Strange plane behaviour
Discussion
No tinfoil hats here, just genuinely curious…
I am something of an insomniac, and as a result I was lying awake at 2am this morning when I heard a prop-driven plane, sounding like either a large engine or a twin, fly over the house. The sound faded to the distance.
Shortly after, the same plane flew back over (well, assuming, as we will see, that there weren't half a dozen similar-sounding planes up in the small hours today!).
This happened at least 6 times, maybe 5-10 minutes apart, until I fell asleep again.
Just wondering what or why that may have been? I doubt it was pilot training for night flying, simply because surely they would do that in the dark but at 8/9/10pm when the pilot is still at least half-awake?
Definitely wasn't a small light aircraft (C172 etc), it was something sounding much bigger/heavier. I didn't get out and look as (a) I would have woken MrsC and (b) I'd only see nav lights anyway.
As I said, just curious as to what it could have been. Mid/North Kent, btw.
I am something of an insomniac, and as a result I was lying awake at 2am this morning when I heard a prop-driven plane, sounding like either a large engine or a twin, fly over the house. The sound faded to the distance.
Shortly after, the same plane flew back over (well, assuming, as we will see, that there weren't half a dozen similar-sounding planes up in the small hours today!).
This happened at least 6 times, maybe 5-10 minutes apart, until I fell asleep again.
Just wondering what or why that may have been? I doubt it was pilot training for night flying, simply because surely they would do that in the dark but at 8/9/10pm when the pilot is still at least half-awake?
Definitely wasn't a small light aircraft (C172 etc), it was something sounding much bigger/heavier. I didn't get out and look as (a) I would have woken MrsC and (b) I'd only see nav lights anyway.
As I said, just curious as to what it could have been. Mid/North Kent, btw.
According the Flightradar Cessna Titan G-MIND, belonging to air survey company Reconnaissance Ventures, was around the Maidstone area at around 2,800 feet.
http://www.rvl-group.com/our-aircraft/
A Cessna Caravan, G-FIND, belonging to the same outfit was circling the area between Dartford and Croydon.
What kind of aerial survey you do in the middle of the night I don't know.
http://www.rvl-group.com/our-aircraft/
A Cessna Caravan, G-FIND, belonging to the same outfit was circling the area between Dartford and Croydon.
What kind of aerial survey you do in the middle of the night I don't know.
Dr Jekyll said:
According the Flightradar Cessna Titan G-MIND, belonging to air survey company Reconnaissance Ventures, was around the Maidstone area at around 2,800 feet.
What kind of aerial survey you do in the middle of the night I don't know.
By the power of Pistonheads! You've hit the nail on the head there. I didn't realise FR would track smaller planes like this.What kind of aerial survey you do in the middle of the night I don't know.
I'm just about in the middle of this picture, and here's the culprit. Strange behaviour at that time of night! At least I wasn't imagining it!

Edited by CAPP0 on Monday 17th March 11:04
CAPP0 said:
Yes, on FR it's the one which was quoted above:
Aircraft(C404)
Cessna 404 Titan
Registration(400CAD)
G-MIND
Altitude
2,700 ft
Vertical Speed
0 fpm
Speed
143 kt
Track
127°
Latitude
51.29
Longitude
0.59
Radar
T-MLAT
Squawk
5004
There is a picture on the RVL website of that aircraft in geomatics group livery.Aircraft(C404)
Cessna 404 Titan
Registration(400CAD)
G-MIND
Altitude
2,700 ft
Vertical Speed
0 fpm
Speed
143 kt
Track
127°
Latitude
51.29
Longitude
0.59
Radar
T-MLAT
Squawk
5004
https://www.geomatics-group.co.uk/geocms/
The website says they do flood monitoring so maybe it was checking out the damage around Yalding way?
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