What's so interesting about my house this week?
 

Hello Mil peeps! In particular all you lovely Chinook chaps and chapesses. Do any of you know exactly what it is about my house and the field behind it that warrants 2-5 low level overflights per day for the last week, and 6 low level orbits in 15 minutes today just as I was trying to get my baby to sleep? I know that you have to practice somewhere, but I would imagine that the same square mile could get a bit boring after a while. It makes my windows rattle. Also it is upsetting my chickens - small problems I know, but Mr Pandora is not going to be pleased if I don't have enough eggs to make him currant buns tonight. It hasn't upset my horses yet, though I do wear a fluorescent bib when I am with them as your lovely bosses at the MOD have told the British Horse Society that all horsey peeps need to do to get the Chinook chappies to avoid them is wear one. I think this smacks of MOD management passing the buck if you ask me, so they can blame the pilot next time a horse rider falls on their head because their horse didn't enjoy the low thrum of a Chinook 100ft over it's head, but what do I know?

I am not going to pinpoint exactly where I am, suffice to say it is somewhere in Berkshire, next door to a certain famous person's house. (We'll get the answer after the break!) We get lots of low flying traffic, not least Sky New helis, all trying to see what he is up to now, but by far the most irritating of the lot is this Chinook. The nearest military establishment at Greenham Common was closed down some time ago and it's runway dug up, so I am sure you are not aiming for there.

Pandora,

Did you read your thread before you posted? B:mad:y NIMBYs

Pandora - I like to think of it as the sound of freedom :ok: and we have horses and chickens who are very used to the wokkas.

Bigbluecar, thanks for the link, but I don't have a complaint, just what I think is a reasonably valid curiosity about what it is that is making my house worth a second, third, fourth, fifth AND sixth glance.

L Peacock - if I was a naturist you'd all be flying in the other direction. :eek:

And Grabbers, well done on taking less than half an hour to get the word NIMBY onto the thread. I don't have any problem at all with any aircraft flying over my house - it would be rather hypocritical after all. I just had a bit of a moment of frustration that for no understandable reason I am suddenly the owner of the most exciting 5 acres in Britain. Yes I did read my post, and I believe I asked in the nicest way I could if there was any particular reason, not that I did not wish for the military to be able to practice their low flying skills. I fly with lots of ex-mil pilots who are generally lovely people, and whenever I have come across an ex-mil who has the uncanny knack of being able to pee people off without saying more than a sentence they invariably turn out to have been navigators who wanted to be Tornado pilots. So tell me; are you a frustrated navigator? Now go and wind your neck in and continue to protect the right of the good people of this country to wonder what that helicopter is doing. Thank you.

Pandora,

Why are you cross that military aviation is disturbing your peace, on a lazy Friday afternnon? It has to practice somewhere you know, so are you complaining about it everywhere or just on your doorstep?

I could be wrong mind, but this smacks a bit, well.. of nimbyism? :hmm:

Pandora,
those people who are annoying your chickens, are training so that they can stay alive whilst annoying the Taliban in the near future.

Unlike you and your chickens the Taliban are sporting 7.62 and .50 cal machine guns.

So please, be proud of the fact that in a small way you are serving your country by suffering very little and not complaining about it whilst the men and women in those Chinooks practice techniques to stop themselves from being shot down.

I realise that any noise makes it difficult to get a young one to sleep but in 16 -18 years time your little cherub may be training for war and I garuntee that you will want them to have as much quality training as possible.

It hasn't upset my horses yet, though I do wear a fluorescent bib when I am with them as your lovely bosses at the MOD have told the British Horse Society that all horsey peeps need to do to get the Chinook chappies to avoid them is wear one. I think this smacks of MOD management passing the buck if you ask me, so they can blame the pilot next time a horse rider falls on their head because their horse didn't enjoy the low thrum of a Chinook 100ft over it's head, but what do I know?

but by far the most irritating of the lot is this Chinook."

It's got a bit of a Nimby ring to it.....................:rolleyes:

Phew, not just me then.

You have..........................................

Reasoned Response
 

Pandora,

If your house is where I suspect it is then there is a training field close by. That is a field that the landowner has allowed the JHC assets to use for landings. The useage of those fields is often curtailed for periods of the year when it may be predudicial to the use of the landowner, for example Pheasant breeding. This means that you may not see a movement for weeks and then suddenly it begins again. The field near you is quite unique and has certain characteristics that make it very useful for trainees on the conversion training. This would mean that a course of say 8 trainee pilots will all go there in a period of days and after that it would revert to its usual sporadic use. Please don't take that as any form of guarantee mind!

I apologise for the tone of some of the other replies, I personally as a Chinook Pilot thought you were just asking a simple question rather than seeking to grind any particular axe.

Guys,

Instead of just (a)trying to justify the reason for the helicopter being there in the first place or worse (b)accusing everybody who doesn't enjoy the sound of whirling wings trying to smash into each other of being a NIMBY, why not simply answer the entirely reasonable question? Is there an exercise going on? Is the weather limiting the normal playground? Has someone painted 'Piss off Biggles' on a local barn?

All of these might be valid reasons and would answer Pandora's question (which, I believe, was written in just about as light-hearted way as possible). Just slagging a fellow pilot off because they don't enjoy their normal peace being interrupted, not once but six times, does nothing to further the reputation of the respondents.

XXX

Pontius
Ex-military and FAR too good to have had to fly anything with rotors or navigator :)

Edited to add: Sorry Master Of None, your considered reply and my posting crossed in the ether.

im intrigued to find out who the famous person is:)

lets have some good ole name dropping

Master & Pontius - Good answers, thank you.

Pandora - Great post and well phrased.

Thanks pontius for bringing sense to this thread. A perfectly reasonable request from a member of the public.

For all other post on this thread not everyone is out to get us!

Pretty poor responses from guys who seem to be up themselves. Well done the helpful ones. A perfectly reasonable question without a suggestion of Nimbyism, which would not get a straight and honest answer through official channels. I say that as one who was once required to investigate and respond to similar questions or complaints on behalf of my military bosses and also on environmental and H&S issues when I was employed by Civil air.
I would get a little pi**ed off if I had babies, livestock and horses and had to endure the god awful cacophony of heavy rotors and nobody could or would give some sort of explanation.
Hope the sensible answers help, Pandora.
Rog, (ex fast jet navigator and bizjet taxi driver, responsible for causing more low level noise pollution than was fair, but enjoyed it).:E

..i'm equally intrigued as to who the ex nav is strutting around Berkshire pi$$ing off the locals claiming to be an ex Tornado pilot.:)

Pandora

As a current chinny crewman, let me re-assure you that all we do in our own backyard is essential training. Feel free to pm me for anything else

Pandora,

as someone who has kids myself, I can understand your frustration. I am probably one of the people you are threaders with at the moment, and although I am sorry for any inconvenience, I can tell you that it is essential and that we do not target set properties for our 'attention'.

However, I am sure this will be of little comfort to you and your offspring. As others have mentioned, there is a system in existence for you to register your frustration, and see if there is a way of meeting in the middle. The Corporate Communications Officer or Officer Commanding Operations Wing at RAF Odiham are probably a good start.

The telephone number for RAF Odiham is 01256 702134.

You have clearly never met iner-city chickens :bored:

Pandora you have my sympathy. Having been stationed at Odiham and living right on the corner of the maried patch that the pilots seemed to use as the marker for turning on to finals I know what the noise is like.

Our cat always tried to catch the Chinooks but ignored the Pumas.:hmm: