Fighter jet, low, loud and fast over Central Cambridge, UK

[ThatWasLoud]

Hi,

I wondered if anybody else heard a fighter jet flying, low, loud and fast over central Cambridge about half an hour ago?

It was properly really really loud and we just wondered if anybody would know why.

Thanks!

Mildenhall & Lakenheath are on the doorstep, that's why. Surprised you've not heard them more, they're out most days

Anything on at IWM Duxford today?

Playback on FlightRadar shows this jet from Lakenheath.

Thank you very much, yes, that explains it.

We do get a lot of planes over our house from the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, but they usually look like spitfires or small biplanes. This one was unbelievably loud and fast and I've definitely never heard anything like that in the 25 years I've lived here.

I did hear the same once when I was working down in Duxford and the war museum were having a modern jet fighter exhibition, but never anying right here in central Cambridge.

The map posted by @SnowdaySewday shows the plane going right over our house, so that explains it definitely.

Looking at the image provided by @SnowdaySewday that looks like it might have been a flypast for something..the holding pattern to the east could have been done to get the timing right for something, maybe at Cambridge airport..

Anyone know from social media if there's anyone or anything notable on?

The American Military Cemetary is just along the road. Could it be that?

Link to the cemetary:

https://www.abmc.gov/video/cambridge-american-cemetery/?utm_campaign=Website

I did wonder but isn't the cemetry out to the West of Cambridge itself?

That flightradar track may not be 100% accurate but from that looks like the F-15 ran in towards Cambridge from the east and then turned off north west..

Oh yes, you're right, it missed the cemetary entirely. Hum. Not sure then.

Could it be related to this? https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/exact-time-military-aircraft-fly-31668956

No, that route is well up north relative to Cambridge..

Hopefully something will be revealed at some point..

So it is. I'm really firing on all cylinders today.

Mildenhall and Lakenheath are both on Facebook and tend to post if they are doing any out of the ordinary exercises - eg they’ll say night exercises for the next few weeks.

I live fairly close to them and you get used to the low flying fighter jets.

So far best I can come up digging around with takes us back to the Cemetery at Madingley.

It's Memorial Day today so there are events there (including a B-17 flypast this PM)..

The timing on the screensnap shot from Flightradar upthread ties in with events starting at 1100 but the ground track heading off over Girton/Oakington doesn't really fit...

There are lots of US/Cambridge connections from WW2 (hence the cemetery), so was the F-15 flying over some related event going on in Cambridge itself this AM?

..and finally..just done something that I should have done myself earlier.

I've just had a look at a flightradar playback and I think the screen snapshot upthread is slightly corrupted..

On my replay the aircraft doesn't turn over Cambridge itself, the F-15 went over the city but carried on westbound over to Madingley itself, at just before 1100 local and only then turned northwestwards..

So it looks like it was a Memorial Day flyby, all the holding out to the east of Cambridge will have been to sort the timing out.

My neighbour says it was two planes.

Good to know about Memorial Day. That explains it.

The tracking sites can only usually display one aircraft if they are in close formation, the tracking over Cambridge was a bit jittery but the shot below should be representative:

From Lakenheath, either an F-15 or F-35 fighter jet. Today is Memorial Day, so it will be to mark that.

Edit: yup. F-15. They normally fly in either two or three ship formations.

From the local paper, looks like it was very nicely done

www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/why-low-flying-f-15s-swooped-over-cambridge-on-bank-holiday-9418740/

Thanks @notimagain yes that map makes perfect sense.

This is really interesting. I'm very happy to know that it was a commemoration of past wars and not the start of the next one. :-)

Yes, 2 jets - my daughters and I saw them flying over Jesus Green yesterday!

I think this might be your explanation. Yesterday was Memorial Day for Americans.