Cool things seen on FlightRadar

[Dashnine]

Noisy C5 Galaxy just gone overhead, from Mildenhall heading to US. A strange route from Mildenhall north to the Wash then south west across the country but missing the radar corridor just to the south.

[smack]

Chestrockwell said:

Iranian 747-200F, must be a ropey old thing, 30 year old jumbo jet with most of its parts presumably sourced on the black market because of the sanctions

I can't comment on that outfit, but someone I know used to work for Iran Air as an engineer at LHR. He said Western authorities were always inspecting their aircraft, more than other airlines so they could find an excuse to ground them, but even with Iran Air's elderly aircraft they walked away disappointed as the Iranian engineers knew their stuff and kept them in tip top condition.
From what he has said, he had to get his hand quite dirty for an engineer at an outstation, learning a lot (he was early in his career) which he enjoyed.

The opposite of a mate does the same for El Al (although furloughed since last spring), close to retirement so this is his cushy almost part time number so he can escape the wife and kids. Rarely has to get his hand dirty, just basically turns around the aircraft and organise somewhere to park them when they have a layover. Says his staff travel is pretty much useless, as he has to first fly to Tel Aviv to fly anywhere! And their office I assume is probably one of the few places in LHR other than the secure freight areas and the Met Police, that has a gun safe that is used daily for firearms storage.

[LotusOmega375D]

Having heard the An12 flying over Old Trafford during a live Match of the Day show a few weeks ago, I just heard it flying over Stamford Bridge in their match against Chelsea! This time out of Brno.

[Leptons]

An-124 over West Yorkshire earlier, nice clear view.

[Total loss]

LotusOmega375D said:

Having heard the An12 flying over Old Trafford during a live Match of the Day show a few weeks ago, I just heard it flying over Stamford Bridge in their match against Chelsea! This time out of Brno.

I saw that, or should say heard it, but couldn't see it even though the sky was clear & it was only at 24k feet
Also saw an RAF A400M which sounded odd, more like a jet, as it was decending towards Brize, coming from Nice.

[Dimebars]

sherman said:

Whats this Apache doing over Edinburgh. We dont see them up here at all usually?
Its flight path isnt from any army base/airfield I knos of?
At best you grt hercules or A400m doing touch and goes at Edinburgh airport.
VIPER2 https://fr24.com/VIPER2/26f02127

They've been all over Scotland this weekend apparently

One laid up at GLA with tech issues

[Bisonhead]

Leptons said:

An-124 over West Yorkshire earlier, nice clear view.

Just saw one arrive at prestwick. Driving south from Largs as it was on final approach and it looked huge! Parked up next to the Norwegian air 787 statues now! 🤣

[saaby93]

Drawing interesing shapes
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43c5e7

[Gary C]

Oh

Anyone see what I think was an F15 or F14 over Morecambe bay today ?

It had the diamond shape of the swept back wings and that curious, almost cantilevered look of the cockpit so it certrainly wasn't a Eurofighter or a lightning.

[Total loss]

Gary C said:

Oh

Anyone see what I think was an F15 or F14 over Morecambe bay today ?

It had the diamond shape of the swept back wings and that curious, almost cantilevered look of the cockpit so it certrainly wasn't a Eurofighter or a lightning.

No F-14's flying apart from a few Iranian ones, so don't think it could have been one of them....
If not a F-15, possibly a Mig? The German & Polish AF's still use them I think.

[HM-2]

Think Poland and Germany retired all their MiG-29's a while back. Other than something french (Mirage/Rafale) not sure what else to guess.

[towser44]

Gary C said:

Oh

Anyone see what I think was an F15 or F14 over Morecambe bay today ?

It had the diamond shape of the swept back wings and that curious, almost cantilevered look of the cockpit so it certrainly wasn't a Eurofighter or a lightning.

There's an old fighter based at Blackpool that has been up recently, could be that. I can't remember what it was it now, trying to find out!

