Seen Over Your House Today

Hawkeye · October 17, 2011, 10:59:19 AM

An RC-26 callsign Dagger Zero Four visiting today. Missed the shot of it passing almost directly over the homestead. This one taken on a second landing a short time later.

The last time one was here was for the first NFL Kickoff Game in Green Bay...it orbited the city listening in to electronic communications for possible terrorist threats during the game and pregame festivities.

The Wooksta! · October 17, 2011, 02:00:22 PM

Wasn't over my house but I'm sure I spotted Vulcan XH558 when we were driving back from Southwell yesterday.

PR19_Kit · October 17, 2011, 03:13:22 PM

Early this afternoon I heard a serious 'Whup Whup' noise coming down the Severn and expected a Chinook to appear, but it didn't sound quite right, not deep enough. Sure enoigh when it hove into view it was an H-53 of some sort! Very unusual in these parts, and I have difficulty in telling one version from another, but it wasn't a Sea Dragon with the monster side pods, so I guess it was a USAF or US Army machine. It was in a grey scheme but then most of them are seemingly.

ytown2010 · October 17, 2011, 03:48:56 PM

Could have been German. The Army doesn't have CH-53s and the Air Force retired its Pave Lows a few years ago. Could also have been Marine Super Stallions...

Stargazer · October 17, 2011, 04:26:55 PM

I'm (pleasantly) surprised that the C-26 is still in the active roster. Since Fairchild no longer exists, who maintains/furnishes the spares for the type now anyway?

As for the Vulcan... well, yeah, maybe it WAS XH558... unless it is a secret US weapon of some kind!!

scooter · October 17, 2011, 05:10:03 PM

EC-135 doing touch and goes at KACY. Noticed it while I was cleaning out my car this afternoon, and just had enough time to grab the photos.

Hawkeye · October 20, 2011, 12:19:10 PM

Here is a few from earlier this week...

Spey_Phantom · October 20, 2011, 12:29:33 PM

during lunch as work a Belgian Navy Alouette III made a low pass

always nice to see those little black/bleu choppers

rickshaw · October 20, 2011, 09:27:44 PM

As part (I assume) of the leadup to CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) here in Perth, just after dark multiple Blackhawk helicopters went over my house at low altitude. My oldest son has told me that during the day, they have been exercising all week with the SASR I suspect "just in case".

Yesterday I saw one of them flying along the Swan River as well.

upnorth · October 20, 2011, 10:07:07 PM

Quote from: Stargazer2006 on October 17, 2011, 04:26:55 PM
I'm (pleasantly) surprised that the C-26 is still in the active roster. Since Fairchild no longer exists, who maintains/furnishes the spares for the type now anyway?

If there's any truth to this Wiki bit, it should be the US subsidiary of Elbit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M7_Aerospace

Stargazer · October 21, 2011, 01:04:46 AM

Quote from: upnorth on October 20, 2011, 10:07:07 PM
If there's any truth to this Wiki bit, it should be the US subsidiary of Elbit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M7_Aerospace

Thanks for the link! However it seems to me that the Fairchild-Dornier company was separate from the Fairchild-Swearingen, Fairchild-Pilatus, Fairchild-Saab or Fairchild-Republic interests. I may be wrong here, but I must admit the whole Fairchild thing has always been shrouded with GREAT mystery to me... What I understand here is that M7 Aerospace took over the Fairchild-Dornier designs/products, which doesn't necessary mean the others. In other words, they uphaul the U.S. Dornier 228 and 328 aircraft, not necessarily the Saab 340s, Fairchild A-10s, PC-6 Porters, Metros and Merlins...

upnorth · October 22, 2011, 06:44:10 AM

Stargazer:

I found this info sheet on the US Navy C-26 and it names M7 as the maintenance contractor:

http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=1100&tid=450&ct=1

I suspect USAF examples would be serviced by the same outfit.

GTX · October 22, 2011, 12:21:04 PM

M7 does look after the Metros - I know since I was at there facility the other day and saw a number of aircraft in the hangar. Great company BTW.

Hawkeye · October 24, 2011, 06:58:43 AM

There are still many being flown by private operators. Once in a while one will stop here for fuel. There still is plenty of spare available for them so as long as they are affordable to operate, they will still be flown. Not as efficient as some of the newer aircraft that replaced them but a solid aircraft.

kitnut617 · October 24, 2011, 07:21:38 AM

Quote from: Hawkeye on October 24, 2011, 06:58:43 AM
There are still many being flown by private operators. Once in a while one will stop here for fuel. There still is plenty of spare available for them so as long as they are affordable to operate, they will still be flown. Not as efficient as some of the newer aircraft that replaced them but a solid aircraft.

There's a few (two or three) that fly in and out of Calgary International, I lived on the south flightpath and you could always tell when they were taking off from the racket the props made, clearly the noisiest prop plane around (like a Harvard in a dive only 10 times worse)