c-17 Globemaster at Southend today

[chilistrucker]

As per title really.

I'm no plane buff, but not your average bit of kit we'd see in and around Southend airport. Saw a link via a friends FB page and looks like a training exercise. Seems a bit unusual, (too me.) I'm sure its not.

[DuraAce]

Just doing rollers for training, using a different airfield, I would guess?

[chilistrucker]

All I could find was that it was on exercise and did 1 stop and go, (sorry don't know the correct terminology.)

[andy97]

There was an RAF Voyager in and out of East Midlands Airport on Monday, and a couple of Wildcats yesterday, I understand.

Edited by andy97 on Wednesday 1st April 09:44

[ecsrobin]

chilistrucker said:

All I could find was that it was on exercise and did 1 stop and go, (sorry don't know the correct terminology.)

Touch and go.

I’d say 90% of military traffic in the UK is training.

[andy97]

andy97 said:

There was an RAF Voyager in and out of East Midlands Airport on Monday, and a couple of Wildcats yesterday, I understand.

Edited by andy97 on Wednesday 1st April 09:44

A400 in and out now.

[twister]

C17 just departed Northolt and now heading towards Oxford at around 5000ft according to ADSBExchange

[Trevatanus]

Familiarisation with various airfields in preparedness for COVID-19 ops

[twister]

Trevatanus said:

Familiarisation with various airfields in preparedness for COVID-19 ops

Possibly. No idea if the Northolt visit was just a touch and go - I only started looking on adsb after hearing the takeoff noise and realising the last time I heard something that loud heading out was when the C17s were there for one of Trump's visits.

Kept tracking it for the rest of the day, and after Northolt it hopped over to Brize Norton for a few minutes on the ground before heading out to Akrotiri.

One upside of the lockdowns is that it makes for some interesting sights on adsb and FR24 - when so many of the usual commercial flights are grounded, it makes the other types of flights all the easier to spot.

[andy97]

Trevatanus said:

Familiarisation with various airfields in preparedness for COVID-19 ops

RAF pilots routinely have to practice approaches to civilian airports as part of their regular training for familiarisation with civilian ATC and ILS. There is nothing unusual in this at all.

[eccles]

andy97 said:

Trevatanus said:

Familiarisation with various airfields in preparedness for COVID-19 ops

RAF pilots routinely have to practice approaches to civilian airports as part of their regular training for familiarisation with civilian ATC and ILS. There is nothing unusual in this at all.

And now is the ideal time as there's not much civvy traffic out there at the mo.