Low flying transporter aircraft over Stafford this evening...

c0tt0nt0p

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
A couple of miles south of junction 13 going north at 6pm and I saw 2 transporter aircraft flying ridiculously low (2000 feet) going SW over just south of Acton Trussell then over the M6 and onwards.... Any ideas what they were and why they were so low??
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Hercules, perhaps?

46.jpg


They used to be a common sight, years ago.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/military-low-flying
 
E

EasMid

Well-Known Forumite
Used to be a regular occurrence a couple of years ago. Hercules transports used to fly, usually in threes from the east over Hixon airfield then over towards Stafford. They were so low you could see the cockpit windows clearly. They used Hixon airfield as a practice run for low level drops.
They've got to practice somewhere. What did the old stickers say? Something like " Jet noise, the sound of freedom"
 
Withnail

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
When I lived at the house overlooking the Wye Valley documented sometime earlier, it was a quite common occurrence to see Hercules(es)(?) flying so low through the valley that they were below the level of my house.

I was actually looking at them from above - awesome it were.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Withnail said:
When I lived at the house overlooking the Wye Valley documented sometime earlier, it was a quite common occurrence to see Hercules(es)(?) flying so low through the valley that they were below the level of my house.

I was actually looking at them from above - awesome it were.
Click to expand...
I remember driving over the brow of a hill just north of Hereford and glancing in the mirror - to find it occupied by a Hercules.

In the old days, RAF transport aircraft were many and varied - the Belfast

high3.jpg


was a fairly large thing for the time, and the twin-boom Argosy

model_1561.jpg


had a distinctive sound as well as the shape, examples of both of these can be seen inside at Cosford, with a Hercules outdoors, as well..

The Beverley

beverley-landing-rough.jpg


was a very sedate aircraft and it seems that only one (fairly) complete one has survived.
 
John Marwood

John Marwood

I ♥ cryptic crosswords
Of course you can't fly without aircraft fuel which is piped underground through the Borough of Stafford, but I can't tell you this because it's actually a state secret

And owned by the Spanish
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
I also came across the Lockheed Starlifter, a few of them were supporting a flight of U2s. The wing was the first really flexible one that I saw and the way it subsided after landing, as the lift came off, was quite comical, it gave the whole thing an air of complete exhaustion.

I never saw one subside quite to the extent that this one did, though. That was caused just by the weight of the fuel as it was refilled - I suspect the crew were quite relieved, after the initial shock.

61_2778_c141_wing_01web.jpg


I don't think there are any still flying, though.
 
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