simulate one.

[cats_five]

I doubt they were above 150 kts, they were definitely low & slow. As the second one of the pair passed over I could see a light inside shining out the

[Royalistflyer]

I've done my fair share of navexes but I was not aware that truckies did low level navexes.

[MPN11]

<ssshhh> SF insertion?

[SASless]

MPN11 might take two or three Rounds of Ammo....just in case!

[Old Fella]

Royalistflyer. If I had $1 for every hour spent on low level navexes in C130's, or Tacex's more correctly, including night ops I would be able to add a day or two to my next trip on a cruise ship.

[Royalistflyer]

:) Put it down to narrow focus/ignorance/may have known once something like that. Couple of students became truckies I recall

[cats_five]

East Anglia is far more challenging for low-level navex/tracex than the Highlands...

[pasta]

<ssshhh> SF insertion?
In Scotland? Wouldn't it be easier and more discreet to use a hire car?

[SASless]

Did they in the past?

[Dave Clarke Fife]

SASless........Did they in the past?

Assuming this is not a wah.......the K had a crew of 5 including a nav and a flight eng. The J C4/C5 has a crew of 3, two pilots and a loadie

[theredbarron]

I've done my fair share of navexes but I was not aware that truckies did low level navexes.
Did several in Argosies operating out of Thorney Island way back in the days when the RAF actually had some real aircraft - including simulated low level intrusions in off the Channel. I can remember once being almost able to feel the heat from the redness on farmer's face when we popped up over the brow of a hill and scattered the herd of cows he had obviously just managed to get together in a corner of his field.

C130s are regulars on low level navexes on most if not all of the RAFs low flying routes around the UK. For example, I've seen several making waves in Loch Lubnaig in recent years they've been so low over the water.

[Midland 331]

And a quick splash from Chatsworth's fountain...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjdR3gXdSjI

[Hartington]

Some years ago I was going east up the A303 near Wincanton (Somerset). I was overtaking a truck and thought the motor sounded very load when a C130 appeared just to my right. They appear occasionally at low level and I suspect they use Castle Cary station (which is a junction) as a "navigation aid".

Some 40 years ago I was on a gliding holiday in the Cairngorms. One day the T21 was using the adjacent ridge when a Canberra went below it. When the T21 landed they commented that they felt a slight bump and then saw the Canberra overtake them.

[NorthernChappie]

Never mind the Herc! An A400 just been doing low level stuff to the east of Perth at 250 - 500 feet including two full (and very tight) orbits around our house. Impressive! Just as well it wasn't a couple of weeks back during my revalidation PFL into the same field.