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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Anyone else like Birds AND planes? (2 Viewers)

Amazed these old Fuglies are again being readied for combat. Unsurprisingly one returned to Fairford with mechanical issues ( shut down engine and landing gear ) during the night rather than continue it's ferry mission into South East Europe.
 
PYRTLE said:
Amazed these old Fuglies are again being readied for combat. Unsurprisingly one returned to Fairford with mechanical issues ( shut down engine and landing gear ) during the night rather than continue it's ferry mission into South East Europe.
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Don't think it was a ferry mission, the deployment was long planned as one of a regular series and long missions from Fairford - typically up to the Eastern Baltic and the Black Sea, as well as down along/across Africa - are usual fare. After circumnavigating the Iberian peninsula CHIEF12 was back at Fairford by about 1000 this morning: presumably CHIEF11 was the aircraft with the issue necessitating "that difficult 7-engine approach".

John
 
Farnboro John said:
Don't think it was a ferry mission, the deployment was long planned as one of a regular series and long missions from Fairford - typically up to the Eastern Baltic and the Black Sea, as well as down along/across Africa - are usual fare. After circumnavigating the Iberian peninsula CHIEF12 was back at Fairford by about 1000 this morning: presumably CHIEF11 was the aircraft with the issue necessitating "that difficult 7-engine approach".

John
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From comparing the exhaust patterns in the video, it looks like No 4 engine was shut down, and so the approach would require minimum yaw compensation.
MJB
 
Does anyone know if this Ukrainian Su-27 that we saw at RIAT Fairford in 2019 still exists or has it been lost ?
I imagine it's been rather busy recently.
 

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dantheman said:
Unusual? Headed east towards Ukraine? general E Europe/baltic areas?
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The first one up was transiting through Fairford en route somewhere else, either Stateside or a more forward base depending on whether it was heading out or back. The other two climbed in a non-controversial direction. They are big aircraft but even so you lose them after about thirty miles and by then they are a long way up in normal terms (though not U-2 ones); they could go anywhere after that. Given the situation I wouldn't say even if I knew or guessed, frankly.

John
 
Farnboro John said:
The first one up was transiting through Fairford en route somewhere else, either Stateside or a more forward base depending on whether it was heading out or back. The other two climbed in a non-controversial direction. They are big aircraft but even so you lose them after about thirty miles and by then they are a long way up in normal terms (though not U-2 ones); they could go anywhere after that. Given the situation I wouldn't say even if I knew or guessed, frankly.

John
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In which case you should probably delete your post ... although I'm sure it isn't a secret? (Or is it?)

Just wondering how often they fly from there, and it will be a given that NATO/etc will be monitoring airspace towards the eastern flank of Europe currently ...
 
dantheman said:
In which case you should probably delete your post ... although I'm sure it isn't a secret? (Or is it?)

Just wondering how often they fly from there, and it will be a given that NATO/etc will be monitoring airspace towards the eastern flank of Europe currently ...
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None of it is a secret. Plane spotting around military airfields remains a legitimate leisure activity in a free UK. Boys (of all ages) did it during WWII and have continued ever since.

Mind you its not a total accident that I didn't post for three days... but bear in mind you can go on ADSB-Exchange and watch the NATO aircraft all round Europe or even the world: tankers, electronic sniffers, CAPs, huge efforts by the various transport forces. As long as they are happy for everyone to see it - all they have to do is turn the transponders off and bingo, no plots. Not for us anyway. But for the most part I think part of the messaging is: this is us, we are here, don't try to claim you don't know it's us or put a foot out of line on the NATO side of these borders.

John
 
Great shots FJ, especially if unrestricted climb. Still almost daily missions of U2 out of Akrotiri per a friend and last week heralded several pairs of Eurofighters into the base, visual sightings, practising QR climb outs or maybe missions. As you said, tankers, AWACs and cargo planes visible over Europe but nothing else.
 
Ploshing around some soggy waste land next door to Hawarden Airport the other day in a vain attempt to find a previously reported Jack Snipe and was treated to an approach from Beluga number 3.
 

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I was at the National Trust Bodnant Gardens yesterday (North Wales).
Absolutely stunning scenery and a free impromptu aerobatic display from a Beech Texan T1, that Flight Radar said was from RAF Valley.
Not low enough for iPhone photography but “showed well” through my pocket binoculars
 

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