Identify this aircraft?

[ETOPS]

The BBC are running a story about a mysterious aircraft flying over the Wem/Sleap area of Shropshire.

Here's the photo they put up...



I'm pretty certain that's a Britten-Norman Islander - any info from the locals?

[Stanwell]

While not a local..
Are there any Scottish Aviation Pioneers still flying?

[ifonly]

Maybe something belonging to one of their members?

Introduction - Sleap Model Flyers

[fatmanmedia]

that's aurora coming in to land at the secret US air force base on the moon.

Fats

[ETOPS]

No not that thing on the right - that's a BAe Taranis UAv from Shawbury - I'm thinking the other might even be a Pilatus Porter?

[Flyingmac]

The thing on the right, on close inspection, appears to be a small moth.

[Maoraigh1]

I thought all the Moths were biplanes.

[m.Berger]

Must be a Moth minor then!

[G-ANPK]

At a guess I would say-:
Verhees Delta (F-PDHV) and Europa (F-PGKL)


G-ANPK (Stansted Air-Britain)

[Weeds round the prop]

I'm not sure that the delta is a/the Verhees.
Weeds.

[foxmoth]

I thought all the Moths were biplanes.

Minor, Leopard, Puss and even Tiger Moth (dH71 not 82a) were all monoplanes!

[Flyingmac]

Less well known de Havilland Moth aircraft « Destinworld Publishing

[Jan Olieslagers]

I thought of the Verhees Delta too, but as I remember its trailing edge is less straight, and curves in rather than slightly out as pictured.

(nb for those confused with its F-P registration: the designer is Belgian, and the plane is based in Belgium - but the French experimental register is slightly less hard to access than the Belgian counterpart. Many Belgian experimentals/homebuilts have F-Pxxx registrations.)

[G-ANPK]

Having studies the photo along with a fellow aviation person, the back aircraft could be a Broussard and the lower object a winged flying suit, parachutist.


G-ANPK

[NorthSouth]

That's not the right trailing edge shape for the Taranis. And it's not a VariEze either, as the Sleap airfield spokesperson suggests in the BBC piece. But if it's near Sleap/Wem then the chances of neither Sleap nor Shawbury knowing are very slim. It's inside the Shawbury MATZ so highly likely to have been talking to them.

[ETOPS]

Thanks 'PK as I said I know what the tin triangle is but was wondering why you would use something as unsophisticated as a straight wing type as chase plane. Maybe all the Shropshire aero club members have been sworn to secrecy?

[Flyingmac]

Somebody tried to photograph a model aircraft. There was a moth on the lens. Photo actually taken near Loch Ness. Photo quality degraded due to passage through digestive system of large amphibian. Photographer missing. Possible alien abduction.

[Mechta]

Could be another UAV?

A bit of a longshot, but it could be another UAV such as the BAE Kingfisher, if they were doing trials into swarming or close formation flying (e.g. for in-flight refuelling feasability trials).

BAE Kingfisher. Specifications. A photo.



Otherwise it could be a derivative of the BAe Stabileye UAV from the 1980s.

[hoodie]

Originally Posted by ETOPS

No not that thing on the right - that's a BAe Taranis UAv from Shawbury

How do you know that?

It seems most unlikely outside segregated airpace, which a MATZ or ATZ isn't.

[NorthSouth]

And it's clearly not a Taranis nor the other suggestions made by Mechta because it's the wrong shape.

And if there was any UAV flying in this airspace it would have been NOTAMed