To ask you if helicopters are watching you??

[Sassenach85]

Has anyone noticed helicopters in their area? We have them now day and night - some so low it scared the pets and kids. Some black some yellow some grey. Is this just my area? We all feel unnerved by it a bit

I'm in Glasgow and noticed the helicopters from when the lockdown began, they are much more frequent than usual. I normally only hear them during the Celtic matches at Parkhead.

I assumed they were sweeping the area to monitor how the lockdown was being followed. I live near a large park as well so thought they'd be looking for groups gathering there.

@Sassenach85 I am near Glasgow airport and we see a lot but on flight radar these are the air ambulances coming over from the islands.

I'm on the outskirts of Glasgow and feel that I've seen more helicopters during the day but just assumed it was air ambulances going to the QEUH.

And just as I read this, there is one overhead ......... We get police helicopters but not this frequently, normally

We have just had the air ambulances numerous times. We're close to a huge hospital though, so not unusual.

And last week I saw a grey aeroplane go overhead, presumably carrying personnel or supplies. I haven't seen/heard any Chinooks for a while, but usually hear one every few weeks.

There are military helicopters taking advantage of the clear air space near up to train. They are doing take-off la ding and circles so that some of the less experienced pilots can get hours.

Yes, we have noticed more police helicopters. The thought police are onto you.

The helicopters in the west of Scotland are from the power companies, they are filming the power lines. That’s why they fly so low and seem to be right over the houses.

And they aren’t going around in circles, if you watch they are following the lines, which are more likely to be rectangular.

People are noticing it more because they are at home more. And because we are more likely to be outside in this good weather.

Honestly Nicola doesn’t have the money to recruit helicopter to spy on us all.

Hmmmm ok that sounds plausible lol so maybe not in circles but following the lines? Why at 1am/2am though?

My wee granny is asking me as if I have all the answers suppose a mix of helicopters for a mix of reasons builds up to “jeez there are a lot of helicopters!”

Also, why are they filming power lines? Am I being dense?

@GoodMorningSunshine those helicopters in the north east of Scotland and clearly offshore travel. Living in the flight path for them, offshore traffic has absolutely not slowed down - possibly increased as they reduced the amount of people onboard for distancing reasons but the same number of personnel required to work.

I start to think yeahhhhh yeah all totally explicable and it’s not weird at all .... then I keep seeing that huge helicopter so close to my garden and I think nah I have no idea what they were looking at/for my street is so boring.

A few. Not as many as usual though!

I was out in the backyard yesterday and I saw a plane. Realised it’s been ages since a plane flew over (we normally see loads on their way into MCR airport). I called DH out because it was so weird now that the neighbourhood is almost silent. He said it looked like a military aircraft rather than a commercial one. Probably delivering supplies rather than anything sinister!

Are you in an Air Ambulance area? Our hospital helipad is nearby (the final part of the journey is completed via road)

They film them to check what needs maintenance. But AKAIK they only do it it the day.

So I’m guessing the night flights are police and air ambulance. They will bring patients from the western isles into Queen Elizabeth hospital.

Also as a Pp said, the military are taking advantage of cleared skies with few commercial aircraft. Flight tracker 24 here

www.flightradar24.com/55.15,-2.41/6

Shows only 4 Planes of the whole of Scotland right now on a Thursday at 10 am and lot of helicopters going to and from the rigs.

We normally get a load of the noisy bastards over here - haven't heard any for weeks - except there was a very loud military Chinook that flew over yesterday morning. It didn't hang around though.

I haven't noticed any more than normal but we have lots of helicopters here going offshore so maybe i'm tuned out a bit.

So I googled chinook and while I have seen these in my time this isn’t what we are seeing in the day, night time I don’t know.

The day ones are loud and black coloured but not like a chinook

www.spenergynetworks.co.uk/news/pages/helicopter_power_line_inspection_programme.aspx

Chinooks are very loud and you hear them coming a long way off - they sound a lot slower and deeper than the usual angry wasp types. The Police helicopter around here seems to be designed to cause maximum noise (I know it isn't).

These ones from PDG ? Video here

www.pdgaviationservices.com/services/aerial-survey

Thanks I0NA

So possibly energy line surveillance in the day as well as medical transport maybe

Midnight on ward.... surveillance of people? Practise flights maybe

You would know the Chinook sound if you heard it- it's unlike any other. You sort of feel it before you hear it. Wukka-wukka-wukka-wukka of the double rotors.

We had military helicopters practising maneouvres over our city (Parramatta in Sydney) just before all this COVID business broke...

I can hear one right now but I can't see it. I haven't noticed any before this though.

All Air Ambulances in the UK have been grounded for the time being and use critical care cars placed in various areas around a county
We have had a lot of military helicopters flying near us recently helping to move stock to the pop up Nightingale hospitals being built