Low Flying Shorts Skyvans
 

Saw two short Skyvans low over Essex on Fri 27.03.2015 (Upminster area) in close formation at about 1500 feet, heading east. Anyone what they were doing?

About 95 knots?

An Australian registered one flew all over the UK at low level about 15 years ago, doing a magnetic survey. Infringed all sorts of airspace.

There appear to be only two on the British register, both owned by the same company in Whitstable.

Probably sky diving ?

From 1500' wouldn't it be Sky Drilling?:ooh:

SGC

I thought the Skyvans were used for training the Parachute Regiment which is now based in Colchester so their height and location wouldn't have surprised me.

We knew they had got lost, but this is the first time we've heard by how far. The results of the survey suggested we should be drilling in the middle of the London CBD. Imagine one of these trundling down the Strand:
:ok:

http://users.on.net/~alisoncc/truck.jpg

It was the UK registered ones returning to their base in Belgium.

They were G-PIGY and G-BEOL.
See here: OV-10B Bronco Demo Team

They are very modern looking 5 bladed props on an '60's vintage machine. "Like putting lip-stick on a pig" (or polishing a t*rd).

PPRuNe mods do not like the 'like' function and don't want folks to get in the habit but, I have to say:

ShyTorque
:ok: :D :p

I didn't know that the Skyvan could get high enough to drop parachutists:E

Not forgetting the old joke about the Skyvan being the only aircraft ever to have sustained a bird strike from behind. :O

The Loganair Skyvan at Glasgow (GAWCS?) must have been an exception then; on its run to Stornoway, it would make cruising level (FL90) at the end of the downwind leg at Glasgow after departing from 06 (which is now I believe 05)

DRUK - thought that was the Beverley

That reminds me of one of my few rides in the Skyvan, on final approach to the short cross runway at GLA (27?, now Taxiway C), with Shorts' chief TP in the LH seat opposite me.

ATC enthusiastically granted us permission for a "demonstration" Skyvan falling-out-of-the-sky approach, and we duly ended up with the runway straight ahead, but only visible through the eyebrow windows. :O