What IS This Plane Doing?
Discussion
While browsing http://www.flightradar24.com/ to see what the ash cloud was doing, I noticed this plane, a Tunis Air A320 going from LHR to Carthage. It took a rather unusual route to say the least, flying near Luton, then over East Midlands, Manchester and Birmingham before heading off over Brighton and presumably on to Carthage. Any ideas why it might have done this?
I have a theory that it was purposely flying into the ash cloud to gather information on flyability and degradation, and so was flying directly over the main airports just in case anything happened. Seems a bit of an "interesting" way to do it though, with a scheduled commercial passenger flight.
I have a theory that it was purposely flying into the ash cloud to gather information on flyability and degradation, and so was flying directly over the main airports just in case anything happened. Seems a bit of an "interesting" way to do it though, with a scheduled commercial passenger flight.
Simpo Two said:
Zad said:
I have this mental image of the plane flying over Manchester runway at 200ft while people are launched into it via a huge catapult or one of those mail sack things they used to have on trains.
It has been done!Infact, here's a video of it http://youtu.be/UPUPOTczy7I
The Fulton Surface To Air Recovery System - or Skyhook, and perhaps the best sentence ever in Wikipedia 'Lifted off the ground, the pig began to spin as it flew through the air at 125 mph (200 km/h). It arrived on board uninjured but in a disoriented state. Once it recovered, it attacked the crew.'
maffski said:
'Lifted off the ground, the pig began to spin as it flew through the air at 125 mph (200 km/h). It arrived on board uninjured but in a disoriented state. Once it recovered, it attacked the crew.'
I saw that exact system used in a film recently where a baddie leader was being kidnapped. Memory surge - 'Green Berets': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Berets_%28f...
Something similar was deployed by the Russians in Ice Station Zebra (before the good guys blew the secret thingy up)
In fact I remember another film - possibly John Wayne again - where they were lost in the Arctic and similarly rescued.
Edited by Simpo Two on Wednesday 25th May 10:27
Simpo Two said:
I saw that exact system used in a film recently where a baddie leader was being kidnapped. Memory surge - 'Green Berets': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Berets_%28f...
Something similar was deployed by the Russians in Ice Station Zebra (before the good guys blew the secret thingy up)
In fact I remember another film - possibly John Wayne again - where they were lost in the Arctic and similarly rescued.
Edited by Simpo Two on Wednesday 25th May 10:27
Simpo Two said:
Zad said:
I have this mental image of the plane flying over Manchester runway at 200ft while people are launched into it via a huge catapult or one of those mail sack things they used to have on trains.
It has been done!Google Fulton air recovery System and there are some video of the system in operation
maffski said:
The Fulton Surface To Air Recovery System - or Skyhook, and perhaps the best sentence ever in Wikipedia 'Lifted off the ground, the pig began to spin as it flew through the air at 125 mph (200 km/h). It arrived on board uninjured but in a disoriented state. Once it recovered, it attacked the crew.'
Brings a whole new meaning to the word boarding.maffski said:
Ryanair isn't it? Anything to avoid the landing fees...
Infact, here's a video of it http://youtu.be/UPUPOTczy7I
The Fulton Surface To Air Recovery System - or Skyhook, and perhaps the best sentence ever in Wikipedia 'Lifted off the ground, the pig began to spin as it flew through the air at 125 mph (200 km/h). It arrived on board uninjured but in a disoriented state. Once it recovered, it attacked the crew.'
Remember when young being at an airshow (most likely IAT at Greenham Common or Fairford) and enquiring as to what the jaws were on the front of a Herc was for and having the theory explained to me.Infact, here's a video of it http://youtu.be/UPUPOTczy7I
The Fulton Surface To Air Recovery System - or Skyhook, and perhaps the best sentence ever in Wikipedia 'Lifted off the ground, the pig began to spin as it flew through the air at 125 mph (200 km/h). It arrived on board uninjured but in a disoriented state. Once it recovered, it attacked the crew.'
MarkK said:
Not sure if a squawk code of 7710 is usual though - seems awfully close to the general emergency code 7700.
The transponder code range 7701 — 7717 is listed in the AIP as "Superdomestic - UK to France and Spain", which is the general direction it was heading in. Sort of.EG_ENR_1_6 is the AIP section you want. Linking it is futile as the EADS content management system will break it almost immediately.
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