Seen Over Your House Today

[Rheged]

Saw a Chinook from above this afternoon. Pics to follow.

Er, from ABOVE? 

I once saw a B-52 from above, when I was standing on a ridge and it flew down the valley. 

So there I was, about 40 years ago, on my way up Skiddaw in the Lake District at about the 2000 foot level.  My walking companion and I  became aware of a noise that intensified until it sounded as though the air itself was being torn apart.  Flying South over Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwent water were TWO vulcans at about 750 feet. Looking down on a single  Vulcan is a curious experience;  on two.........!!!

As they reached the head of the valley, they climbed   steeply into cloud.  The sheep grazing on the fellside took no notice at all. 

[Mossie]

E-3 Sentry AEW.1.  Saw it when I was bringing in the washing last night, it seemed to be heading in the general direction of it's home at RAF Waddington.  It was at fairly low level, couldn't mistake the radome.

[thesolitarycyclist]

I once had a Harrier GR3 fly below me. I was stood on Hadrian`s Wall at the time and the Harrier was going east to west along the Tyne Valley at a fair rate of speed. Quite an unusal experience being higher up than a plane while still being on the ground yourself.

[Nick]

Saw the underside of a Tornado GR.4 from above last Thursday. I was walking over Ill Bell in the Lakes last Thursday when I heard her coming.
I spotted her fly along Kentmere from Kendal at low level, pop up and bank sharply to make the jump over the Nan Bield pass. Typically it was too far off for my camera to get a good shot.

[NARSES2]

I was just wondering if anyone else has ever experienced seeing an airship floating silently at night at a low altitude ? 

Grandad did, but it was a Zeppelin and dropping bombs on London - he was home on leave from the Western Front and thought he'd be safe for a couple of weeks  He's always talk about it to anyone who'd listen, the trenches he had to be drunk before he spoke

[Spey_Phantom]

a British AAC Lynx AH.7 nearly blew the tiles of my roof just now 

[PR19_Kit]

I saw the Goodyear 'Europa' a couple of times in the 80s, but mostly in daylight, but once was at dusk when she came into 'land' at the original Cardington site on her portable mast. I'm afraid she looked VERY insignificant against the bulk of the massive pair of sheds there.

And many years before, in the 50s, I saw the 'Bournemouth', at the time the only airship in Europe, cruise across Oxford at around 500-750 ft. It was going so slow I could keep up with it riding my bike!  

[pyro-manic]

Here's the Chinook:

http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/649/dsc0270zm.jpg

And here's a shot which will provide some context:

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3788/dsc0264hg.jpg

EDIT: Changed images to links, as they're way too big for the forum pages.  

I was on top of a hill which is right by the sea, at Durlston Castle country park in Dorset, which has some quite impressive cliffs and Anvil Point lighthouse, among other things. The Chinook came thudding along the coastline from the West. I had just walked up the path from the lighthouse when I heard it coming. Cue one extremely rapid lens-change and I caught it as it came bludgeoning past, quite a way below me. Anything else (ie a less spectacularly noisy aircraft) and I wouldn't have noticed until it was too late. I need MORE LENS though - 200mm isn't nearly enough for aircraft (or wildlife), even on a crop-sensor camera. The above photos are cropped quite heavily. And as you can see, the very harsh sunlight did not make for very good pictures. I've done the best I can to bring out the details, but it's not much good. If I'd been down by the lighthouse I would've been much closer, and might have been able to spot-meter to get a decent shot. But I wasn't.

[PR19_Kit]

Neat that, nice one. 

I know that hill quite well, I used to have a caravan on the site on the north side of the hill, YEARS ago now.

[pyro-manic]

It's a lovely spot, I must say. I live fairly close, so I will definitely be visiting again.

[PR19_Kit]

We used to watch the Cowes - Torquay Powere boat race from up there, I have some amazing pics of some of the boats. They had a race right round Britain in 2008 and we went up there to watch it too!



Taken with 500 mm lens at about 1/1000 sec and F3.5, and LOTS of luck! 

[jcf]

Great photo Kit.
My kidneys ache just looking at it.

[Captain Canada]

Great shots of the Chinook.

[PR19_Kit]

Great photo Kit.
My kidneys ache just looking at it.

All the boats were bouncing up and down so much that it was difficult timing the shot, but luckily Wettpunkt was running near the back of the field and the Navigaor, Ed 'The Pirate' William's-Hawkes', took a course much closer in to Durlston Head than the other boats, and I'd had more practice by the time the boat passed by. Wettpunkt almost won the race some days later but had engine problems on the very last day.

It's a pity there isn't sound with the pic as the twin Isotta Fraschini engines sounded magnificent!

[Rheged]

 METEOR!!

I didn't see it, did any of  you??


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22460716