Plane over South Manchester late last night.

[mattviatura]

Does anyone know what it is, late last night it was flying large, slow circles for ages over South Manchester?

I've seen what I assume is the same aircraft a few times, it sounds like the Cheshire Police Islander but it seems to stay aloft for hours so surely can't be chasing car thieves/burglars/pissheads/chief constable's lost dog.

[Eric Mc]

We have a police Islander down here in Hampshire that can circle overhead for over an hour. They are usually on the look-out for wanted or missing persons. They are fitted witrh visual image and infra-red cameras.

[The Hypno-Toad]

mattviatura said:

Does anyone know what it is, late last night it was flying large, slow circles for ages over South Manchester?

I've seen what I assume is the same aircraft a few times, it sounds like the Cheshire Police Islander but it seems to stay aloft for hours so surely can't be chasing car thieves/burglars/pissheads/chief constable's lost dog.

Its them.........

They're onto you....

They know what you did....

run.

Edited by The Hypno-Toad on Thursday 23 December 08:12

[mattviatura]

First of all I'm far too clever to get caught.

Secondly, I'm no expert but the police tend to use a helicopter over the area concerned and an Islander (I think) over less populated areas.

Hmmm.

[bpm]

How big was it?

Could be one of these:

http://www.scottygroup.com/208?pagegr=446%7C

http://www.airbornetechnologies.at/fileadmin/user_...

Both have resonable endurance and would fly in the way you suggested. Don't know if there are any operators at the moment in the UK, perhaps a trial?

Edited by bpm on Thursday 23 December 10:01

[mattviatura]

bpm said:

How big was it?

It was after 10:00pm so I couldn't see it but I would say it was a twin prop, about the size of an Islander or similar.

A lot of airliners fly over here on the way in and out of Manchester, it wasn't one of those (or a Nimrod out of Woodford - sniff, which will be sorely missed) and it wasn't the lunatics in the King Air that tree hop checking the Airport equipment.

[Urban Sports]

mattviatura said:

First of all I'm far too clever to get caught.

Secondly, I'm no expert but the police tend to use a helicopter over the area concerned and an Islander (I think) over less populated areas.

Hmmm.

It'll be the police one, I see it all over the North West circling for ages like you say.

[Odie]

Urban Sports said:

mattviatura said:

First of all I'm far too clever to get caught.

Secondly, I'm no expert but the police tend to use a helicopter over the area concerned and an Islander (I think) over less populated areas.

Hmmm.

It'll be the police one, I see it all over the North West circling for ages like you say.

Or the MI5 one

[Oakey]

I'd imagine it was G-GMPB.




It's used for surveillance; listening in on mobile calls, intercepting wifi networks, etc.

[mattviatura]

Oakey said:

I'd imagine it was G-GMPB.

It's used for surveillance; listening in on mobile calls, intercepting wifi networks, etc.

Eh?

[Eric Mc]

mattviatura said:

Oakey said:

I'd imagine it was G-GMPB.

It's used for surveillance; listening in on mobile calls, intercepting wifi networks, etc.

Eh?

No surprises there. I presume the GMP part of the registration is from "Greater Manchester Police".

Edited by Eric Mc on Friday 24th December 09:40

[mattviatura]

Oakey said:

listening in on mobile calls, intercepting wifi networks, etc.

Is there any truth in that? If so, who are they listening to?

[Oakey]

mattviatura said:

Oakey said:

listening in on mobile calls, intercepting wifi networks, etc.

Is there any truth in that? If so, who are they listening to?

http://derbosoft.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=eggpmovements&thread=3649&page=2#18398

[anonymous-user]

mattviatura said:

Oakey said:

listening in on mobile calls, intercepting wifi networks, etc.

Is there any truth in that? If so, who are they listening to?

Yeah, they're listening to all the bad people in your area, and doing it from an aircraft is ten times cheaper, much more reliable and less prone to bad weather than doing it from the back of a fake BT van parked at the end of the road.

[Oakey]

Crossflow Kid said:

mattviatura said:

Oakey said:

listening in on mobile calls, intercepting wifi networks, etc.

Is there any truth in that? If so, who are they listening to?

Yeah, they're listening to all the bad people in your area, and doing it from an aircraft is ten times cheaper, much more reliable and less prone to bad weather than doing it from the back of a fake BT van parked at the end of the road.

Go on, what do you think it's used for then?

Still, I guess you know more than the manufacturer of the plane themselves, huh?

http://www.britten-norman.com/news/1028.pdf

Or here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1041011/MI...

Article said:

Last year it was revealed that West Midlands Police had used the aircraft, which can monitor computer and mobile-phone communication and long-wave radios, to track suspects connected to the plot to kidnap and behead a British Muslim soldier.

And their long-term role with the Security Service was apparently confirmed by a photograph, obtained by The Mail on Sunday, of an MI5 surveillance officer, Steven Lanham, who died on duty in 1999, dressed in a flying suit alongside one of the aircraft.

The Islander aircraft regularly patrol the skies over Birmingham and Coventry, Leicester, West Yorkshire and the bordering Greater Manchester areas, flying at between 12,000ft and 15,000ft.

Their equipment and capabilities have never been officially disclosed but they are believed to be able to monitor mobile-phone calls. More recently they have been fitted with equipment capable of picking up signals from wi-fi computer networks.

But go on, why don't you tell us more about these fake BT vans you seem to know so much about?

Edited by Oakey on Friday 24th December 14:53

[anonymous-user]

Oakey said:

Crossflow Kid said:

mattviatura said:

Oakey said:

listening in on mobile calls, intercepting wifi networks, etc.

Is there any truth in that? If so, who are they listening to?

Yeah, they're listening to all the bad people in your area, and doing it from an aircraft is ten times cheaper, much more reliable and less prone to bad weather than doing it from the back of a fake BT van parked at the end of the road.

Go on, what do you think it's used for then?

Still, I guess you know more than the manufacturer of the plane themselves, huh?

http://www.britten-norman.com/news/1028.pdf

Or here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1041011/MI...

Article said:

Last year it was revealed that West Midlands Police had used the aircraft, which can monitor computer and mobile-phone communication and long-wave radios, to track suspects connected to the plot to kidnap and behead a British Muslim soldier.

And their long-term role with the Security Service was apparently confirmed by a photograph, obtained by The Mail on Sunday, of an MI5 surveillance officer, Steven Lanham, who died on duty in 1999, dressed in a flying suit alongside one of the aircraft.

The Islander aircraft regularly patrol the skies over Birmingham and Coventry, Leicester, West Yorkshire and the bordering Greater Manchester areas, flying at between 12,000ft and 15,000ft.

Their equipment and capabilities have never been officially disclosed but they are believed to be able to monitor mobile-phone calls. More recently they have been fitted with equipment capable of picking up signals from wi-fi computer networks.

But go on, why don't you tell us more about these fake BT vans you seem to know so much about?

Edited by Oakey on Friday 24th December 14:53

It's a secret. Obviously.;)

[eharding]

Have a thought for the poor sod driving it in this weather - I understand from a mate who did a stint flying the sneaky-beaky versions from Northolt that whilst the rear cabin is fairly comfortable, it's perishing up front.

[j4ckos mate]

its the gmp one, it comes in to land late at night, really really low,

i live off brownley road, and sometimes it comes from behind me and turns sharp right right at the last minute

[db]

j4ckos mate said:

it comes in to land late at night, really really low,

any chance of it coming in to land really really high?

[Flintstone]

db said:

j4ckos mate said:

it comes in to land late at night, really really low,

any chance of it coming in to land really really high?