RAF Fast Jets

[Droptheclutch]

Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone on here knows the main bases the RAF fast jet folk fly from? I'm aware of the fast jet training squadron at RAF Valley, North Wales, and RAF Lakenheath (sp?) - ar ethere any others?

Reason being we've moved to a reasonably remote part of Mid Wales we are lucky enough to get the lads perfecting their low flying skills - I want to see if I can find out what days they'll be flying as they go right over our property and I'd love to get a photo of a jet above the farmhouse (you can look down on the jets when up the side of the valley).

Cheers,

DTC

[tank slapper]

Have a look at lowfly.net which has information about the training areas used by the RAF.

Edit: Here is the relevent information on the MOD website.

Edited by tank slapper on Wednesday 19th August 18:11

[mybrainhurts]

Have you checked your new roof...?

[Taffer]

RAF Lakenheath isn't really a RAF base - it's used by the USAF (same goes for Mildenhall, Alconbury, and quite a few others) .

http://www.raf.mod.uk, predictably enough, has info on all current RAF aircraft types, squadrons, and the stations where they are based. You might find it difficult trying to get info of when a military aircraft is going to be in a particular place, for obvious reasons!

Most training is done Monday-Friday, 9-5(ish), so there's a good chance you'll get a few aircraft in your area any working day of the week.

Edited by Taffer on Wednesday 19th August 18:19

[Eric Mc]

RAF Lakenheath is occupied by the USAF and their F-15s. No RAF aircraft are based there.

RAF fast jet bases would be -

Leuchars (Scotland) - Tornado
Lossiemouth (Scotland) - Tornado
Wittering - Harrier
Marham - Tornado
Cottesmore - Harier
Conningsby - Typhoon
Leeming - Hawk
Valley - Hawk

[Taffer]

Eric Mc said:

RAF Lakenheath is occupied by the USAF and their F-15s. No RAF aircraft are based there.

RAF fast jet bases would be -

Leuchars (Scotland) - Tornado
Lossiemouth (Scotland) - Tornado
Wittering - Harrier
Marham - Tornado
Cottesmore - Harier
Conningsby - Typhoon
Leeming - Hawk
Valley - Hawk

Harier, Conningsby? My, my, our fingers are careless tonight!

RAF Linton-on-Ouse has the Tucano which, although not a fast jet per se, is a lead-in aircraft to the Hawk and can often be seen going at a fair rate of knots through the Welsh valleys.

[Papoo]

What you'll also find, is that given the lack of UK airspace, and congestion therein, that there are only a few select locations where the aircraft fly 250ft over the mainland. North Wales in one of them, the Highlands, another. So, the chances are you'll get to see more than just the Hawk strutting it's stuff.

If you live in Lincolnshire, for example, there's loads of jet bases there, so you'll see plenty of Typhoons, Harriers, and transiting aircraft, but you're less likely to see them going nuts at low level. They dive into Snowdonia for that behaviour. You may be under one of the few low level training routes that 208 or 19 sqn use, too.

Enjoy the view!

[Eric Mc]

Too fast to type. Too young to die.

That's me

[anonymous-user]

Doesn't 41(R) sqn have a Harrier at Coningsby?

[Overhaulin]

Just as an aside.

I was in Robin Hoods Bay on Monday and there was a low flypass of an F15 together with an F18 (cantered twin tail fins).

Do any USAF F18's operate out of the UK ?. Were they possibly passing through to an airshow ?.

[Papoo]

Overhaulin said:

Just as an aside.

I was in Robin Hoods Bay on Monday and there was a low flypass of an F15 together with an F18 (cantered twin tail fins).

Do any USAF F18's operate out of the UK ?. Were they possibly passing through to an airshow ?.

Quite possibly. Also, the F-18 could have been from Europe, Switzerland perhaps. There's plenty of NATO excercises around the calendar which involve operating with other nations' hardware.

[Overhaulin]

Papoo said:

Overhaulin said:

Just as an aside.

