A-400M trailing - what?

[airsound]

Living quite close to Brize, we see a lot of Voyagers, Atlases, and, for the time being, Hercs. Today, something rather odd: an A-400M, flying a standard orbit pattern at 7000ft (according to Flightradar24) aligned roughly 280 (degrees) over Little Rissington, for about an hour. The odd thing is that it was trailing what looked like short contrails. At 7000ft?
A rather poor pic - but you can see the trails.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1700x2000/trails_a6020f7a4e7b930e10b4347050fdd78cd0b7ab54.jpg


Looking through binoculars, I could see the trails emanating from the wing trailing edge, between the outboard engines and the wingtips - i.e. not wingtip vortices, nor engine exhausts.

I even rang Brize ops to ask if it was dumping fuel. A very nice duty ops officer told me it was definitely not dumping, but that it was doing a trial. No more details.

Anyone else think it’s rather odd? Any ideas?

Yes OK, I’ll try and get out more, soon as Covid is over.

airsound

[beardy]

I don't know the trailing edge geometry, but it may be vortices from the outboard tips of deployed flaps. This is not uncommon on B757 at low speed high AOA.

[NutLoose]

Have a look

https://twitter.com/xair_sky/status/842073254315536384

[airsound]

Thanks beardy, and Nutty - though I couldn't see any pic in your post Nutty. But I did find it on my phone, and for other peeps that couldn't see it, yur tiz

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/799x886/ramonpicvg_1a06b4b4d8a0ddb16179cc9083d4d5e25bfe9c79.png

Interestingly, beardy, according to Flightradar it was doing about 155kts. Would that warrant some flap?

airsound

[Lordflasheart]

...
Airsound -

Whatever you do, don't go out again. It's a CT trial. Go immediately to your understairs shelter and gulp a handful of them potassium iodide tabs you nicked when you de-mobbed. If you think you have already been exposed, the last ditch remedy apparently is Prussian Blue. Unfortunately the Chemists are mostly now closed and they will already have your number unless you used a burner. Call back here tomorrow morning if you haven't already been spirited away overnight.

I will light a candle.

LFH
...

[airsound]

Thanks very much, Mr Flasheart, sorry, m'lord, for your timely warning. I'm hoping you get this, because here under the stairs the connection isn't great. If you don't see me in the morning, remember me to the Mods please - especially Mod Rob. Thanks

Don't worry about me though, I'll be fine. But thanks for the candle.
airsound

[unmanned_droid]

Thanks beardy, and Nutty - though I couldn't see any pic in your post Nutty. But I did find it on my phone, and for other peeps that couldn't see it, yur tiz

/snip

Interestingly, beardy, according to Flightradar it was doing about 155kts. Would that warrant some flap?

airsound


Yes, I think if she's a heavy girl and relatively slow speed the high lift devices will be working hard, so it seems fairly normal.

[Dan Gerous]

It's doing smoke trials, as it may be the next air frame for the Reds.:ooh:

[airsound]

You mean like this?

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/810x560/5grizzly_1_9f67d401959e13386604fdb1b59f48e4ccade14b.jpg

or this

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/809x559/5grizzly_2_d7a68728d1b2513e7ec0dc99367dec64b493580a.jpg

airsound

[Peter Fanelli]

Just chemtrails, nothing to see hear move along please.

[Jhieminga]

The government will send a nice gentleman to your house who will explain everything to you... he'll be driving a black car.

[ShotOne]

Vortices coming from outboard edge of flaps which is what one would expect.

[falcon900]

It's doing smoke trials, as it may be the next air frame for the Reds.:ooh:
Havent you read the Posts about the RAAF centenary flypast?? The smoke pods are in for maintenance. Do keep up!!

[Ripton]

You mean like this?

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/810x560/5grizzly_1_9f67d401959e13386604fdb1b59f48e4ccade14b.jpg

or this

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/809x559/5grizzly_2_d7a68728d1b2513e7ec0dc99367dec64b493580a.jpg

airsound

That's going to need a lot of red paint.

[teej013]

No paint required. The public will be issued Rose tinted glasses - and everything will be Peachy Rosey...
Teej...

[NutLoose]

The government will send a nice gentleman to your house who will explain everything to you... he'll be driving a black car.

And when he puts his sun glasses on and pulls out a pen, close your eyes or he will flash you.

[airsound]

Ripton and teej013 - I wasn't thinking of continuing with the Red Arrows name. Maybe something rather, well, British - like The Grey Grizzlies

airsound

[brakedwell]

We used to call the Four Argosy formation team in Aden - The thunderboxes.

[treadigraph]

Ripton and teej013 - I wasn't thinking of continuing with the Red Arrows name. Maybe something rather, well, British - like The Grey Grizzlies

airsound

The Fat Lasses?

I do recall a formation transport team the last time I went to RIAT - might have been four Polish Let 410s? Long time ago now, I remember a sort of Prince of Wales Feathers as finale...

[SWBKCB]

We used to call the Four Argosy formation team in Aden - The thunderboxes.

A four Argosy formation team? my mind has just been boggled!! :eek:

[oxenos]

MODS,
The way this is going, perhaps you should "unclose" the Grey Ladies thread from 10 years ago

[sudden twang]

Red Shovels?

[Ripton]

Ripton and teej013 - I wasn't thinking of continuing with the Red Arrows name. Maybe something rather, well, British - like The Grey Grizzlies

airsound

Perhaps just The Greys after our new masters.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/423x550/03e03980b7aea821921b0d1aad6889d5_c864eceb3715680ac199f255545 5f3a7fa204ce0.jpg

No need to panic though, you'll forget you've just read this thread after the next A400M pass.

[sycamore]

We had the "Green Barrows" at Lyneham ;5 Hercs,usually led by `Invincible Stu`...`Twinkle rolls ` were more `twangle rolls` as the co-pilots 4 lunches were spread over the cockpits of #3 and #4, passing the `inverted,and #5 always had problems remaining `plugged -in` to me(#4 tanker) during the `finale bomburst`.....

[The...Bird]

Living quite close to Brize, we see a lot of Voyagers, Atlases, and, for the time being, Hercs. Today, something rather odd: an A-400M, flying a standard orbit pattern at 7000ft (according to Flightradar24) aligned roughly 280 (degrees) over Little Rissington, for about an hour. The odd thing is that it was trailing what looked like short contrails. At 7000ft?
A rather poor pic - but you can see the trails.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1700x2000/trails_a6020f7a4e7b930e10b4347050fdd78cd0b7ab54.jpg


Looking through binoculars, I could see the trails emanating from the wing trailing edge, between the outboard engines and the wingtips - i.e. not wingtip vortices, nor engine exhausts.

I even rang Brize ops to ask if it was dumping fuel. A very nice duty ops officer told me it was definitely not dumping, but that it was doing a trial. No more details.

Anyone else think it’s rather odd? Any ideas?

Yes OK, I’ll try and get out more, soon as Covid is over.

airsound

You don't see any C-17s?

[unmanned_droid]

The Fat Lasses?

I do recall a formation transport team the last time I went to RIAT - might have been four Polish Let 410s? Long time ago now, I remember a sort of Prince of Wales Feathers as finale...
Yeah, that jogs a deep and forgotten memory. Can't find anything on google though. Was in the mid/late 90s I think?

[Vzlet]

Video from 1993 RIAT at: https://flic.kr/p/KQpP4D

[The AvgasDinosaur]

A four Argosy formation team? my mind has just been boggled!! :eek:
Any photos any one pleeeze?

[Commander Taco]

Any photos any one pleeeze?
Where’s JW411, he might know.

[brakedwell]

Where’s JW411, he might know.
It was before JW was posted to Aden, in 65/66. Most of our "fun" was during Bahrain paradropping detachments, but we did incur the Bosses wrath at Khormaksar, which was was cancelled out by a Flight Commanders enthusiasm for the project and an almost perfect fighter style run and break shortly after a rather scruffy version by 8 Squadron! Vive la Thunderboxes!

[treadigraph]

Video from 1993 RIAT at: https://flic.kr/p/KQpP4D

Well done Sir, excellent memory! Was the video shot from the north side of the airfield?

[Vzlet]

Treadigraph - No, from the south. The bomb burst was head-on to the crowd. (And, for the most part, the video serves as my memory!)

[treadigraph]

That's what I thought - did the box aircraft come over the crowd?

[airsound]

The…Bird You don't see any C-17s? Yes, of course I do - and I’ve no idea why I forgot to mention them. I can only apologise, and hope no offence was taken....

Everyone else - thanks for all the good stuff about Atlasses (Fat or not) and their flaps.

And finally - I was trying to find my RIAT notes from 1993 on the Szobi Kvartet, but failed. I do remember, though, that the Czech L-410s were always welcome, because in the back of at least one of them was usually to be found a barrel of excellent Czech beer.

airsound

[Vzlet]

I don't remember explicitly, but I assume I was west of show center and that the slot aircraft was authorized to continue over the crowd there because it was no longer in formation, and was in slow-speed, non-maneuvering flight.

[ShyTorque]

Someone was flushing the loo.

[Ninthace]

Someone was flushing the loo.
The A400 had two outside loos, who knew?

[VX275]

The A400 had two outside loos, who knew?
Well it does have two patios. Although I think they are officially called retractable parachute jump steps.
When we first saw them proposed in the specification meetings we idly discussed if they could be used in conjunction with the air deflector, to locate a seat for Maritime search role observer.
I also seem to recall positioning a barbecue on them being mentioned. - the length of those meetings got to you at times.

[Ninthace]

Well it does have two patios. Although I think they are officially called retractable parachute jump steps.
When we first saw them proposed in the specification meetings we idly discussed if they could be used in conjunction with the air deflector, to locate a seat for Maritime search role observer.
I also seem to recall positioning a barbecue on them being mentioned. - the length of those meetings got to you at times.
I should think you would need sizeable anchor points to stop the patio umbrellas disappearing in the slipstream. IIRC the Harrier had a parasol for the pilot - perhaps something similar could be used?

[airsound]

Well guess what - and The....Bird will be happy with this - these trials are still going on, but now they've got C-17s as well as A-400Ms. The ADBSexchange (https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43c174) screenshot below is a C-17 doing the same orbits over the Cotswolds today - but no trails this time.

I'm wondering if they're surveying the old secret submarine pens concealed beneath the River Windrush. Oops, I've said too much. If I don't post again, you'll know why......

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43c174

airsound