View Full Version : F-15/18's
Onions
18th Jul 2002, 15:15
I know this is the wrong forum but why did 2 F-15's or F-18's just fly over the City of London at about 500 to 750 feet?
Sorry to be a bit vague about type but they weren't hanging about and my military spotting isn't that good.
Speed of Sound
18th Jul 2002, 15:24
I just seen them too. Looked like they were heading East (Canary Wharf?), and they weren't hanging about. Are F15/18's US Airforce?
SoS
gus_honeybun
18th Jul 2002, 15:27
Saw them too and they scared the bejesus out of me.
According to the NOTAM's there is an airshow at Farnborough and an Air Tattoo at Fairford. Could be returning home from there. Strange to track over the City though.
Wee Weasley Welshman
18th Jul 2002, 15:32
Drawing a line from Fairford display zone back to the USAF bases at Mildenhall and Lakenheath shows a rough track of Fairford, Milton Keynes, Cambridge. The detour could only have been for some particular reason.
Can't imagine what.
WWW
Speed of Sound
18th Jul 2002, 15:33
They were flying very low.(less than 1000ft.) On route to Farnborough from where though?
SoS
Saw them too: they were F18's. Could tell because they gave me a perfect sillhouette whilst standing on the port wing pulling a radical left turn around London Bridge Station - just short of Blackfriars Bridge.
I Nearly dropped the kettle!:D
They appeared to head south from here.
Biggles Flies Undone
18th Jul 2002, 15:40
I work on the eastern edge of the city and we heard them very loudly despite some pretty thick double glazing. Didn't see what was making the noise, though, and have to admit that several of us were wondering if we'd hear a bang from the direction of Canary Wharf.....
USAF? If not lost, then more than likely on some military tactical frequency, with no communication to civvy ATC. Just be thankful they did not hit another aircraft, as happened not long ago in Tampa Florida.
maninblack
18th Jul 2002, 16:27
At least one of them did a low pass over the harbour at Portsmouth. I thought it was an F15 due to the wing shape but it was a very quick pass.
Boss Raptor
18th Jul 2002, 18:31
saw 2 F15's - sure as I saw the upright tails - maybe 3,000ft half mile out to sea at Margate - northbound very lose formation...about same time...maybe ran in up the estuary...
zkdli
18th Jul 2002, 18:36
Probably nothing special, thay probably had a special VFR clearance just as any twin engine a/c can obtain and were doing sightseeing on there way home!!, I remember a few years ago a pair of tornados woke london doing the same thing :D :D
I'm told that they were the two F-18s from the Farnborough Air Show on a sightseeing tour of London!
callsign Metman
19th Jul 2002, 14:28
I'm at Farnborough and can confirm we have F-18s here for the show next week. No sign though of any 15s as yet that I know of!!
CM
PorcoRosso
22nd Jul 2002, 00:34
I quote :
"Probably nothing special, thay probably had a special VFR clearance just as any twin engine a/c can obtain and were doing sightseeing on there way home!!"
Well, you don't need to be a twin engine A/C to get that.
I have personnally flown over london "not above 1500 QNH" in a Robin , back from flying legend Airshow in 98.
Friends of mines did that again last week but at 3000'
I agree a Robin is less noisy than a F18 ;)
ATCO Two
22nd Jul 2002, 10:09
Red Pig,
I hope you weren't flying over the Specified Area of Central London in a Robin. As a Thames Radar/SVFR Controller I cannot refuse a SVFR clearance to a single at 1500ft, however I would actively dissuade any pilot from requesting one. I suggest that in the event of a failure of the power unit you would be extremely hard pressed to alight clear of the built up area. Also regarding your friend, we do not routinely give clearances at 3000ft in the London or London City CTRs due to conflictions with EGLC and EGLL IFR traffic, The maximum level for zone transits would be 2400ft, so I suggest your friend is being economical with the truth.
411A,
I hope that the F18s were on a Heathrow civil VHF frequency with a valid clearance, otherwise they would be a severe hazard to civil IFR traffic and SVFR transits in Class A airspace, and would generate reams of paperwork! I haven't heard of anything untoward, so I assume that everything was legal.
PorcoRosso
22nd Jul 2002, 10:54
ATCO 2
Well, in fact I never asked to fly direct over london, I was proposed to do so by your colleague on this special day !
Many aircrafts were asking complex routing around london to find their way to France or Belgium. The ATCO was very busy issuing the required route or activating FPL's.
Hearing that, I just asked for a direct to SAM from present position (more or less) and was offered the "not above" 1500' direct.
I was so surprised by this clearance that I asked twice to confirm that I was cleared over London at 1500' ....
Meanwhile, my friends in other Robins from the flying Club had to circum-navigate the area (well, according to their demands .. ;) )
I can't tell you if my friends were at 3000' or 2400' last week, but for sure they flew again over London, and according to the pics, it could be either altitude.
Despite the great fun it was to see London from above, I totally agree with you that I would'nt like to experience any sort of mechanical problem during the trip.
I confess to being surprised that these jets were cleared for a flight such as this. Do any of you remember the RAF Hunter pilot who flew under Tower Bridge in the 60s as a protest against defence cuts or something? He collected a court martial and his P45.