So did anyone else hear the big bang at about 18:10 today? It sounded very close to my house in Coventry but seems it wasn't that close
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17697328
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17697328
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?
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?
BBC said:The MoD said the Typhoons were scrambled after the small civilian helicopter had emitted an emergency signal.
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.
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.
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.
That report is dated 27th October 2008...!!
I saw the headline, had a quick look at the report and saw it was timed at 1806 and posted it.
Need more beer!
.... top ten on the BBC site ....
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.
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 heard one this afternoon, between 2 and 3.
Very loud, made my chair vibrate!
I'd hope the RAF would do the same for any aircraft transmitting squawk 7500.
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.
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.
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.