Anyone looking at FlightRadar?

[pussycatinfluffyslippers]

There's an A380 supposed to be Heathrow to Dubai (UAE30) currently just north of Wakefield.

Thoughts?

Yep...and of course squawking 7700 can be for a thousand and one reasons plus, from mechanical defects right through to someone on board with medical probs needing urgent attention.

According to a Bristol media outlet, it was because a passenger was taken ill. After diverting to Nantes to get medical attention for the passenger, the flight continued to Bristol, arriving at 12.48pm local time.

Have to see if I can re find the stats but passenger illness is probably the trigger for most 7700 squawks in UK airspace (and was the only reason I used the code a handful of times in my flying career).

I know Flight radar has become a source of entertainment but it just perhaps worth being aware that 7700 means somebody is having a very bad day.

What does squawking 7700 mean ?

simpleflying.com/squawk-7700-meaning/

What happens if there is more than one plane with some sort of emergency in the same bit of airspace squawking 7700? Does that ever lead to the ATC being confused?

4 digit code, used if the aircraft needs priority handling....does the same job as a radio distress or urgency call...alerts people.

The numbers get typed into a control box on the aircraft flight deck and means the aircraft gets highlighted on ground radar screens so it's easier for the controllers to spot.

Sometimes even if the problem is quite minor a controller will tell the pilots to switch over from their normal squawk that they had been using to 7700, again just to make the traffic more visible on the screens.

@ErrolTheDragon

*What happens if there is more than one plane with some sort of emergency in the same bit of airspace squawking 7700

Think only time I've heard of that was during a mass diversion where a couple of aircraft were short of fuel..from what I've heard the controller(s) sorted out fine.

@notimagain please don't think I don't, I used to be terrified of flying and am currently having quite a bad anxiety flare and DH and DS are flying so I went on FR to reassure me (and see if I could see the planes itinerary for today as they're not for to fly til this evening so was checking delays.

This has backfired as a) obv there was a squawk (they're also flying from Spain), and b) the plane's second flight of the day was delayed by about 3 hours.

I'm sorry if I came across as mawkish, I'm genuinely anything but.

Really hope the passenger is ok, and glad the same crew etc were able to continue

No probs, I'm sure DH and DS will get home OK, even better if they are close to being on time..

thanks!

DH ande DS flight has taken off according to the airport but it's not appearing on FR, just saying unknown. How often does this happen? easyJet website use showing it as taken off but there's no tracking available anywhere, does this happen often?

I'm probably a bit late with thi but:

Any chance the aircraft has shown as departed on the airport boards but not yet taken-off?

Depending on the airport there may be no Flight Radar coverage for aircraft on the ground or in the initial part of the climb so I'd keep checking..

Also worth being aware aircraft callsign (which Flight radar displays) is not always the same as the flight number on the ticket.

Thanks, it finally got airborne over 90 minds late, the departure and arrival airport had 'called it' over half an hour before it actually took off (it's from a pretty small airport).

They're not due in til gone midnight then have to collect luggage, get shuttle to car and drive home, poor DS is only 14 and has to be at school tomorrow.

Thank you for the reassurance, think I need to make an appt for my anxiety with the GP as this wasn't nice at all.

Hello,
Does anyone know what the AN26 planes are ? They show up regularly flying over but no information regarding destination. They are quite loud and low as they pass over. Sorry if it's a silly question ! Thanks

Morning...

They're rare in Europe (and noisy), and mostly used as freight carriers. I've just rubbed the sleep from my eyes and see there's one right now ex-Prestwick over Germany heading east.

Looks like it belongs to a Ukraine based company Vulkan Air who do cargo charter, so maybe that's here it is headed.

Perhaps something to do with the war effort, but that's just a complete guess.

@notimagain
Morning, thank you!

Hi again,

Not sure how long you followed it but for completeness the aircraft plodded across a big chunk of Europe then went into Bratislava about breakfast time....so my guess about the war effort is probably off the mark and it's more likely it's shipping standard night freight....

FYI whilst almost all of the aircraft and flight data was supressed on Flightradar the ADS-B Exchange site was displaying the registration UR-CQV.. (UR = Ukraine registered).

It then just needed a quick bit of Goggle foo using the reg to come up with the identity of the operator and details of all their fleet.

https://vulkanair.com/aircraft-specifications/

@notimagain wow thanks , I find it all so interesting on flight radar and when something appears on there that looks a bit iffy I'm obsessed with trying to work out why/where/what 😅my DH thinks I'm mad but I love it! We're in the West Midlands and see a fair few of these AN26 planes go over at random times.

Anyone spotted there's a fair few flights being redirected back to london?

Morning..

Not heard anything on the grapevine about odd goings on so you're going to have to give us a clue as to what time and which airports...

Looking at a fast replay for around midnight last night at a quick glance it seemed Heathrow was pretty quiet apart from a few late departures and Gatwick just looked like the standard o'dark thirty arrivals from the holiday destinations...

It's lovely here today, we'rere obviously under the holding pattern for Heathrow, having grown up under the final approach and being used to having to wait for Concorde to pass I love hearing the planes.

We've been getting a lot of LHR recently, must look into what conditions make them use this stack as it seems to happen more in summer.

Anyone follow the Mach Loop, Lake District & Low Level Photography Group on Facebook?

They post jaw-droppingly brilliant photos of jets training through the mountains, and this (hilarious) schedule for RIAT…

Credit photos to Paul Ward

And this, “Loitering with intent?”

credit to Jimmy Uncles

@GayPareeee

, must look into what conditions make them use this stack as it seems to happen more in summer...

Things may have changed with regard to noise controls/curfews since my time but a quick discreption:

There are actually 4 inner holds for Heathrow - Lambourne (to the north east), Bovingdon (North West), Ockham (south West) and Biggin Hill (South East). Which one you used was dependent on where you were arriving from.

Roughly speaking Air Traffic Control would take aircraft off each hold in turn in batches of maybe three or four, but details varied.

You wouldn't expect anything in the holds overnight and the early arrivals that had night slots would normally ping straight in, no holding.

The holds normally started to fill up maybe from 0630 onwards as those aircraft that arrived with day slots and couldn't land before 0700 (I think it was 0700...might have been 0600) held until the clock ticked over.

After that throughout the day how many aircraft were in the holds varied, but it was rare to arrive at daylight hours and not go round a hold at least once, but if you got lucky and arrived in a gap in arrivals it could happen.

Usual cause of extended holding is either strong winds or fog...both of which reduce the landing rate (aircraft per hour).

HTH.

Thank you, I'm about 3 miles from Biggin Hill so that figures, we get them when they come out the stack on their final approach.

At my mum's you hear the planes about 5-50 on every minute or so so I think the noise curfew ends at 6, she's only about 4 miles away from Heathrow.

I like sometimes watching the planes above me then fly over their house a few minutes later, we co ordinate to wave at the same plane sometimes

so I think the noise curfew ends at 6,

Sounds about right from memory as the cut off for the "day" movements.

If you had a night slot (and quite a few flights do) it used to be no landings before about 0430 (again from memory) and I think that restriction may have gone now..