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wintonian

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We had quite a noisy thunderstorm with quite a few hailstones about 16:30 if that helps.

Its probably only aliens getting caught in earths orbit and crash landing again anyway. ;)
 

matt

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Seems it was a sonic-boom from a Typhoon
 

Rugd1022

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Aye, heard it here in Rugby... a few seconds before hand a V8 hot rod drove past the house and we thought the subsequent bang was the car back firing. A short while later it was reported as incoming news on Midlands Today but they couldn't say what it was.
 

LE Greys

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Seems it was a sonic-boom from a Typhoon

That's someone whose promotion isn't going to come through! Pilots have been grounded for "booming" built-up areas before, although usually only if they've done it deliberately.

I think I saw a Typhoon doing something strange last month. Middle of the night over Aberdeen, a strange orange light in the sky coupled with what appeared to be navigation lights. Would someone have reheat on during a night exercise near a city?
 

matt

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That's someone whose promotion isn't going to come through! Pilots have been grounded for "booming" built-up areas before, although usually only if they've done it deliberately.

I think I saw a Typhoon doing something strange last month. Middle of the night over Aberdeen, a strange orange light in the sky coupled with what appeared to be navigation lights. Would someone have reheat on during a night exercise near a city?

Is a sonic-boom normally heard over such a wide area?
 

wintonian

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That's someone whose promotion isn't going to come through! Pilots have been grounded for "booming" built-up areas before, although usually only if they've done it deliberately.

I think I saw a Typhoon doing something strange last month. Middle of the night over Aberdeen, a strange orange light in the sky coupled with what appeared to be navigation lights. Would someone have reheat on during a night exercise near a city?

Yep they do make quite noise when they go.

I'm more intrigued concerned by this:

BBC said:
The MoD said the Typhoons were scrambled after the small civilian helicopter had emitted an emergency signal.

Seems a little OTT.
 

ainsworth74

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That's someone whose promotion isn't going to come through! Pilots have been grounded for "booming" built-up areas before, although usually only if they've done it deliberately.

Sounds like they were on official business (as in actually going to intercept something) so I would guess they'd be okay.
 

Schnellzug

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Sounds a bit of a paranoid over-reaction. Did they think the Small civilian Helicopter had been hijacked by Al Qeada or something??!?!

Mind you, they have been doing exercises lately. There've been several Chinooks and Dassault Falcons out of Hurn (which act as targets) over here today. Not that any of them might be likely to make a sonic Boom, but it may not have been anything paranoid at all.
 

YorkshireBear

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Sounds a bit of a paranoid over-reaction. Did they think the Small civilian Helicopter had been hijacked by Al Qeada or something??!?!

Mind you, they have been doing exercises lately. There've been several Chinooks and Dassault Falcons out of Hurn (which act as targets) over here today. Not that any of them might be likely to make a sonic Boom, but it may not have been anything paranoid at all.

The helicopter responded to an emergency call that was put out over the wrong frequency they did not believe they were overreacting at the time.

Also the new before said that birmingham international had to deny suggestions it was a passeneger jet going super sonic while coming in to land....

Cos we all know ryanair like to go suprersonic on landing dont we!!!!
 

DiscoStu

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What would a Typhoon do to help a helicopter that was in trouble? How could it assist in any way if it's travelling at several hundred miles per hour?

Plus the boom was reportedly heard as far away as Bath ... that's 90 miles away.

At risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, it all seems a little fishy to me.
 

wintonian

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What would a Typhoon do to help a helicopter that was in trouble? How could it assist in any way if it's travelling at several hundred miles per hour?

Plus the boom was reportedly heard as far away as Bath ... that's 90 miles away.

At risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, it all seems a little fishy to me.

I normally berate conspiracy theorists but I'm feeling a touch paranoid tonight. ;)


I belive North Korea are getting ready to launch a satellite - that could have a pretty big bang to it. Or is that delving far to far in to the world of fiction?
 

the sniper

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Schnellzug

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What would a Typhoon do to help a helicopter that was in trouble? How could it assist in any way if it's travelling at several hundred miles per hour?

Plus the boom was reportedly heard as far away as Bath ... that's 90 miles away.

At risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, it all seems a little fishy to me.

Exactly. "An MoD spokesman said two Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft had been authorised to go supersonic after a small civilian helicopter had emitted an emergency signal.

