I did see the Qantas 380 heading off (hard to miss as it's so conspicuous) and idly thought "that's going off early" and carried on with my morning. Is there any more info since yesterday ? Quite rare for a LHR departing civvy to have a mil flight number.

I wondered about that - it positioned in from SIN on Monday evening, but yesterday's Heathrow plan showed it departing for Dubai/DWC, rather than TLV (unlike the QF B789 that operated ASY1168 LHR-TLV-LHR on Friday).

The A380 was presumably picking up pax who had already been evacuated to Dubai, as it departed from there late yesterday evening to Sydney and then continued to Auckland.

That's both unusual and interesting, thank you. I would have thought that any evacuating Aussies would have headed the other way, as in Eastwards towards home, rather than heading from TLV towards LHR, but perhaps a week ago anywhere was better than staying in Israel ? I just 'saw' an RAAF A330 descending into TLV from DXB, so maybe it was a capacity issue beforehand.

A330 A39-003 actually left NHB (Al Minhad Air Base/Camp Baird) not DXB for TLV at about 0730Z followed about half an hour by C-17 A41-212 also out of NHB the latter went dark near Rafha, in Saudi.

Cuurently 290 an IDF B707-300 used for ELINT orbiting off Gaza - surprised it's transponding unless it's deliberate to supress RF chatter.

Aussie AF Wedgetail heading north east over France earlier, think it went into Ramstein, last noted it in that general area.

Apparently the ground invasion will be at 1am UK local time, so that's why the big efforts have been made the last week by airforces multiple. The Argentine AF and Mexican, Colombian, Brazilian have been burning uo the Med shuttling between TLV and Rome, Lisbon, Madrid etc.

Where had the RAAF Wedgetail come from, stateside ?

I can't remember!

Edit: This leg was out of Sigonella, Sicily...

Deployed to operate from there. https://www.australiandefence.com.au...ives-in-europe

Saw what I assumed was an Ita Airways A320 coming off the Biggin hold the other day, a sudden mastodonic howl rent the sky, have they now got A220s? Oh yes...

PS, cheers Liffy!

Seven A220-300s currently, plus more due including some -100s as well.

Whilst watching an IndianAF C-17 float by headed to Stansted earlier, it dawned on me that in the last few months such flights are happening several times a week. Does anyone hereabouts know why there's been such an uptick in visits from the IAF to be regular, whereas before they were exotic visitors rarely seen ? Just curious.

A rare sight over these lowly parts, Loganair ERJ-145 inbound Heathrow from Derry. Route was via Bovingdon and almost over Heathrow before joining left d/w for 27L.

Noticed a JMK 757 hopping from LTN to Lasham. Are they still doing overhauls there - or is one for the knackers?

Noticed it going into Luton from Zurich earlier this afternoon. See it's the former Petrolair HB-IEE, vaguely recall them from years ago.

,

I believe that there is no scrapping done at Lasham outside of airframes that get stranded there due to unpaid bills etc, The Mx for more elderly jet aircraft seems to be going strong, a lovely 727 is there presently getting tended to.

Reportedly destined for the fate of many 757s - to become a freighter, though I'm surprised the conversion would be done at Lasham.

I don't think they have done P to F conversions at Lasham.
Maybe the interior will be stripped before flying somwhere else for the conversion.

Ah, the dulcet drone of an AN-12 eastbound over London, outbound Cardiff for a change.

Weird hold... any clues?

Must be ADSB position error, currently showing over Woking at 3000' and 143kt, assume the aircraft is really over Barnes or somewhere!

...And taxying over the Army ranges south of Bisley! :}

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....88c1a9acc4.jpg

The WC-135 is doing some runs along the western Med between around Almeira and Sicily.