Aircraft Flying Overhead [OTT]

[Aviador]

The BBC are running a story on it Tom

I never heard a thing.

 

[White Heather]

It was 2 Typhoons but not a practice flight. As has now been widely reported, they scrambled to intercept a City Jet (Air France) RJ85 operating the CDG - NCL flight, which had lost all communications with ATC. Some reports stated it failed to respond to ATC and had gone off course too. I guess they flew on the shortests possible route from Coningsby to up Newcastle way and were given approval to fly supersonic. They found the RJ85, established communications and escorted it to NCL where it landed safely. I guess this was a good indication of how the RAF would react in the event of a hijack incident. Many complaints about the sonic boom but in this instance, I think totally justified.

 

[tleeds]

Thanks White Heather and LBASpotter!

Completely agree totally justifiable! I thought I heard something but I think in Cookridge a lot of people were disturbed!

Was it on Look North Aviador?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Agreed - the military aircraft had to get to the scene as quickly as possible. It would be a hell of a decision to have to make though for the senior politician (presumably the PM) if such an incident was determined to be a terrorist action.

Some years ago there was a tv programme on British tv involving (I think) real politicians and senior police and military officers with an exercise scenario of a suspected hijacked UK passenger aircraft in UK airspace. Information was gradually fed in as more facts became known, as would be the case in real life, until there was little doubt that the aircraft had been hijacked and was intent on causing a major incident on the ground, a la New York.

I think the person acting as the PM in the programme ultimately made the decision to have the passenger aircraft shot down before it came in range of its suspected target congested urban area. It's one thing to make that decision in an exercise, but quite another in real life.

 

[Aviador]

Hi Tom, yes. It was also on the main news at one point.

 

[Aviador]

I recall watching the programme TLY mentions. It would be a tragic event whichever way you look at it. An aircraft shot down because the pilot isn't obaying instructions or an aircraft coming down in a heavily populated area. There is no good option apart from the risk of killing more inocent people by doing nothing.

I read several negative comments on Twitter from people complaining about the noise. Clearly they lead a sheltered life if they're not awake to the world we live in.

 

[JakeS]

This was published last year by Sky News... very informative report on RAF QRA

 

[Aviador]

A neighbour was asking me yesterday if I'd heard the sonic boom. He said he thought a plane had crashed it was so loud. I said, "no that was nothing. We used to live under the flight path and we had PIA thundering over us every Wednesday evening" Seriously, I never heard anything and my hearing is fine.

 

[tleeds]

I think A LOT of people thought a plane had crashed! Like I said a lot of my friends in Cookridge heard it and automatically presumed... Airport!! I didn't hear a thing but my sister did and we were in Baildon!

Ahh the days of PIA.. Otley Golf Club members used to hate that thing, thinking it was going to crash every time their was a 14 arrival!

 

[jfy1999]

Ahh the days of PIA.. Otley Golf Club members used to hate that thing, thinking it was going to crash every time their was a 14 arrival!

To think that the A300/310 family was considered to be one of the the quietest aircraft in the sky when it first came out!...

 

[tleeds]

To think that the A300/310 family was considered to be one of the the quietest aircraft in the sky when it first came out!...

To think how times have changed....

 

[michael]

Not strictly LBA related so please move if required but as I can't find the 'flying overhead thread' as of 10 minutes ago passing over the Dales was a SB20 looking to be operating for Eastern flying the Cardiff to Newcastle route, quite an odd one in that it is Swiss registered HB-IZJ, owned by Adria Airways Switzerland and operated by Etihad Regional. Definitely different! Nice colour scheme too, wonder if LBA will see it?

 

[a300boy]

Just Had AN12 UR-CKM pass overhead Lba on its way to land at Doncaster.

 

[a300boy]

UR-11819 Another AN12 just passing overhead inbound Doncaster.

 

[a300boy]

Both aircraft departed were from Gothenburg.

 

[White Heather]

I am fairly sure one of them passed over Leeds again this morning heading back up North.

 

[a300boy]

You are correct !

 

[michael]

One for the experts here, just flown over us near Grassington a few minutes ago was Virgin A333 G VWAG routing LHR to EWR. At the same time routing LHR to JFK was Virgin A346 G VRED, only difference being the A346 was heading out over Cardiff. They left LHR 10 minutes apart, is there any sound reason, except for Air traffic control, why one should route over the pennines and southern Scotland and the other routes south Wales when in effect they're both flying the same journey at the same time?

 

[Finger66]

I suspect it's to do with the A330 just being twin engined and therefore has to stay within authorised limits of land. I don't know what those limits are but know they are in place. Routing further north then keeps them closer to Iceland and Greenland rather than just pure water of the Atlantic Ocean that the 4 engined 340 can do legally

 

[a300boy]

Yes Finger66 it was probably Etops rules for a twin as opposed to, in my opinion, the four engined safer option.