Flightradar 24 storm watchers #2

[liveforsummer]

As the other thread is filling up and things are just starting to get real. Here's the next instalment.

I would imagine there are many, many flights that are blocked from the public view.

There's been a lot of activity at Stirling Lines (SAS HQ), none of which has been on FR24.

My find for today is this typhoon from the Azores wasn’t just one plane as shown, but 4 flying in formation, doesn’t show where they landed either.

Interesting @CushionSpiral quite possibly from RAF Coningsby - we've been woken by very early morning departures the last 2 days.

Yes, they're from Coningsby, returning to base after exercise in the US.

Oh dear. Poor Moscow flight had to turn back.

There’s a USAF tanker on its way back to Mildenhall from a trip to Romania. DH (ex RAF) says it’s flight is a classic refulling pattern so the US have had jets in the air nearby.

@CaveMum

There’s a USAF tanker on its way back to Mildenhall from a trip to Romania. DH (ex RAF) says it’s flight is a classic refulling pattern so the US have had jets in the air nearby.

I think there’s another returning to Cyprus too. They’ve been replaced by another RAF tanker and Spanish Air Force.

Oh yes, how interesting. Obviously a lot of action there tonight.

Actually, Spanish AF have landed. Two RAFs up.

I said on the other thread but will say it here too - the stamina of those crews is incredible!

If you really want to waste some time, someone has created this Twitter account to track private jets owned by Russian oligarchs!

Spotted this: RSD 88 - seems to have flown each day. Picking up diplomat perhaps? As there's a flight ban seems like it must be high level

Why would FR3738 take this detour from Birmingham to cork today?

@BenchBench

Why would FR3738 take this detour from Birmingham to cork today?

Beats me…

Initially Thought they might be avoiding military airspace of Wales but other civilian stuff transits that OK. Then had another look and what they’ve done looks like a throwback to the days many years ago when aircraft didn’t have the navigation equipment we have now and so were much more constrained to using major airways, which were delineated by radio beacons on the ground (many of which still exist)

I say that because the route the FR flight takes south East out of Birmingham follows pretty much an airway that used to called Alpha 1 (Amber One before that) as far as a beacon at Compton, near Didcot,…..the flight then turns west and flies smack along the enter line of old Golf one (Green One) airway that used to head west out of London, over the beacon at Brecon and then the one at Strumble Head…

Why anyone would do that? Only reason I can think of (emphasize this is pure speculation and a wild guess) is a really bizarre navigation system problem that has forced the flight to navigate in the sort of manner last seen a few decades back…crawling from one beacon to another.

I’ll add this link which might help with or give a better explanation of the above..

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_navigation

If for any reason the Ryanair aircraft was “non-RNAV” ATC may have insisted they fly beacon to beacon on airways - but I emphasize that’s still me guessing….

Thanks that’s really interesting. I’m only a complete beginner and I find it all fascinating. Unless they were doing some kind of military drill over hereford. There have been a few big helicopters fly over us that have not been on any radar.

My next question, is my DH has mentioned about would I like to go to an air show. Is there a list or someone to follow of any around the country to go to?

UK general list for 2022 air shows here:

britishairshows.com/british-uk-airshows-2022-calendar-dates

The biggest by far is the Royal International Air Tatoo - “RIAT”

www.airtattoo.com/

ASCOT138 is doing some low flying training across Wales, down to 200ft. Same plane was doing it last night around 1am up and down the country. And this one is doing night time practice I guess?

And this one is doing night time practice I guess?

Looks very much like a surveying and/or mapping flight.

I thought that but assumed naively that they only do that during day time hours, but if light isn’t needed then I guess doing it am 1am gets you less calls about a suspicious plane going back and forth!

@ElectricFlower

I thought that but assumed naively that they only do that during day time hours, but if light isn’t needed then I guess doing it am 1am gets you less calls about a suspicious plane going back and forth!

They use all sorts of sensors these days and I guess one advantage of the night shift is they stand more chance of being able to plod up and down in straight lines without being disturbed by other airspace users..

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_survey

This is the website company that operates that aircraft:

dea.aero/

Thanks, this thread really is useful for learning and not being treated like an idiot for asking basic questions to those of us just getting excited by this!

I don't know if this has been covered but Ryanair flights, sometimes, drop out of airways to save money! If they fly in unregulated air then it saves them money.

When my local parachute club are jumping, they sometimes have to stop to ensure Ryanair flights don't interfere with parachutists!

@Karatema

I don't know if this has been covered but Ryanair flights, sometimes, drop out of airways to save money! If they fly in unregulated air then it saves them money.

When my local parachute club are jumping, they sometimes have to stop to ensure Ryanair flights don't interfere with parachutists!

TBF and in Ryanair’s defence there’s nothing wrong or illegal with aircraft, even airliners, operating outside controlled airspace..but there needs to be an awareness that it’s a case of “see and avoid” for everybody operating there.

If the Ryanair flight stays outside any published parachute dropping airspace then both they and the parachute club operators have equal responsibility with regard to avoidance.

FWIW many of the smaller airports around the world don’t even have a protected route that links them to the main airways (which provide protection at higher altitudes) so you have to come off airways/descend into the free airspace at lower level to get into/out of those airfields.

There’s also another issue that the protected airspace around some small airports isn’t actually big enough to protect the area something like a 737 or bigger needs to sometime when positioning for landing.

Could someone enlighten me as to what is going on here: This aircraft has been doing this all morning. It started its original journey at Gatwick, landed at Newquay and then started performing this looping pattern again. Is the code wrong and the plane isn't actually an Easyjet flight or is there another explanation?

www.flightradar24.com/EZY9/2b2b51a5

You may track these on Thursday and Friday - Royal Navy Hawkes flypast.
www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/royal-navy-hawk-jets-set-23386291