British Army Lynx going round in circles for two days, Devon

[56Lotus]

Hope some one can help.

There has been a Lynx going round in circles, very low, for the last two days. Location is just west of Dartmoor and North of Tavistock in the Lyd valley area.

We're used to seeing military aircraft over Dartmoor but this is off the moor over farmland.

I've tried to find a tracker to see what it is but have failed.

Can anyone shed some light? It's driving the locals mad.

Thanks

Jon

[eharding]

56Lotus said:

Hope some one can help.

There has been a Lynx going round in circles, very low, for the last two days. Location is just west of Dartmoor and North of Tavistock in the Lyd valley area.

We're used to seeing military aircraft over Dartmoor but this is off the moor over farmland.

I've tried to find a tracker to see what it is but have failed.

Can anyone shed some light? It's driving the locals mad.

Thanks

Jon

Probably a WIldcat from Yeovilton - they've been hooning around near Cullompton on and off, practising wingovers / torque turns, or whatever the rotary brigade call them, at low level.

[Narcisus]

Is this the new Nuclear powered Lynx ?

[56Lotus]

eharding said:

Probably a WIldcat from Yeovilton - they've been hooning around near Cullompton on and off, practising wingovers / torque turns, or whatever the rotary brigade call them, at low level.

It's not doing anything exciting and is going low and slow around in circles of no more than a mile or 2 in diameter. The poor pilot must be bored out of his mind.

[Eric Mc]

The Army don't have Lynxes any more.

[56Lotus]

Narcisus said:

Is this the new Nuclear powered Lynx ?

I have no idea of the range/duration of a lynx but there has been a Lynx up there for 4/5 hours at least. Whether its the same one I have no idea.

[Narcisus]

56Lotus said:

Narcisus said:

Is this the new Nuclear powered Lynx ?

I have no idea of the range/duration of a lynx but there has been a Lynx up there for 4/5 hours at least. Whether its the same one I have no idea.

Just a small attempt at humour

[sherman]

Is it on the ADSB exchange?
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43c6c5,43c6ba

[eharding]

56Lotus said:

eharding said:

Probably a WIldcat from Yeovilton - they've been hooning around near Cullompton on and off, practising wingovers / torque turns, or whatever the rotary brigade call them, at low level.

It's not doing anything exciting and is going low and slow around in circles of no more than a mile or 2 in diameter. The poor pilot must be bored out of his mind.

We had this beastie doing the same back in November, but he only kept it up for 15 minutes or so - just flying big orbits at low level.



Maybe acting as some sort of training target for someone else's radar?

[Mave]

Narcisus said:

Just a small attempt at humour

I imagined something else flying round and round in circles refueling it (connecting and disconnecting the hose in time with the rotors going past)

[Bill]

Eric Mc said:

The Army don't have Lynxes any more.

Who still uses them?? I regularly see them over us in the Purbecks.

ETA Ignore this, just seen the Wildcat chat.

Edited by Bill on Thursday 18th February 20:51

[dangerousB]

My first thoughts were either 42 Commando on exercise or Western Power Distribution checking power lines, but I don't know what helicopters either of them use, so I may be totally wrong!

[Stick Legs]

Wildcats look close enough to a Lynx at a glance, sorry OP if you know the difference.

It could be in private hands. The folk near Chard who own a Wessex and a Sea King and Lynx had to do their initial testing on a static line, maybe it is privately owned but not sanctioned yet Lynx operating on a very restrictive air space limitation to allow testing before certification?

[anonymous-user]

I'd imagine it's 1) a CHF wildcat and 2) booties on an exercise / naked wrestling.

[56Lotus]

Eric Mc said:

The Army don't have Lynxes any more.

I'm out of date and didn't realise the Army had moved onto Wildcats however this didn't look like a Wildcat, there was no EOD on the nose and it was less angular. It looked exactly like the photo, including skids not wheels.



If it's there tomorrow I'll try and get a photo.

Out of curiosity why wouldn't it appear on any of the radar tracking sites? I could see the bloomin' thing but nothing on any of the sites.

Thanks

Jon

[boyse7en]

Don't know if its connected but there has been a lot of helicopter traffic in and out of Chivenor the past few days, including at night. Had a Chinook go over my house low enough to rattle the windows on Tuesday, and there has been quite a few others but I don't know what they are

[anonymous-user]

Got to be linked. OP, hand in your ROC badge

Edited by 01WE01 on Thursday 18th February 21:04

[56Lotus]

01WE01 said:

Got to be linked. OP, hand in your ROC badge

Edited by 01WE01 on Thursday 18th February 21:04

Badge is in the post.

However, where it's flying is private farmland, not moorland. I'd be very surprised that they had permission to enter that land.

Best I get spotting tomorrow if it's back

[anonymous-user]

They've probably lost their baby oil.

Also, the farm doesn't own the airspace -i assume it is class g and at that height, away from dangerous/tall structures or specific airspace, they can basically pootle about anywhere.

[eharding]

01WE01 said:

They've probably lost their baby oil.

The maths of looking for lost stuff from helicopters is complicated - it involves complex, and often imaginary, number theory.

A couple of mates from the old days, one sadly no longer with us, convinced themselves that looking for the lost targa roof panel from a Griffith 500 belonging to one of them that flew off whilst doing a large Lepton count up the M40 would best be achieved by having the other one rent an R44 and then tooling up and down the motorway with them both on board searching for it (the Griffith owner has a Nanchang, but even he realised that razzing that around at treetop height for an extended period next to the motorway would see him looking at the business end of the CAA Enforcement Branch...again...). They never did find it, and the helicopter rental bill would probably have bought five new roof panels. They had a good time though, which is important.