Whiskey 7 (C-47)route over Scotland?
 

C-47, Whiskey 7 is due to depart from Geneseo today to make it's way to Normandy for the 70th D-Day anniversary;

Return to Normandy 2014. Help get Whiskey 7 back to Normandy!

Does anyone have any idea of what the likely route from BIKF to EGPK may be (possibly more of a GA question?), skirting the coast, inland....?

I'm in Fort William & hoping that I may get sight of her (if it's not raining....).


Thanks.

Spot Tracker
 

The organisers are providing a tracking service.

Updates every 5 minutes. Aircraft seems to have flown to Geneseo about an hour ago.

Hover the mouse cursor over the tracking list on the left to see the current position highlighted. On the map smaller numbers are older.

SPOT Shared Page

Link is on their main page - Return to Normandy 2014. Help get Whiskey 7 back to Normandy!
with the text "Click here to track Whiskey 7 live on its adventure across the globe!"

You might be able to get the flight plan via either:

FlightAware - Flight Tracker / Flight Status / Flight Tracking
Flightradar24.com - Live flight tracker!

The trouble is that I have no idea what registration number the aircraft operates under. "Military paint job". Or maybe it's is a military aircraft - sorry no idea.

Flight plan
 

I don't know much about these sites but I have seen what looks to be flight plan information on at least one of them.

Aircraft reg seems to be N345AB.

Flightradar24.com - Live flight tracker!
N345AB ? FlightAware

Presumably won't be in Scotland for days yet - it's not 1944:-)

I've been looking on FR24 & the likes, but there only seems to be tracking with no advanced route information, the only thing that I can find is the airports being used during the flight via the RTN2014 page.

A search on Google suggests that some ferry flights from BIKF to EGPK often head for Stornoway, then inland, down to Glasgow before turning East for Prestwick - this would be pretty good as it should take W7 somewhere over me.

W7 is currently scheduled to land in Prestwick on the 20th / 21st.


Thanks.

Advance notice
 

I have set up an email "Alert" on flightaware for N345AB. You need to create an account which is free.

Friday 16 May
Received flight plan alert from flightaware at 14:22 BST (UTC+1) (09:22 EDT) Scheduled take off 12:00 EDT.

Here is the relevant part of the email alert.

According to flightaware and findmespot they have followed the route defined in today's and yesterday's flight plans closely.

The other idea is to probe flightaware frequently and check if a flight plan has been posted.

Just use the link N345AB ? FlightAware. I think that the flight plan will be displayed. Not 100% sure.

I have not yet seen the flight plan in advance of take-off but I have not looked.

Check out the small orange square with white circle and cross that it at the top right of the map. It allows waypoints and other bits to be turned on/off.

With waypoints [on] the map shows far more waypoints than the flight plan (Expected route: CL PN YGV), not sure what this means.

Altitude
 

You do realise that they are flying at 9,000ft?

New flight plan
 

New flight plan shown on:
N345AB ? FlightAware
Shows route [LOACH 5700N 05500W 5900N 05000W SI]


Also email alert arrived 10:46 BST (UTC+1).
ADT is UTC-3 so 10:46 here is 6:46 there.
Flight plan available on flightaware about 2h 15m before departure.

N345AB has just filed a flight plan. It is scheduled to depart from CFB Goose Bay (Goose Bay) (CYYR) at 09:00 ADT Saturday heading for Narsarsuaq (BGBW/UAK) for an estimated arrival at 15:02 WGST.

Expected route: 05500W 05000W SI

Monday 19 May 16:30BST

Flightaware did not pick up the a flight plan and indeed cannot "see" the aircraft today.
However, as of now flightradar24 (which had not noticed the aircraft at all since it left Geneseo) says it is nearly at Iceland. I only found this out because I pressed the wrong button.
FindMeSpot tracker agrees.

Could be in Scotland tomorow.

Leaving Iceland
 

The Spot Tracker has been on for about 25 minutes.

No flight plan on flightaware - I am beginning to suspect that that only works in FAA land.

Nothing on flightaware24 but that might appear on takeoff.

jimjim1 - thanks for all the info.

It look's like there are issues with the tracker / transponder on W7, & nothing much is very current, just a bunch of Icelandair 757 showing on FR24... A local Prestwick rag is suggesting that she is expected today at 2.30>3.00, so I'll be keeping an ear & an eye out.

She has just appeared on FR24:ok:

Just airborne out of RKV

Now on plane finder HD..just coming over Benbecula airport.

Looks like she has just done a flyover at Prestwick & is going round to land....

Didn't even hear, let alone see her :{

Currently parked at EGPK

This is their Facebook page, they update it regularly:


https://www.facebook.com/C47W7geneseo

That does look good :ok: