Thundering Typhoons

[EddieB]

With all that's going on at this time, quite alarming to hear a loud "explosion" at around 1pm today.  Immediate thoughts were a gas escape or building works had gone wrong.

 

From various news sites, it was a sonic boom, that could be heard all the way from Cambridge, through Hertfordshire and across Essex, right to the opposite bank of the Thames.

 

It turns out that a private aircraft from Germany was treated as suspicious after losing radio contact and two RAF Typhoons were scrambled to safely escort it to Stansted.  

 

Captain Haddock would be proud!

[simontaylor484]

We had it a couple of years ago in the north one night the noise was unbelievable it set car and house alarms off. 

[mezzoman253]

Yes, it was quite disconcerting as I was in my shed and felt the walls move along with the boom.

 

I thought it might be a sonic boom. Here's the offending aircraft and track from Planefinder.

 

 

Edited January 12, 2021 by mezzoman253
Trim picture

[Paperlad]

Happened to me once, although I didn’t hear the ‘boom’, I was skipper of the 330 though. Aug 5th 2014, Manchester. Nothing to do with loss of communication either!

 

I think credit for the picture is a Matthew Cossar.

 

PL

Edited January 12, 2021 by Paperlad

[boxbrownie]

They just didn’t like you? 

[Paperlad]

1 hour ago, boxbrownie said:

They just didn’t like you? 

This might explain:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-28670502

 

There are still some parts that I’m not supposed to discus (even after six years) and some aspects that I still struggle with. Example: a second Typhoon about one mile behind us with missiles at the ready - along with - immediately after landing but before taxiing to remote parking, being being blocked by fire trucks and ‘quartered’ by about 16 armed officers all pointing their weapons at us!

 

I guess many of us wonder how we’ll react during a very stressful event and from a personal analysis point it was very interesting but not something I wish to repeat.

 

Anyroad, all’s well that ends well..and all that.

[doilum]

19 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

We had it a couple of years ago in the north one night the noise was unbelievable it set car and house alarms off. 

Killed one of my koi. Daughter lost one too a mile away.

Edited January 13, 2021 by doilum
Predictive text error

[PMP]

20 minutes ago, Paperlad said:

This might explain:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-28670502

 

There are still some parts that I’m not supposed to discus (even after six years) and some aspects that I still struggle with. Example: a second Typhoon about one mile behind us with missiles at the ready - along with - immediately after landing but before taxiing to remote parking, being being blocked by fire trucks and ‘quartered’ by about 16 armed officers all pointing their weapons at us!

 

I guess many of us wonder how we’ll react during a very stressful event and from a personal analysis point it was very interesting but not something I wish to repeat.

 

Anyroad, all’s well that ends well..and all that.

There’s always a minimum of two interceptors. The ground ‘stop’ is a standard procedure too. They are very interesting to take part in.

[Paperlad]

41 minutes ago, PMP said:

There’s always a minimum of two interceptors. The ground ‘stop’ is a standard procedure too. They are very interesting to take part in.

When we eventually parked on stand it was clear that the police were very well rehearsed in what they were doing (thankfully) and they were clearly not your average plod/traffic cop. From letting me know that “ you are about to be boarded, be advised that our weapons are live” to getting the culprit searched, cuffed and off was about 90 seconds!

 

I did ask if I could have a couple of minutes alone with the guy before they took him away but my request was politely - with a laugh - declined, my second request to push him off the top step of the airstairs was sadly, also declined.

 

The company (Qatar Airways) looked after us very well, during and after the debriefing. The crew all got a few days off and myself and the F/O got to see a psychiatrist too. Strangely she deemed us fit to to fly again.

 

PL.

[Ron Ron Ron]

21 hours ago, Paperlad said:

Happened to me once, although I didn’t hear the ‘boom’.......

 

3 hours ago, Paperlad said:

......There are still some parts that I’m not supposed to discus (even after six years) and some aspects that I still struggle with. Example: a second Typhoon about one mile behind us with missiles at the ready.........

In that case, you were well aware “they” were there, which is not always the case when it comes to “radio failure” / loss of communications.

Some crews who have gone AWOL comms wise, subsequently re-establishing contact, will never have known they had company.

 

 

. 

[Paperlad]

55 minutes ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

In that case, you were well aware “they” were there, which is not always the case when it comes to “radio failure” / loss of communications.

Some crews who have gone AWOL comms wise, subsequently re-establishing contact, will never have known they had company.

 

 

. 

I suppose it’s a bit of a surprise (it was to us) but we had no clue the RAF were with us until the number 1 appeared on our left wing tip. There was no TCAS alert/warning despite the proximity and its fairly obvious that an alternative radio frequency was being used for the intercept. There was a bit of a thought going on in the back of my head about being intercepted but it never really made it to the forefront (we were a bit busy doing top secret  company stuff and flying an approach).

 

During the subsequent debrief with the anti terror police and the military I was a bit critical about not being pre warned of the intercept due to the ‘startle’ effect of an unannounced Typhoon pitching up at close quarters and quite late in the approach but I’m sure everyone has there own reasons for the methods used. It was at the debrief that I was told about the number 2 behind us!

 

PL