They were already in the air and on their way to the helicopter by the time the pilot realised he was transmitting on the wrong frequency and switched to the correct one." The MoD response was standard procedure after receiving such a signal, the spokesman added.

An MoD spokesman said: "We can confirm that a small civilian aircraft was transmitting inadvertently on an emergency frequency at approximately 1810.

"Two typhoons from the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) responded accordingly and authorisation was given from them to go supersonic, which resulted in the sonic boom."

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/201...on-jet-mod-confirms_n_1421616.html?1334258188

how on earth would fighter jets have been able to assist a Small civilian helicopter? It sounds very much as if someone, probably in a mood of over-dramatic over-reaction because of the Games, assumed that the Small civilian helicopter had been hijacked and might be, I don't know, crashed into a Nuclear power station or something. If the people that decided this are the people that are responsible for our Protection, then I think some questions need to be asked.
 

ralphchadkirk

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how on earth would fighter jets have been able to assist a Small civilian helicopter? It sounds very much as if someone, probably in a mood of over-dramatic over-reaction because of the Games, assumed that the Small civilian helicopter had been hijacked and might be, I don't know, crashed into a Nuclear power station or something. If the people that decided this are the people that are responsible for our Protection, then I think some questions need to be asked.

I'd hope the RAF would do the same for any aircraft transmitting squawk 7500.
 

sutty

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I'd hope the RAF would do the same for any aircraft transmitting squawk 7500.

Agreed.

The purpose of going supersonic would have been to intercept the helicopter and take what action is required, ie forcing them to land by harassing them or taking a step further if instructed.

The pilot inadverently made it appear as though they'd been hijacked.



 

ushawk

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how on earth would fighter jets have been able to assist a Small civilian helicopter? It sounds very much as if someone, probably in a mood of over-dramatic over-reaction because of the Games, assumed that the Small civilian helicopter had been hijacked and might be, I don't know, crashed into a Nuclear power station or something. If the people that decided this are the people that are responsible for our Protection, then I think some questions need to be asked.

They transmitted on the wrong channel so the RAF probably didnt know what it was, considering the Typhoons were launched from Lincolnshire and the helicopter was over Bath and they dont know the full circumstances they need to go quickly.

Nothing more to it than that.
 

ainsworth74

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MOD have the story here. I agree with the others, I don't see this as an overreaction at all. To those on the ground if a plane was squawking that it had been hijacked and they then couldn't contact it through normal radio they have to assume that a hijacking has actually taken place and the response to that has to be sending the QRA aircraft to intercept and get them there sharpish to take whatever actions are necessary.
 

michael769

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It is standard operating procedure to dispatch fighter jets to intercept any unidentified aircraft operating in British airspace, and jets are on standby 24/7 for that very purpose.

Private helicopters and planes on VFR do not always have fixed flight paths and had it been in distress and gone down away from a populated area it could take some time for the emergency services to locate them greatly increasing the risk of fatalities. In that even having a fast fighter jet in the vicinity of the incident would greatly increase the chances of any crash site being located quickly.

QRA intercepts happen on a regular basis, mostly for private aircraft with malfunctioning comms equipment (or malfunctioning pilot brains) or less commonly for commercial flights in distress. Fighters are sometimes used to carry out an external inspection of an aircraft in flight for damage - or to check if the landing gear is down. A Fighter jet in subsonic trim's maneuverability means they can get safely very close to an aircraft in distress - giving passengers a rather dramatic (and frightening) view from the windows!
 

ainsworth74

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QRA intercepts happen on a regular basis, mostly for private aircraft with malfunctioning comms equipment (or malfunctioning pilot brains) or less commonly for commercial flights in distress.

And of course from time to time they deal with this ;)

QRA%20Typhoon%202-thumb-450x321-44812.jpg
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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It is standard operating procedure to dispatch fighter jets to intercept any unidentified aircraft operating in British airspace, and jets are on standby 24/7 for that very purpose.

Private helicopters and planes on VFR do not always have fixed flight paths and had it been in distress and gone down away from a populated area it could take some time for the emergency services to locate them greatly increasing the risk of fatalities. In that even having a fast fighter jet in the vicinity of the incident would greatly increase the chances of any crash site being located quickly.

Could what have been inadvertently been transmitted have been a coded signal, known only to the military ?
 
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