Interesting aircraft - what have you seen on your computer today?

[BSD]

Hang about! I think I've just seen a Westland Wasp heading west, whilst looking North from our vantage point here in NW Essex.

My fading eyesight not being what it was, and nothing showing on FR24, I could be wrong. Wasn't sure any were still flying.

Anybody know for sure?

[treadigraph]

There are five on the UK register at present.

[SpringHeeledJack]

Talking of old choppers, a VERY noisy/clattering Bell 47 went by me a few days ago along the heli-lane in London. I was humming the M.A.S.H theme tune afterwards with a smile on my face :-)

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by BSD

Hang about! I think I've just seen a Westland Wasp heading west, whilst looking North from our vantage point here in NW Essex.

My fading eyesight not being what it was, and nothing showing on FR24, I could be wrong. Wasn't sure any were still flying.

Anybody know for sure?

There are 3 Wasps, all airworthy AFAIK, based at North Weald. So the chances are that it was one of those. A fourth example lives near Winchester, and the final registered example (which hasn't flown for several years) is in Yorkshire.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by SpringHeeledJack

Talking of old choppers, a VERY noisy/clattering Bell 47 went by me a few days ago along the heli-lane in London. I was humming the M.A.S.H theme tune afterwards with a smile on my face :-)

The appropriately-registered G-MASH (also based at North Weald and, needless to say, in US Army colours) has been active recently, though there are fourteen 47G's on the UK register in total (not all flying), so it could have been one of the others.

[treadigraph]

I meant to say that I noticed Bell 47G G-MASH gently levitating along the Thames near Dartford several days ago.

The Bell 47: Mother Nature's slowest cruising mechanical object. They always took ages to crawl past. I had a ride in one at Oshkosh which travelled about a mile around the western side of the airport in the time anything else could take in most of the state. Great fun!

[wub]

IL76 out of Moscow headed for East Midlands just about over Hull at 14:05

[wub]

Originally Posted by treadigraph

The Bell 47: Mother Nature's slowest cruising mechanical object. They always took ages to crawl past.

I was once suspended under a parachute in Cyprus when I heard an AAC Souix coming my way, I couldn't see it but I heard it slowly getting closer, not a pleasant experience.

[Captivep]

Not a sighting per se, but just went on FR24 to check a very distinctive drone going over me (just north of Chester) which turned out to be an RAF A400 heading back to Brize Norton and spotted a very unusual registration - G-ULAG !

[esscee]

Just had a P 51 G-BIXL fly over on its way back to Duxford.

[OwnNav]

IL76 into EMA.

[G-APDK]

Scout G-CIMX was heading out towards Suffolk (bury St Edmunds area) from North Weald just after midday on 25 July, it may have been that which you saw

G-APDK
Air-Britain Stansted Branch

[SLXOwft]

While driving between Congleton and Macclesfield c. 221700ZJUL2020 I saw a single RAFAT Hawk on a reciprocal heading out of my passenger window - low enough to make out the union flag design. He/she appeared to wing waggle presumably to someone on the ground. Seemed a strange place for it to be - not that far from the edge of Manchester CTR Class D airspace, roughly in the former Woodford entry/exit lane.

[SpringHeeledJack]

Maybe giving a nod to the white Vulcan ?

[malcolm380]

On the subject of old helicopters, I was surprised to see this on my morning walk up to Saratoga County Airport.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by malcolm380

On the subject of old helicopters, I was surprised to see this on my morning walk up to Saratoga County Airport.

Looks like a Midwest Helicopter Airways machine, I believe they operate three S-58Ts.

[Hot 'n' High]

Originally Posted by wub

I was once suspended under a parachute in Cyprus when I heard an AAC Souix coming my way, I couldn't see it but I heard it slowly getting closer, not a pleasant experience.

Gliders too! Several times I've been drifting about happy as Larry (Larry being a very cheerful chap by the way!) and then heard some spam-can heading generally my way. Could I see them??? Usually, no - which was fine - but I oft thought that, had it not been for the silent flight in my glider, I'd have been none the wiser as to their proximity. And that they'd be clueless as to my presence.

Like, when transiting back in a training spam-can myself in open FIR with a stude beside me and a twin let down out the clag directly in front of us - fortunately, going my way so it disappeared off ahead. Less than a mile further on and I'd have been none the wiser - just wondering what the hell had hit us as we spiralled down to my end (and that of my stude).

Or the time when I was a pax when, suddenly, the sky was full of thermaling gliders! Twenty seconds later and the sky was clear again. Sheesh, and people worry about Covid! "When your time is up...." - never a truer word. Airmanship - zero! Chance - 100%!

PS Medically grounded so now safe - unless from falling debris! H 'n' H

[pax britanica]

I saw a BA A320 at LHR yesterday when dropping my daughter off at a gloomy and dull T5 , really brought it home to me what an awful business this is. No stream of take offs, I think there were three departures while we said good bye, but what an awful dreary atmosphere for 0800 on a Monday. Its nice to see some unusual stuff but a once normal procession of BA minibuses would have been mich nicer

[Gulf4uk]

Another EZY A320 To QLA Lasham G-EZWG EZE9004 ETA 1240 Gliders permitting

[TheFrenchConnection]

IB3167 (A333) Airbus A330-302 EC-LXK Heading SW : LHR - MAD Nice view just west of Bracknell - Pax OK going in that direction , sector