I was in Robin Hoods Bay on Monday and there was a low flypass of an F15 together with an F18 (cantered twin tail fins).

Do any USAF F18's operate out of the UK ?. Were they possibly passing through to an airshow ?.

Quite possibly. Also, the F-18 could have been from Europe, Switzerland perhaps. There's plenty of NATO excercises around the calendar which involve operating with other nations' hardware.

Cheers for that. Just wished they had done a circuit or two.

[cs02rm0]

Are there no more Jaguars these days? I guess Coltishall's closed down then too?</outoftouch>

[Papoo]

cs02rm0 said:

Are there no more Jaguars these days? I guess Coltishall's closed down then too?</outoftouch>

Jags are all but gone now, sadly. Boscome Downe still has a few airworthy examples, but they're retired from service. RAFC Cranwell has a few too, which the engineers practice on. These don't fly, for obvious reasons!

[BLUETHUNDER]

Papoo said:

Overhaulin said:

Just as an aside.

I was in Robin Hoods Bay on Monday and there was a low flypass of an F15 together with an F18 (cantered twin tail fins).

Do any USAF F18's operate out of the UK ?. Were they possibly passing through to an airshow ?.

Quite possibly. Also, the F-18 could have been from Europe, Switzerland perhaps. There's plenty of NATO excercises around the calendar which involve operating with other nations' hardware.

USAFE and USAF do not operate the F18. The USN and the RCAF operate them. From time to time they use Lakenheath during training ops.

[Droptheclutch]

Evening, all.

Thanks for the replies

I'd already taken a look at the MOD/RAF site and could see a load of bases etc, but hadn't a clue which ones had fast jets etc. Thanks for the heads up - much appreciated.

It just so happens that we do get the 250ft fly-bys and we love it (OK, mainly me, as it makes me regress to age 10 and jump up & down and yell such things as "yeehaaaaa").

So far this week while I've been outside I've had a Tornado twice, literally right over the farmhouse and going liker a bat out of hell, and a couple of Hawks from RAF Valley. A while back I think we had a F15 or something further down the valley - that was great to see also.

I know there's a bit of negative feeling towards the fast jets in some parts and I intend to address the balance of that photo and paint something positive on the roof of our two barns, such as -

Faster, Biggles!
Lower, faster, louder!
Afterburners are go!
Light the afterburners!
OK - I could go on...



Any more suggestions?

Cheers,

DTC.

eta piccie.

Edited by Droptheclutch on Wednesday 19th August 20:40

[williamp]

"You can be my wingman"
"Hit the brakes, I'll fly right by"
"I feel the need"
"If you dont fly lower you'll be flying a cargo plane full or rubber dog s**t out of Hong Kong"

[Droptheclutch]

williamp said:

"You can be my wingman"
"Hit the brakes, I'll fly right by"
"I feel the need"
"If you dont fly lower you'll be flying a cargo plane full or rubber dog s**t out of Hong Kong"

Top Gun quotes, by any chance?

"I feel the need" is my pic out of those

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

Papoo said:

What you'll also find, is that given the lack of UK airspace, and congestion therein, that there are only a few select locations where the aircraft fly 250ft over the mainland.

Not strictly true. The whole UK is covered by Low Flying Areas (LFA's 1-18, with 19 being Northern Ireland which has different rules).

As long as you are booked into the Low Flying System you can fly anywhere in any of the LFAs at 250' MSD (minimum separation distance). The places you CAN'T fly are marked as 'Avoids' - built up areas for eg.

LFAs 7, 14 and 20 have areas marked in them (7T [Mid Wales], 14T [NW Scotland], 20T [SW Scotland]) where suitably qualified and authorised crews can operate down to 100ft MSD.

[mackie1]

I remember walking around Northumberland Nation Park (College Valley I think) and being buzzed by a couple of F15s that I'm sure I could have reached up a touched. Just thought I'd share. That must have been around 1995. I remember seeing F111s on a regular basis too.