Ravenair P68 doing recips over Sheffield.

[Noah Zark.]

Anyone any idea what Ravenair P. 68 G-HUBB is doing flying a reciprocal heading roughly north-south over Sheffield, please? Currently can be seen on Flirad 24.

[spacemonkeys]

Ravenair for a long time had a contract mapping for Google which ended. If you look at some cities on Google now they are visible in 3D, probably a renewed programme of mapping.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Not sure what flying a reciprocal heading means? Guess it flew in one direction and turned through 180? As mentioned, they do survey flights and I have seen them not infrequently where I live. A great deal of aerial survey work is carried out for Ordnance Survey too.

HTH

[adambsmith]

It was criss-crossing Manchester yesterday too.

[Noah Zark.]

Thanks for the input & info, guys.
N.Z.

[whatdoesthisbuttondo]

Saw this aircraft yesterday flying just to the east of LGW doing a north south grid that looked like mapping.

Does anyone know what it was doing and if it was mapping, who it is for?

Its just that that when we saw it coming we made some impromptu “outdoors artwork” and want to see if it appears.

[treadigraph]

Saw it too - about 4000' on FR24 if I recall. Possibly using LIDAR for the 3D mapping, though I've seen one trundling up and down London at low level a few times at perhaps 2000' and also rather higher on occasion, some of which I assumed was LIDAR mapping.

There was what sounded like a P-68 (sounds the same as a Duchess/Seminole/Cougar) orbiting SE London at about 9000' last Thursday morning. Couldn't see it on any of the radar apps and didn't have any bins on me for a better i/d other than it appeared to be high wing. Certainly not one of the regular "listeners" which I think all have turbines.

[treadigraph]

Bliney, the amount of survey/photography work over London these last few weeks has been incredible.

• Various members of the Ravenair P-68 fleet has been active most days when the weather has been OK, there's one heading into Biggin right now, though whether it's been on task in the area I don't know. Also G-HUBB has just gone into Biggin.
• Cessna 206 PH-WAM is currently busy over north London and C310 PH-LAW over south London, both have been on task at 1500' or so within the M25 frequently over the last month.
• PA-31T D-IASC is at 20000' doing east/west runs about a mile apart between Dartford and Reading, working south from around Enfield
• Beech 200 HB-GLB is at 12000' doing north/south runs a mile apart between Reigate and Enfield, working west from Swanley
• P-68 G-PDGV owned by PLM has also been busy around London/west Kent during June...

No stone left unmapped or snapped...

[DaveReidUK]

G-HUBB visible on Heathrow's WebTrak, 21st June:



It was a windy day.

[treadigraph]

He was so low he was dodging the hills and the stadium!

Glad to see that while the foreign stuff has all slunk off for a siesta, G-HUBB is doing the Mad Dogs and Englishmen bit, plodding up and down between Leatherhead and Caterham at the mo. Think the German and Swiss aircraft had completed their tasks, not sure where the Cloggies disappeared to, refuel aircraft and crew I expect.

Gosh, it is quite hot outside!

[treadigraph]

Sitting on a local hilltop watching PH-LAW whizzing back and forth on a north south beat over SW London today. It is nice to see a C310, always been a favourite type.

[SpringHeeledJack]

I've seen the C310 in several locations in the last weeks. Is it doing mapping runs, or other types of surveying ?

[treadigraph]

The 206 has camera ports in its belly, I think the 310 is probably LIDAR equipped.

[SpringHeeledJack]

Thanks, so is that O/S mapping as a good guess ?

[treadigraph]

I think the OS use a British registered C404 for their survey work. It'll be for one of the online mapping services.