Aircraft Noise Last Night
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: UK
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Aircraft Noise Last Night
I am a current airline pilot with 22000 hours and I do not think I am an idle speculator. This morning at 0130 I was awoken by the noise of an aircraft circling the area where I live. At first I thought that it was somebody on one of these small scooters with the two stroke engines that you can hear for minutes after they have passed. It was however an aircraft, it had navigation lights and an anti collision beacon. It circled for 20 minutes about the same point a though it was circling on a fix. As it approached I could just hear the beat of blades but for the rest of the time it sounded like the scooter. I guess it was a helicopter but from the scooter sound it seemed a very small one. I live in SE London near Croydon. Any Ideas
Join Date: Jan 2007
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Does sound from the description like a Police chopper. Often the Eurocopter EC135's sounds like scooters from the ground, especially if they're in a hover.
Join Date: Aug 2008
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Draft dodger
Have a look here Air Operations - About Us - Surrey Police
May explain your slumberus interruptus
Have a look here Air Operations - About Us - Surrey Police
May explain your slumberus interruptus
Gnome de PPRuNe
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
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You are lucky Draft Dodger - at the other end of Riddlesdown we get the Met's EC145s which are more akin to pneumatic drills than scooters!
Police helicopters are obviously a very useful tool but can be quite worrying sometimes.
A few years ago, where I live in rural Somerset, we had a police helicofter flying around one night at fairly low level shining its search light around the fields and buildings, including my sheds and stables.
Obviously looking for someone, but was it an armed robber or other un desirable, who might break into our house? ( I don't think my wife slept much that night)
It turned out, our local retired vicar had gone out with his dog, and the dog had come home alone.
The unfortunate chap was found dead the following morning.
A few years ago, where I live in rural Somerset, we had a police helicofter flying around one night at fairly low level shining its search light around the fields and buildings, including my sheds and stables.
Obviously looking for someone, but was it an armed robber or other un desirable, who might break into our house? ( I don't think my wife slept much that night)
It turned out, our local retired vicar had gone out with his dog, and the dog had come home alone.
The unfortunate chap was found dead the following morning.
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Count yourself lucky, I was in Florida last year and managed to get a "ride along" in a Sheriff's helicopter. They went to the scene of a burglary to search for suspects, lets just say that they havn't heard about the 500ft rule!!
