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Has anyone noticed a lot more armed services aircrafts around?!

49 replies

threetimesacharm · 17/08/2022 10:31

I live rurally, nowhere near any bases and we’ve had two really low flying royal airforce aircrafts this week, never before. Seen a post on Facebook of someone elsewhere saying they’ve noticed similar. Just wondering if it’s a coincidence or if not what it’s all about? I panic about everything!

OP posts:
vodkaredbullgirl · 17/08/2022 10:35

Why are you worried?

mountainsunsets · 17/08/2022 10:36

What is it you're concerned about?

x2boys · 17/08/2022 10:37

No i can't say I have

Almondsandraisins · 17/08/2022 10:39

I live rurally and they practice low flying manoeuvres over our valley and tbf over most of north wales for example. But I remember them doing this 30 years ago, this isn't a new thing round here.

There does seem to have been a little bit more this summer but I assumed that's because all the clear skies meant better visibility and so it was a good time to practice.

vodkaredbullgirl · 17/08/2022 10:40

I live near an army base and also not far from a RAF base, so see plenty.

TeenDivided · 17/08/2022 10:40

We had a spitfire fly over a day or 2 ago.

godmum56 · 17/08/2022 10:41

I live near several bases and on flightpaths and have not noticed any changes.

vodkaredbullgirl · 17/08/2022 10:42

Had the Red Arrows last week do a fly by.

Oouli · 17/08/2022 10:45

Rurally too and no change on the usual summer training flights. But lots of fb posts in the local group commenting on how many more there is, I suspect a portion of it, is a lot of people working from home who didn't previously and are now noticing them and people being anxious and taking more notice then they would previously.

SprinkleOfSunak · 17/08/2022 10:46

I live in Greater London and there have been so many of these flying over our house in recent months, especially chinooks. The number and frequency has definitely increased rapidly since the Ukraine war started.

I also become anxious whenever I see these aircraft, and often panic that I must have missed a breaking news story that we’ve started fighting Russia. I do suffer with anxiety though.

EcoCustard · 17/08/2022 10:46

We live close to a few RAF bases and definitely more practices in last few weeks. A few very low flying aircraft and helicopters and an increase in night practice. I presume it’s a specific practice operation which happens throughout the year and with all the heightened tensions they are practicing more. A Hercules past so low a few days ago you could visibly see the pilots waving back 😁 not seen that for a while.

Maggiesgirl · 17/08/2022 10:48

Live on Salisbury Plain and it's been all quiet around here. Might be because the live fire has caused fires in the dry grass so there dosnt seem to be any exercises on anyway.

wonderstuff · 17/08/2022 10:50

I live near a chinook base and have noticed fewer than normal. I really wouldn’t be concerned. We met a helicopter trainer once and he said that where we lived was a similar topography to an area in Afghanistan and that’s why they liked flying low over our valley. There seems to be a pattern where they come over regularly for a few months and then ease off for a while, I guess it depends on the training schedule.

Apparently there’s currently a huge backlog of pilots needing training in the RAF at the moment.

EarlofShrewsbury · 17/08/2022 10:53

It's airshow season.

They've been cancelled the last two years due to covid so you've got used to not seeing them as much.

wonderstuff · 17/08/2022 10:54

I wonder if they’re considering using army aircraft for firefighting if wildfires get worse? Chinooks are amazing at how close they can get.

capricorn12 · 17/08/2022 10:56

I've noticed this too in the last few weeks (I'm in Greater Manchester) and mentioned it to my son who had been working away in Oxford and he said he'd noticed the same there. I've seen some unusual aircraft as well as the normal Chinooks.... we've had smaller black military helicopters which I thought were probably American and a very odd thing that was shaped like a small chunky plane but had rotors like a helicopter. My son also saw that one in Oxford.

yonce · 17/08/2022 10:57

It's been all of the air shows recently - there's just been two days at Blackpool, so red arrows, spitfire, BBMF, chinooks etc all flying over.

FourChimneys · 17/08/2022 10:58

The airbase near us has been busy but the training they are doing is not related to the UK suddenly going to war with Russia. There's a lot about it on the local Facebook page, people are generally supportive.

waltzingparrot · 17/08/2022 11:02

I live in a military area. Noticibably a lot more activity around the start of theUkranian war and definitely another surge now.

AthenaPopodopolous · 17/08/2022 11:05

Yes saw two chinooks and three or four other helicopters a couple weeks ago. west Coast Scotland. The police say it’s military exercises. Yes, I’m worried about the possibility of a world war.

LadyCatStark · 17/08/2022 11:16

Well it makes sense for the military to carry out exercises just in case, it doesn’t mean anything is imminent. Plus it is Airshow season.

Tree543 · 17/08/2022 12:08

capricorn12 · 17/08/2022 10:56

I've noticed this too in the last few weeks (I'm in Greater Manchester) and mentioned it to my son who had been working away in Oxford and he said he'd noticed the same there. I've seen some unusual aircraft as well as the normal Chinooks.... we've had smaller black military helicopters which I thought were probably American and a very odd thing that was shaped like a small chunky plane but had rotors like a helicopter. My son also saw that one in Oxford.

I've seen the weird plane/copter one near Oxford. I looked it up at the time as it was so unusual think it is American.
We are near an RAF base and there are fewer than usual at the moment I would say.

Mangogogogo · 17/08/2022 12:19

Won’t it be because of air shows?

we have air shows round here and I still haven’t seen any fly over this year hahah! I think I’m more ignorant to stuff after covid!

PuttingOnMyBestBra · 17/08/2022 12:27

We have an air show soon , I think they are working their way around the country

notimagain · 17/08/2022 12:44

All down to things like:

Airshow season (especially traffic during or around weekends),

Good weather (more flying and more people being outside),

probably one or two foreign units over on detachment (quite often American National Guard units over in the UK this time of year,

Peaks and troughs in training.

It's not suddenly down to a world war about to break out.

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