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.

[quote handslikecowstits]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[/quote]
Probably a thing called “Base Training” by the looks of it….round and round a (quiet) airport doing visual circuits and/or instrument approaches.

Pilots who are new to a aircraft type sometimes haven’t got enough prior experience to allow then to do all their basic handling training in a simulator, so they have to go off and fly a real aircraft and do a few takeoffs and landings without passengers.

Thank you. I'd never seen this before today.

You’re welcome

Other favourites for this training used to be places like Shannon (Ireland) and Chateauroux (central France).

FWIW I’ll hedge my bets and point out that since I’m not sure how many if any newbies are coming into the airlines ATM there’s also a chance that the base training may have been for the benefit of those coming back to flying after time off having been grounded due the reduction in schedules due to Covid.

If there were big numbers involved it might work out cheaper put them all in one aircraft and go to Newquay to fly circuits rather than arrange multiple simulator sessions.

Krf71 about to land in Belize!

Why are some planes blue on FR when most are yellow? What’s the meaning?

@ElectricFlower

Why are some planes blue on FR when most are yellow? What’s the meaning?

They are being tracked by satellite.

Thanks! I’d been trying to work it out and explains why it’s over the oceans

@ElectricFlower

Thanks! I’d been trying to work it out and explains why it’s over the oceans

For background the whole way Air Traffic Control (ATC) functions and how they track aircraft changes once flights are well off shore in what is known as Oceanic airspace.

In some oceanic areas and some types of oceanic routes it is mandatory for aircraft to use satcom both for ATC tracking purposes and also communications. This is typically the case where there’s a lot of traffic, for example the main routes across the Atlantic, because the enhanced tracking means ATC can safely squeeze more aircraft into the airpace.

FWIW some mainly older aircraft still do not have satellite communications, instead the crew have use the old fashioned method of calling air traffic control on HF (short wave radio) on a regular basis and report their position. That can restrict where they operate, it can also mean they may also completely disappear from Flight radar and the other trackers whilst they are a long way from land.

HTH

Really getting TL, DR but you will see some yellow flights mid -Atlantic…

A handful are actually in range of ground based receivers in places like the Azores, others are being displayed at their estimated position based on timings and planned route (you can tell by clicking on a flight to select it and then scrolling down to see the “data source” on the info panel)

I was really amazed (after the recent loss of big aircraft with no idea), learning that all flights weren’t love tracked by satellite etc at all times in this day and age, it just seems crazy that no one can know where a plane was when it crashed.

If I remember the timings correctly the whole satcom/satellite datalink process didn’t really start until maybe 25 years ago on the Atlantic, it then became more widespread around the globe.

The main reason some aren’t tracked is expensive to fit the required equipment, especially as a retro fit to older types, so that’s why there are still aircraft flying around over oceans that get by doing things the old fashioned way - self reporting positions by short wave radio.

Of course in any event it’s not “all seeing”, the system relies to a great extent on the aircraft systems being serviceable and the crew having logged on to ATC (a process a bit like logging onto an internet site).

ASCOT480 from brize Norton, does that flight path show it did 4/5 touch downs and takeoff practice at jersey airport? Or was it just flying over it’s landing path?

@DiamondCushion

ASCOT480 from brize Norton, does that flight path show it did 4/5 touch downs and takeoff practice at jersey airport? Or was it just flying over it’s landing path?

If you click on it's speed & altitude graph (you'll find it if scroll down the flight details) you'll find it did five touch and go's at Jersey and it's now doing much the same at Birmingham...

Presumably a general handling practice/training sortie of some sort.

Thanks, there was another plane doing the same thing at brize Norton. I was wondering if it was some kind of thing with keeping general airports up to date with handling military planes. Or just using quieter airports for nighttime practice.

I do love the naming! Currently watching machete1 & 2 play around. The other day it was CMNDO, then randomly Jake!

@DiamondCushion

Thanks, there was another plane doing the same thing at brize Norton. I was wondering if it was some kind of thing with keeping general airports up to date with handling military planes. Or just using quieter airports for nighttime practice.

The airports/airport controllers won’t really need practice at handling larger transport aircraft doing circuits, but if the military pay handling charges for things like practice approaches I’m sure the airport owners would be happy…

cdn.ports.je/web/2021-Airport-Tariffs.pdf