[tedmus]

Not that L-39 that flies out of Blackpool?

[towser44]

tedmus said:

Not that L-39 that flies out of Blackpool?

That's what I was thinking of yes. On fighter control there were F15E's reported off Blackpool at 2,500 feet a week or so ago.

[Total loss]

HM-2 said:

Think Poland and Germany retired all their MiG-29's a while back. Other than something french (Mirage/Rafale) not sure what else to guess.

Yes you are right, thought that some other NATO AF's might still have some & a quick Google found that just 2 weeks ago, NATO Mig 21's (I didn't think they were still front line aircraft!) intercepted Russian aircraft
"The Russian formation included Tu-22 long-range bombers and fighter escorts. Romanian Air Force MiG-21 aircraft scrambled to intercept the group. Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 fighters were kept ready on stand-by and Turkish Air Force F-16 aircraft took off to fly a pattern ready to respond at any given time. The NATO interceptors returned to their respective base after the Russian military aircraft had left the area."

Also found the current NATO fighter force still includes
"The use of Soviet-era combat assets among European NATO nations continues to dwindle rapidly, now standing at just 111 aircraft: 6% of the active fleet. This total also includes 46 MiG-29's, 32 Su-22's and 29 MiG-21's, in the inventories of Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia."

The MIG 21's scrambling would have been a sight to see, now in there 8th decade of service !!!

Edited by Total loss on Monday 1st March 22:19

[bungz]

I think in with a shout of the oldest cargo jet flying around?

Presume its a Rada Cargo and not Kim jong un on a jolly.

Edit wikki says Sudan Government still have one. Likely that I guess....

[Gary C]

towser44 said:

tedmus said:

Not that L-39 that flies out of Blackpool?

That's what I was thinking of yes. On fighter control there were F15E's reported off Blackpool at 2,500 feet a week or so ago.

Where were those F15's from ?

It certainly looked like one.

[Dr Jekyll]

Total loss said:

Yes you are right, thought that some other NATO AF's might still have some & a quick Google found that just 2 weeks ago, NATO Mig 21's (I didn't think they were still front line aircraft!) intercepted Russian aircraft
"The Russian formation included Tu-22 long-range bombers and fighter escorts. Romanian Air Force MiG-21 aircraft scrambled to intercept the group. Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 fighters were kept ready on stand-by and Turkish Air Force F-16 aircraft took off to fly a pattern ready to respond at any given time. The NATO interceptors returned to their respective base after the Russian military aircraft had left the area."

Also found the current NATO fighter force still includes
"The use of Soviet-era combat assets among European NATO nations continues to dwindle rapidly, now standing at just 111 aircraft: 6% of the active fleet. This total also includes 46 MiG-29's, 32 Su-22's and 29 MiG-21's, in the inventories of Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia."

The MIG 21's scrambling would have been a sight to see, now in there 8th decade of service !!!

I'm old enough that the phrase 'NATO MIG 21s intercepted Russian aircraft' reads like something out of a parallel universe.

[LotusOmega375D]

The MIG 21 is still a front line aircraft for the Indian Air Force, as witnessed by the one downed by an F16 AMRAAM across the Pakistan border a couple of years ago. I was in India at the time and it was a rolling news story for the best part of a week until the pilot was repatriated in a very public display.

[yellowjack]

Dr Jekyll said:

I'm old enough that the phrase 'NATO MIG 21s intercepted Russian aircraft' reads like something out of a parallel universe.

I recall teaching aircraft recognition, and wondering why the juddering fk we had to teach the "NATO reporting names" of all 'their' aircraft. How hard is it to say "Mig-21", ffs? Why is it any easier to say "Fishbed"?

I also recall the regular 'Threat' magazine we used to get issued in units to keep us updated with developments in Soviet Bloc equipment. And how it morphed into 'Thriend' magazine when we were warned off for the 1991 Gulf War. Silhouettes of friendly forces and enemy forces kit were suddenly largely identical, which made life interesting out in the desert.