727 low over Basingstoke

[Crush]

heard a loud aircraft and so looked out the window to see a rather low jet!

Looked on FlightRadar and it was a T2 Aviation 727 406C5D (G-OSRB) at approx 2400ft.

Anyone know why it'd be so low? Not seen a larger aircraft that low around here before as the nearest airport is Popham and the lowest aircraft we see are the odd Apache and usual Chinooks wokkawokking overhead.

[hantsxlg]

I'm guessing that is the oil-spil spraying aircraft I've seen before local to us. Comes out of Lasham I think when been in for some work...

[ecsrobin]

It was at Lasham they do a lot of aircraft refurb there. As said the aircraft is for oil spill response on behalf of oil spill response limited OSRL

They have a Hercules for spraying at Cardiff, Dornier 228 for surveillance at Bournemouth, islander at wick for spraying/surveilance and 2 Boeing 727's which they are developing G-OSRA for spraying and the aircraft you saw G-OSRB will be used for freight duties. They also have a couple of aircraft dotted round the world.

[Crush]

Cheers chaps

[Prawo Jazdy]

ecsrobin said:

It was at Lasham they do a lot of aircraft refurb there. As said the aircraft is for oil spill response on behalf of oil spill response limited OSRL

They have a Hercules for spraying at Cardiff, Dornier 228 for surveillance at Bournemouth, islander at wick for spraying/surveilance and 2 Boeing 727's which they are developing G-OSRA for spraying and the aircraft you saw G-OSRB will be used for freight duties. They also have a couple of aircraft dotted round the world.

I stopped working at Cardiff less than a year ago and there wasn't a Herc based there. Is that a new thing?

[ecsrobin]

Prawo Jazdy said:

ecsrobin said:

It was at Lasham they do a lot of aircraft refurb there. As said the aircraft is for oil spill response on behalf of oil spill response limited OSRL

They have a Hercules for spraying at Cardiff, Dornier 228 for surveillance at Bournemouth, islander at wick for spraying/surveilance and 2 Boeing 727's which they are developing G-OSRA for spraying and the aircraft you saw G-OSRB will be used for freight duties. They also have a couple of aircraft dotted round the world.

I stopped working at Cardiff less than a year ago and there wasn't a Herc based there. Is that a new thing?

Happened at the end of 2014 it's only a temporary measure (under a year)

[andy97]

Prawo Jazdy said:

ecsrobin said:

It was at Lasham they do a lot of aircraft refurb there. As said the aircraft is for oil spill response on behalf of oil spill response limited OSRL

They have a Hercules for spraying at Cardiff, Dornier 228 for surveillance at Bournemouth, islander at wick for spraying/surveilance and 2 Boeing 727's which they are developing G-OSRA for spraying and the aircraft you saw G-OSRB will be used for freight duties. They also have a couple of aircraft dotted round the world.

I stopped working at Cardiff less than a year ago and there wasn't a Herc based there. Is that a new thing?

The Herc used to be based at East Midlands Airport, was only wondering the other day where it had gone, and why.

Only civilian Herc in Europe iirc.

[ecsrobin]

andy97 said:

The Herc used to be based at East Midlands Airport, was only wondering the other day where it had gone, and why.

Only civilian Herc in Europe iirc.

Different aircraft that was a Hercules L382G (civilian version) but that aircraft lease became unavailable early last year. This capability gap was bridged by international air responses C130 from Singapore which moved to Morocco to be closer to any incident area but as its a military variant and a non EUropean aircraft it couldn't be based in the UK. By the end of last year the CAA gave permission for it to operate from the UK for 12 months and so was moved to Cardiff.

They are currently in discussions to get another L382G Hercules.

[towser44]

It was in Manchester Airport this week for painting at Air Livery. It is Oil Spill Response, based at Doncaster. I saw it over the house in Macclesfield when it left Manchester Airport.

[andy97]

ecsrobin said:

andy97 said:

The Herc used to be based at East Midlands Airport, was only wondering the other day where it had gone, and why.

Only civilian Herc in Europe iirc.

Different aircraft that was a Hercules L382G (civilian version) but that aircraft lease became unavailable early last year. This capability gap was bridged by international air responses C130 from Singapore which moved to Morocco to be closer to any incident area but as its a military variant and a non EUropean aircraft it couldn't be based in the UK. By the end of last year the CAA gave permission for it to operate from the UK for 12 months and so was moved to Cardiff.

They are currently in discussions to get another L382G Hercules.

Thanks

[civicduty]

ecsrobin said:

Different aircraft that was a Hercules L382G (civilian version) but that aircraft lease became unavailable early last year. This capability gap was bridged by international air responses C130 from Singapore which moved to Morocco to be closer to any incident area but as its a military variant and a non EUropean aircraft it couldn't be based in the UK. By the end of last year the CAA gave permission for it to operate from the UK for 12 months and so was moved to Cardiff.

They are currently in discussions to get another L382G Hercules.

What model Hercules is it?

[ecsrobin]

civicduty said:

What model Hercules is it?

Ex USAF C130A

[eccles]

ecsrobin said:

andy97 said:

The Herc used to be based at East Midlands Airport, was only wondering the other day where it had gone, and why.

Only civilian Herc in Europe iirc.

Different aircraft that was a Hercules L382G (civilian version) but that aircraft lease became unavailable early last year. This capability gap was bridged by international air responses C130 from Singapore which moved to Morocco to be closer to any incident area but as its a military variant and a non EUropean aircraft it couldn't be based in the UK. By the end of last year the CAA gave permission for it to operate from the UK for 12 months and so was moved to Cardiff.

They are currently in discussions to get another L382G Hercules.

There used to be a couple of Civvy Hercs based at Stansted for quite a few years. They used to do daily parcel/mail runs around Europe. One had the Water Aid logo on the fin, and was on 24 hour notice to do oil spill cover. To get around the CAA rules they were operated and registered to Air Contractors out of Dublin.
I used to had working on them , stuck out on the airfield with no toilets, or access to coffee, and they never wanted to spend money on spares!

[ecsrobin]

Lockheed signed some contracts at Farnborough last year for the new civilian C130J they expect to start deliveries in 2018 I believe most operators of the old aircraft are looking to get the new model.

[PugwasHDJ80]

Crush said:

heard a loud aircraft and so looked out the window to see a rather low jet!

Looked on FlightRadar and it was a T2 Aviation 727 406C5D (G-OSRB) at approx 2400ft.

Anyone know why it'd be so low? Not seen a larger aircraft that low around here before as the nearest airport is Popham and the lowest aircraft we see are the odd Apache and usual Chinooks wokkawokking overhead.

really glad I spotted this thread- I saw the same thing- it circled out house near Whitchurch at surprisingly low level, with some engine cycling going on. I Genuinely thought I was going to drop out of the sky- it had flaps out and everything!