B52 orbits this morning
 

For the last hour or so a B52 has been doing wide orbits NW/SE guessing 5000ft approx. 2 miles east of Tewkesbury, and 10 north of Cheltenham.
Any ideas?

It's burning off fuel before diverting into Fairford.

Diverting from where?

It was on it's way from Barksdale AFB to a "hot & sandy place" out East when it developed a problem over the Western Mediterranean, it's just landed at Fairford as they have the relevant engineering staff there.
There's also 3 B2s currently at Fairford for the annual exercise (and a U2).

Thanks. Hellova diversion from the Med to Fairford.

It had just topped up it's tanks from a KC135 when the problem arose so it had to keep flying for a few hours to burn off fuel to a safe landing weight, it headed for Fairford as they have all the facilities there.

Great information - but where do you get it from??

Possibly still trying to find Farnborough.....

From various forums, the best one is www.fightercontrol.co.uk , you need to post 5 times after joining before you can access their "Heads-up/OTT" section though.

Not when you still have 7 engines left if one goes out.

Back in the 70s had a 747 SP one night couldn't get into a UK airport because of fog and diverted back to Seattle! Was on duty at Scottish. We thought he was nuts, but that's what he did.

I know the SP had some range but how on earth did he have the gas for that?:ooh:

It depends - the OP didn't say where it had originated from.

Obviously "diverted back to Seattle" doesn't mean it had started from there - if it had, it wouldn't have made it all the way back, even with zero payload.