Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
#1846070
Iceman wrote:

Then Air Force said, "I would call room service, tell them to take it away, then ask why there is a tent in my hotel room."


@Miscellaneous, guess which service I’d fall into :lol: ?

Iceman 8)


Sounds like my Dad. He claimed he joined the RAF because it was the only service that allowed him to come back to the same bed at night. It turned out to be mostly at dawn.
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#1846126
Miscellaneous wrote:Thanks @Iceman. :thumright: So the Falcon serves only as a platform for the electronic wizardly?


In a word No! In a past life I flew the Falcon for a number of years so some of my information may be a little out of date.

Apart from the Threat Simulation and communications jamming other tasks include, Target Towing, Chaff dropping, Practice Interceptions for trainee Fighter Controllers , Silent Targets for Radar/Guided Weapons systems and Radio Calibrations for ships coming out of refit or new ships, Aircraft Targets for trainee Air Traffic Controllers and numerous other tasks.

The exercise in Scotland is an ideal opportunity for live firing against towed targets. Target Heights vary from 15 feet above sea level for close in weapons systems firings to about 30,000 feet for live missile shoots. Tow lengths vary but the standard length is usually about 24,000 feet (about 5 miles behind the aircraft) ...sometimes longer for special tasks.

Targets are quite sophisticated and have flares and smoke systems, transponders, adjustable lenses to simulate different size aircraft and small ”wings” to maintain low heights. These wings are controlled by a radar altimeter to maintain accurate heights at very low level.
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#1846244
<drift :oops: >

In my FB feed yesterday, there arrived unsolicited a photo from (IIRC) the Daily Express with caption something like "Visiting Royal Navy warships dominate town waterfront". The image was clearly (from ensigns) of Canadian and Danish vessels (well, both from 'Royal Navies', I suppose :roll: ), and tied up at Liverpool ('town' ? :evil: ). I assume they were both visiting UK waters for this exercise.

Ah, tabloid journalists .. :(

</>
#1846267
@kanga almost certainly part of the exercise(s). :thumright: Joint Warrior is a biannual exercise involving many nations. However this time the HMS QE Carrier Group is also taking part in Strike Warriror prior to the Group's deployment to the Pacific.

It's not unusual to see and hear the exercises. EG From home I have watched helis launch and recover to a ship, which was also launching fast craft (it was Danish). This time however there appears to be much more activity. Last night the last (visible) tanker had gone back to Brize yet merry hell was being played out above us. Interestingly one of the carrier group, HMS Defender, broke cover around that time. Were they F35s from HMS QE? :wink:

There is also land based electronic wizardly going on which I have never seen before.

Very frustrating being able to hear them and not see them. :(

It does however bring a smile to my face when I see the German P3 Orion depart Lossie for the west coast with the callsign Dinkum... :lol:
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#1846342
DavidC wrote:You might want to polish your Mark I eyeballs though.

I'd suggest eyeballs on stalks!! :shock: :wink:

Another afternoon of all hell being let loose high above us.

Later this afternoon the skies have cleared and until about 10 mins ago all hell was being let loose once again, but much lower and much, much louder. I got a glimpse of one, I couldn't even hazard a guess at how many there are.

I hope they come back tonight as they have done the last couple of nights. :thumright:
#1846352
I don't mind admitting the thought of getting up there with the activity there has been over the last fews days sends a shiver up my spine. :pale: They are usually passing through low and relatively level. These war games are very different, They are going through all altitudes….very, very quickly. What do they call it? High energy manoeuvres? :D
No flavour of EC is going to help. But then with the noise cancelling headsets I guess I'd be oblivious. :lol:
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By 10W
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1846868
The tankers have been filling up the UK and US Marine Corps F35’s from the Queen Liz, as well as participating Typhoons from Lossiemouth and the occasional forays by US Marine AV8Bs across to the West Coast from their East Coast located mini carrier, the USS Iwo Jima.

Under a relatively recent change to their procedures, the Falcon operators Draken (formerly known as Cobham) will now only tow targets within a Danger Area so they are using EGD701 for that.

Meanwhile the US Marines on the East Coast have been carrying out amphibious landings and troop insertions at Leuchars, Barry Buddon and Arbroath, using MV22 Ospreys, CH53 Sea Stallions, UH1 Venom and AH1 Viper rotary wing craft as well as hovercraft.

Fun times.
#1846902
Thanks @10W . :thumright: That fits with what I thought, which of course was based on no more than a hunch. The weather prevented me from having an opportunity to fly and see what I could see. Indeed the weather denied me the opportunity to see much from the ground. The tankers in the air, sometimes two at a time and HMS Defender breaking cover, together with noise indicated it could well be F35s.

Yesterday was much quieter with the odd FJ passing through and only a Hawk sighted. It was disappointedly quiet after the merry hell of the previous few days. :lol:

Do you by any chance know what the land based wizardly is? It appears to be operated by civilians. :?
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By 10W
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1846924
If it’s in the vicinity of Loch Ewe or Faraid Head then it will be the GNSS jamming setup most likely.

Active out to 150NM at 40,000’ !!

There was an aircraft flying out of Wick to Oxford the other day who lost all his Garmin boxes, probably due to this. Pan declared and diversion to Aberdeen initiated, but all came back on line as the aircraft descended. Pilot then continued to Oxford without further interference.
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