New tankers on their way?
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Tapping the Decca, wondering why it's not working.
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New tankers on their way?
Seen today about 12km from the threshold of Marshall's, Cambridge -- 1 wide-body, 2 engine, in white, with RAF fin flash (777? or Airbus?), accompanied by a Hawk in black which was flying about 500ft lower & being overtaken. Followed 5 minutes later by a Tristar in RAF livery.
Surely Marshall's are not going to rip the refuelling gear out of the Tristar to put into the 777/'Bus?
Identification is a bit approximate 'cos I was cycling head down into a headwind at the time.
Aerobelly
Surely Marshall's are not going to rip the refuelling gear out of the Tristar to put into the 777/'Bus?
Identification is a bit approximate 'cos I was cycling head down into a headwind at the time.
Aerobelly
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: somewhere quite near Brize Norton
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Aerobelly,
A quick glance at the NOTAM's reveals all:
FTA Trial
14/04 - 15/04
1100-1800 A LOW SPEED FLIGHT TRIAL WITH A LARGE MIL TRANSPORT JET AND A MIL JET TRG ACFT IN FORMATION ALONG A 10NM WIDE CORRIDOR BTN COLTISHALL (5246N00122E) AND WITTERING (5237N00029W). PARTICIPATING ACFT WILL HAVE LIMITED MANOEUVRABILITY.
(Thanks to Pat Carty's Military Matters web site).
Ian.
A quick glance at the NOTAM's reveals all:
FTA Trial
14/04 - 15/04
1100-1800 A LOW SPEED FLIGHT TRIAL WITH A LARGE MIL TRANSPORT JET AND A MIL JET TRG ACFT IN FORMATION ALONG A 10NM WIDE CORRIDOR BTN COLTISHALL (5246N00122E) AND WITTERING (5237N00029W). PARTICIPATING ACFT WILL HAVE LIMITED MANOEUVRABILITY.
(Thanks to Pat Carty's Military Matters web site).
Ian.
More details please!
Marshall Aerospace was part of the unsuccessful TTSC bidder for FSTA. Now that MoD has selected AirTanker as the preferred PFI bidder - is there a Public Sector Comparator trial going on....??
Was it a 777? Or a de-identified 767-300?? Or what??
Marshall Aerospace was part of the unsuccessful TTSC bidder for FSTA. Now that MoD has selected AirTanker as the preferred PFI bidder - is there a Public Sector Comparator trial going on....??
Was it a 777? Or a de-identified 767-300?? Or what??
Thread Starter
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EF: Unless the world is no longer spherical Cambridge does not lie between Coltishall & Wittering. Hawk definitely had wheels down, but possibly to slow down and be overtaken. I don't recall seeing wheels on the transport, but I wouldn't expect to that far out on most of the aircraft going into Cambridge. (Sadly I don't fly 'em, I just look at them from the ground.)
BE: sorry, telling a 777 from a 767-300 is beyond my abilities. I'm better at small pointy things, or small thermalling things. Part-identified transport was white overall with RAF fin-flash clearly seen, so it wasn't going into Marshal's for a paint-job. I don't know what the RAF's current inventory is, except that the pleasure of seeing a VC10 overhead occasionally occurs!
BBD: I could have got about 0.5m closer by jumping into the air. Don't think that would have helped much though. Now, granting that you know what the UTA (Unidentified Transport Aircraft) and Hawk were doing, why were they followed in by the Tristar? (no doubts about identifiying this one!)
Actual time of observation was 12:50UTC (+- 2 min), at 0 21' E 52 17' N, if it helps anyone.
Aerobelly
BE: sorry, telling a 777 from a 767-300 is beyond my abilities. I'm better at small pointy things, or small thermalling things. Part-identified transport was white overall with RAF fin-flash clearly seen, so it wasn't going into Marshal's for a paint-job. I don't know what the RAF's current inventory is, except that the pleasure of seeing a VC10 overhead occasionally occurs!
BBD: I could have got about 0.5m closer by jumping into the air. Don't think that would have helped much though. Now, granting that you know what the UTA (Unidentified Transport Aircraft) and Hawk were doing, why were they followed in by the Tristar? (no doubts about identifiying this one!)
Actual time of observation was 12:50UTC (+- 2 min), at 0 21' E 52 17' N, if it helps anyone.
Aerobelly
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Actually it was a top secret trial to see if the hawk could shoot an approach into the widebody. They have fitted a ramp to the back, but so far they only open it in the dark, so no one has a photo of it. They whole idea is to see if fly-in refuelling/rearming will be feasible or not. The idea is that during the refuel, the pilot will get out, relax, have access to advertising, shop and job interviews. All very commercial.
