Question

Oh, @Fat Controller you must go on a plane trip - there are some incredibly reasonable fares, even if you only go somewhere in the UK or a short hop to Europe - booking in advance on Easyjet you can find £15 fares! Flying is an incredible experience, you can feel the machinery working, hear the engines, and the view out of the windows is incredible too - when you work out what towns and cities you can see, and how small the cars, trains and so on are. I expect you would get a lot out of taking off or landing from Heathrow FC, as you know the local area!

I've a similar experience to all those stated above - in the Lake District walking around a lake and a weird deep engine noise sounds around the lake-bowl... then a military aeroplane similar to those shown above appears, low flying, scaring the absolute flip out of everyone around, but looking on in wonder! It then banked and flew through the valley.

I've flown on about 20 flights in life so far - mainly for work, just to Belfast or Glasgow to save time on getting there. The descent into George Best airport at Belfast is quite terrifying as it is very windy and the runway only appears just as you are about to land - before that, it looks as if you are about to land on the water! I've been on one transatlantic trip so far as well, but found sleeping on the plane incredibly difficult.

A colleague of mine's hobby is international travel so he saves all of his money to fly first-class on his favourite aeroplanes. He enjoys the food, the flat bed to sleep on, the experience and the service, and the lounges at the airports. He will then stay at a hotel near the airport, plane-spotting, then onto another destination for similar activities!

 

Spot on @Fat Controller ! It's a great museum be it very spread about so plenty of walking involved but it was a nice day when I went so no worries. There was a Vulcan as well I remember such an amazing looking "paper dart".
I do have 1 very small claim to fame re aircraft. No doubt in this PC/health and safety day and age you wouldn't get away with it but I have been in a Phantom. I had a fiancee (broke up before trotting down the aisle!) who was a squadron leader who flew Phantoms. He was stationed at Leuchers but then moved back down to near Lincoln from memory. His main job seemed to be shadowing Russian jets which flew around these parts on a regular basis. According to fiancee the pilots got to recognise each other and waved to each other...all very jolly.
I had pestered him for a "shot" in his plane and eventually I did, under some guise of pretending to be his co pilot get a ride down the runway. Fiancee said I'd black out if we actually took off (G force?) so only had a trundle about on the runway but still remember it being pretty scary and secretly was pleased that we weren't going to be leaving terra firma

 

Jee gods and little fishes 2 basta.d Hercules have just flown straight over my house. The 1st 1 obviously didn't realise there was a house here(hidden by loads of trees) and as he approached he obviously saw the house at the last minute and veered violently to the right just missing 1 of our big trees. The 2nd 1 didn't bother to veer and went straight over us. The cat who was outside with me almost had kittens and is hiding under my bed and I am just off the phone to the MOD who pack up at 4.00pm so have to phone back tomorrow to complain. I was promised the last time I complained that they would alter their maps to show our house which has only been here since um Georgian times for gods sake. We get jets passing and they never fly over our house it's only these lumbering "elephants" that do. I'm no woos but these things put the fear of god into me.

 

They are scary @silu, it amazes me how they stay in the air when they're flying so low.

 

Just off the phone to the MOD. Got the usual non committal stuff but will see what their investigation comes up with...nowt I expect. All I am asking for is confirmation that our house shows up on their flight path maps so they know our house is here. i asked why if the pilot knew there was a house here why he (presume it was a he) veered off? Funnily enough there was no comment/reply forthcoming! They are "looking into it" and will reply by letter evidently. I am not holding my breath that I will get anywhere but at least I have tried. As I explained to the complaints dept person, there is just farmland around us and so the planes could easily fly past without going straight over us. I am convinced they use our tall stand of trees as a "target" to fly over not realising that we are just behind it.

 

Silu , you need on of these parked on your drive . That will keep them at a safe distance

 

I know just the person that might be able to supply something like that... @HarryS, you may know him as well. He has a place 2 or 3 miles from you...

 

I'm not sure if we have any Tank driving centres around here ?

 

@HarryS if its still there, just west of M6 J24.

 

The USA Airbase at Burtonwood ? This was the biggest WW2 airfield and ordinance depot . I am not sure if any of it is used now by the military.

 

@HarryS Not Burtonwood, that closed in the early '90's. houses have been built on the site now. I meant this place:

British Military Vehicles Bob Grundy

 

@Sandy Ground , no not seen Bob Grundy's and I do go down that road from time to time. I'll keep my eyes open , his web site is not very showy.

 

Do you think Ebay might have a 2nd hand 1 for a reasonable price @HarryS ? . The 1st pilot veered away violently at seeing my house wonder what he would have done if he'd seen 1 of those. The Hercules fly so slowly and are enormous I'd be confident of hitting 1 with that weapon