Low level over the sea
 

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This A400m thinks it’s a Nimrod

I doubt very much that the A4O0 Force hase a Peacetime cleared MOA of 200ft!

They've been through the Low Flying areas more than a few times, at around 200 feet.

Trying to hide the sky penis......

Practising CLA SEARCH for dropping the mail to the RN.....?

Looks like a practice SAR/Maritime type scenario - a bit of a cloverleaf search, with a creeping line ahead section and perhaps hidden in all that a sort of expanding square. And I would imagine the minimum height over water is a lot lower than 200ft!

Shack,depends where 1013 was today.....

LL over water ops normally flown on rad alt derived height - 1013 (or inches equivalent) useless for any low level work anyway.

Shack,true,but the txpdr. data is based on 1013.....which may be above or below the waves....

The Hercs used to do a low level RIB drop with a few divers parachuting into the sea to join it. Maybe it was something similar.

Will the P8 be able to do SAR (drops) or is that a function solely for the A400 from now on?

Depends what the serviceable A400 has on that day! :E

Used to do that in the Solent IIR with the droppable SLF + Aircraft based at Lee. Always wondered about the peeps jumping out the back .... till I met a few! That explained everything - absolute nutters they were!

Also had a tale told to me that, back in the 70's, the Soviets tried deploying troops ultra-low-level into deep snow - a number of odd ultra-low runs by suitable aicraft being observed one particularly hard Winter not far from the E/W German border as was. Turned out the plan was to save on parachutes. :eek: Seems the trials were very short-lived.

The person who told me seemed to (a) genuinely know what they were on about and (b) seemed not to have any good reason to take the pi$$ out of H 'n' H so I assume the above is a genuine "dit", as far-fetched as it sounds. But, years on after the tale was told to me I'm still not 100% sure it was (a) or whether they were just very good at (b)! :hmm:

I have seen this type of activity in other areas but with C130's..

It looks as though the search was started in an area 10 miles NE of the intersection of English Inshore waters and the track followed by vessels travelling between Roscoff, France and Rosslare, Ireland. The pattern then narrowed the search down to a single point where the A400 pinpointed the point and remained in the area. Did someone go over the side of a ferry or vessel, what was the tidal flow at the time of search (Up Channel?) Could an underwater object have been loitering in the area?.

An A400 is a rather large asset for this operation unless nothing else is available.

Questions, questions, questions,

IG

Nav looking for a landmark to figure out where they are? 😜

Almost certainly SAR training for use in the Falklands where it is the only asset.

I’m also fairly certain that the flight deck is never sullied by the presence of a navigator!!

Yeah, I've been bored enough to look at FR24 more than usual over the past 3 months or so and have seen similar tracks in similar areas from A400Ms on multiple occasions

ASRA drops? I never complained during liferaft drills after doing ASRA drops from the Herc, when 2 out 3 MS10 in the string inflated upside down. After that practicing righting a liferaft didn't seem to be a chore.

Seems to be some veracity to the story.

https://books.google.com.au/books?id...chutes&f=false

Defo a creeping line ahead in there.

A couple of weeks ago an A400 was doing the same in the Eddystone Lighthouse area, in between some circuits at Jersey and Guernsey and (if I recall) a few at Newquay - or perhaps I should say St Mawgan.

Regarding jumping from aircraft sans parachute, Brian Lecomber used to jump from the wing of a low and slow Tiger Moth as part of a barnstorming act around 1970. Probably his small stature aided his survival though I believe he did break the odd appendage despite a well padded suit - padded cell might have been more suitable.

Rather off topic, but to continue about parachuteless jumps ...

Not over the sea, but air gunner Les Bigwood jumped out of a crippled Lancaster at 90 feet and survived until his demise in old age in 2009. I have him on a short video of that sortie telling the story in his uniquely understated style.
https://www.aircrew.org.uk/woking/Le...esBigwood.html

I spent many a happy hour doing that in D001 at 200ft back in the late 80's :-)

I've heard unsubstantiated rumours that the P8s are being configured for tactical supply drops, troop movements, kit movement, AAR and VIP transport to fill in for the truckies. Especially when maritime Ops overwhelm the truckies normal tasking capability.

200'.....low level?!?....

50' at night is low level 😀

Who held the ladder?

Basic ASRA training.

300' rad alt drop height.

Creeping line pattern.

Standard stuff.

When filming the Dambusters film. the Lancs flew at 60ft as per the raid but this appeared higher on film, so the director got the crews flying the three lancs being filmed to fly at 30ft as that looks more representative of 60ft in the film..

And what did you do today dear?
 

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Ion added

Goodness me, he's knitting a plate of spaghetti!

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....0c88bae3a6.png

Still at it but further west now. Also been a C130 doing same off Swanage.

Lot of mil helicopter training activity at the moment too.

Video of it here https://www.facebook.com/groups/6836...0178802667896/