Choppers over London

[Speed of Sound]

About 2.30 this afternoon, two civil (ie. no military markings) helicopters flew in very close formation from South East London and stopped about half a mile from Canary Wharf facing it. They then flew round the Canary Wharf towers and then off towards the south of central London again in very close formation and stopping dead occasionally, for up to a minute at a time.

Lost sight of them about 3.00. Any idea who they were and what they were doing?

SoS

[Lowinverted]

Sent via a City of London circulation list this afternoon!


The City of London Police is currently deploying officers on the five City
bridges that provide access to the City of London, with colleagues from the
Metropolitan Police providing valuable support from the air and the river.
This overt police action is part of a pre-planned operation to deter,
disrupt and detect all forms of criminal activity within the central London
area.

[AlanM]

Nothing exciting - just an A109 and MD600 doing some air to air photography - out of Denham.

Shan't bore you with the callsigns!

[Speed of Sound]

Thaks Alan.

Thought it must have been filming of some sort. When I first saw them hovering just to the south-east of Canary Wharf, it did send a chill down my spine!

SoS

[robpow]

I've been noticing these as well over the past week or so, hovering fairly low around the North Greenwich peninsula and then disappearing off in towards central London. A minute or two over the Thames south-east of the Dome and then over the A102 Blackwall Tunnel Approach. I couldn't make out any markings but it did appear to have a camera dome underneath it.

[headsethair]

Castle Air - using Denham as a staging post.

[HALF A PILOT]

No it's not castle air.I think you will find it is a pair of MD900 exploreres and a MD 600. operating out of Pinewood studios, since last Tuesday and flying through the night right up until 4 and 5 AM. Mainly in the west of Pinewwod on H10 ;)

[Hover Bovver]

I think you will find castle air are involved in some of it, and it does have Md products also.
Regards
HoverBovver

[AlanM]

Half a Pilot

I can tell you that one was G-TELY and that is an A109 registered to Castle Air. I remember writing the strip as Northolt co-ordinated them coming out of the Denham ATZ.

I can even remember making them squawk 7037!! :)

[Woss goin on..?]

To put all your minds at rest.......!

Wednesday pm: MD600 being filmed by Castle Air 109 G-TELY over H4. Also 2xExplorers in Pinewood area again filmed by G-TELY in the evening.

Thursday pm: A109 being filmed over H4 by G-TELY

Friday eve/night: 2xExplorers and AS355 filmed by G-TELY then ground based filming of Explorers up to 4am at Pinewood area.

For a movie due out next year.

It looked cool. :ok:

Ciao!

[digidave]

Thanks for all the responses to SoSs original question.

I was sitting under a tree just beyond the NE end of 06/24 yesterday pm and it's great to find out what some of the aircraft I've been watching were doing.

Also, I hope my wife sunbathing directly under the flight path didn't upset any of the pilots operating out of Denham yesterday.

dd

[Autorotate]

Are we talking another James Bond movie here ?

:E

[Hover Bovver]

Not quite a James Bond movie, but along similar lines, Im surprised as the filming is for Part 2 with Part 1 not having aired yet!