A US Army CH-47 just gone slowly down the Thames making a wonderful racket. Do they have different engines compared to the RAF Chinooks ? Sounded very different, though maybe due to it's relatively slow speed whilst sightseeing.

Does the US Army still have the CH-47C variant in service?

If so, the sound difference may have been down to the CH-47C's metal rotor blades, compared to the composite blades on later variants, including the RAF's Chinooks.

Just a thought - I could be completely wrong, of course.

It was a FY 13- CH-47F. Not sure that's a new airframe or a largely upgraded earlier build. Presume it has the composite blades though.

It's a rebuilt CH-47D (ex 91-00245), but the "wonderful racket" was probably coming from the AH-64 accompanying it!

Both were returning to Germany from a week at Farnborough.

Which, in turn, was a rebuilt FY1976 CH-47C. Not bad going !

That would certainly make a difference. The AH-64's are usually very deep and growly and tbh I didn't hear it, only the clattering of the CH-47 reverberating off the various buildings.

Any one have any ideas about serious military noise overhead frome Somerset at 0930 today. totally different from hercs Atlas and C17s . too much noise for one fighter really old fashioned sound of freedom stuff? Great but overcast skies

A louder than normal clattering in the sky revealed a VIP S92 chopper of the Qatar Emiri Flight very slowly and deliberately heading down the Thames towards Battersea Heliport. It was somewhat lower than most arrivals and this probably increased it's noise signature to some miles away.

Been watching Oshkosh in a separate window on and off... some nice stuff floating about of course, including the CAF B-29 which seems to be staying at Appleton Airport at the mo.

Just had another glance, German Aerostar getting airborne plus two Tigercats on the prowl...

Azerbaijan IL76/82. Just tracked 4K-AZ101 into Doncaster a few minutes ago two wide circuits before landing.

I think we can safely assume it's an IL-76, rather than an IL-82, given that the latter is the Russian Air Force airborne command post variant, rarely seen at Doncaster.

G-OSRA B727 Oil Spill Response just passed over heading south.

IL-82?

was that the one that the Russians ( before the current unpleasantness) used when they were invoking the "Open Skies" agreement?

No, that was never the IL-82's role.

Open Skies

Piaggio P180 Avanti, Royal Oman Air Force C130, RAF C-17, RAF A400M (two at different times) and what sounded like a fighter but I couldn't ID from any of the trackers. All bewteen about 1100 and 1400. The C130 was too far north (somewhere near Bristol), The P180 too high for the clouds. All from near Yeovilton.
On a slightly different subject we get A400Ms on a regular basis that come out of Brize, climb to 6000ft, come down to Yeovilton turn right and then head towards Cornwall. Any idea what that's about?

Fleeting visit from a couple of Army Air Corps Gazelles into Shoreham just now. Didn't stay long though.

Hartington

The Atlas es are a daily occurence inbound and ouitbound t Brize over Frome. As you say the y go down to Yeovil n d ehad west or do a few orbits and go back to Brize.. V Distinctive noise. About once a week a Herc does it but at about 500 Ft , great to see

Cessna 01 Bird Dog VH-FXY heading towards Biggin and thence (hopefully) towards me... blimey! Went into Biggin.

Arrived at Biggin late last year with Peter Monk's historical collection. Wears South Vietnam Air Force markings.

Just seen a very brief sortie by Eurofighter ZJ 914 ,it took off from Coningsby at about 1520ish did what appeared to be a display close to Atlleborough and landed again at about 1600. Saturday afternoon overtime !!