USAF Stratotanker
 

Around 17.15 today, Monday 24th August I heard a loud aircraft. I saw a large grey aircraft flying pretty low and heading along the south coast east of Brighton.

PF air showed it to be a USAF stratotanker heading east.

i wonder what it is doing here, anyone have an idea?

Think I noticed one heading down the Irish Sea off Wales a bit earlier on which looked like it was doing a Cook's tour of the GB western coastline. Out and about at the mo so can't do a replay.

Callsign "QID11" means it's a Mildenhall-based KC-135R of the 100th ARW.

What it was doing on a trip to the seaside, I have no idea - seems to have been on a tour of the UK coastline.

Maybe checking out the regular Spitfire operations

Taking recently arrived Buff crews for a bit of local area famil maybe?

Frequently, in the long past when a Tanker's chicks had completed their AAR detail, they would be fat for fuel and - especially on a summer's late evening - request the 'white cliffs' or 'London' tour. Judicious coordination with the LATCC Civil southern sectors and Heathrow Approach would see a stream of F-111s overflying said areas (not below 2000ft of course!); did wonders for international and aircrew/ATC relations. It may have been that the subject KC-135's chicks had gone US and had availed itself of the same, if such is not banned. Given the dearth of traffic these days it should still be reasonably easy to arrange I would have thought?

Wow! An expensive sightseeing tour!

Another KC-135, 61-0292, heading eastwards up the channel now just off Selsey Bill, Rather higher though at 16000'. Appears to have had quite a busy morning...