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13 Apr 12 - 06:55 AM (#3337670) Subject: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: Pete Jennings BBC News. Reassuring in a way. Bet all three pilots are popular in their locals (pubs)! |
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13 Apr 12 - 10:35 AM (#3337748) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: bubblyrat We heard something in Oxted at about the right time last evening ( thought it was thunder !). |
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13 Apr 12 - 10:40 AM (#3337751) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: Nigel Parsons "RAF scrambled and go supersonic" Surely "RAF scrambled" will go 'FAR' |
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13 Apr 12 - 11:30 AM (#3337772) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: GUEST,999 I like my eggs that way from time to time. |
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13 Apr 12 - 11:43 AM (#3337777) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: Pete Jennings Very good Nigel! |
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13 Apr 12 - 12:35 PM (#3337790) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: Greg B When I was a kid growing up in Southern California in the 60's (aerospace and military base central) sonic booms were common occurrences. It's kind of funny to see it being such a big deal these days. |
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13 Apr 12 - 12:46 PM (#3337795) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: gnu Not if you haven't heard one. And, I think supersonic speed is not allowed over populated areas except in emergencies. |
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13 Apr 12 - 01:06 PM (#3337802) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: Pete Jennings That's right Gnu, it isn't, certainly here in the UK. These two planes had special permission. Concorde pilots had to wait until they were over the ocean, well clear of land, before they could go supersonic. |
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13 Apr 12 - 01:18 PM (#3337806) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: gnu Yes, Pete and I always wondered what the whales thought of that. |
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13 Apr 12 - 04:27 PM (#3337893) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: Bonzo3legs Useful pieces of kit are Typhoons! |
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14 Apr 12 - 03:32 PM (#3338323) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: Don(Wyziwyg)T ""Surely "RAF scrambled" will go 'FAR'"" "ARF! ARF! ARF!" :-) Don T. |
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15 Apr 12 - 06:37 AM (#3338556) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: GUEST,Van The typhoons were said to be responding to a Mayday call from a helicopter. In what way were they going to assist a helicopter in distress? Or were they just being hi-tech boy racers? |
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15 Apr 12 - 06:55 AM (#3338569) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: TheSnail From the article - "A spokesman said the frequency was only used when an aircraft was in particular trouble, such as a hijacking." I imagine they were going to shoot it down. |
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15 Apr 12 - 07:06 AM (#3338575) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: Mr Red I heard what was like thunder just before 6pm in Gloucestershire. It was raining at the time so thunder was the most likely explanation, and without a rumble I reckoned it was close. It must have been a low flight because there is usually a double bang which it may have been but with a short plane not as distinct. Hey! - I can take a bang on the ears any day, if it dissuades would be terrorists. |
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15 Apr 12 - 07:07 AM (#3338577) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: gnomad Like Guest,Van I wondered what practical help the Typhoon could offer had the hijack been genuine. Close-up eyes on the spot I suppose, plus the ability to bring it down if a serious threat to a ground installation were to develop (as in "We have a bomb on board, and are above GCHQ Cheltenham, or the lines in Hereford, or Bristol city centre"). Such actions would be of little help to the chopper itself, but might be contemplated for the greater good. I am unsure how much time going supersonic will have gained, maybe 5 minutes, but the hoo-ha about it will doubtless help keep up the public level of anxiety about terrorism. |
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15 Apr 12 - 11:41 AM (#3338648) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: Keith A of Hertford A witness described the jets circling the helicopter at low speed, hanging on their thrust. I would have liked to see that. |
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15 Apr 12 - 01:27 PM (#3338700) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: gnu I think they can fly straight at about 100kph, but I only think that because an F-18 of similar configuration can do close to 80kph with no payload. Musta been cool to see them crank 178kN out of the engines when they reached critical. |
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16 Apr 12 - 08:53 AM (#3339000) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: Silas I used to live on a RAF base in Germany in the sixties - it was very common (several times a day) for planes to go through the sound barrier it really is no big deal. |
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16 Apr 12 - 02:28 PM (#3339140) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: Greg B Well, a Typhoon is good for about Mach 1.8, so exceeding the speed of sound gets you there a lot sooner. Indeed, sonic booms are banned over the US land-mass as well, so those many-time-a-week bangs are a thing of the past here, as well. It's not quite like thunder, as thunder is more of a distant thing. A sonic boom is the shock wave itself passing over one. Well, maybe it's like the thunder of a lightning strike at very close range. Very sharp rise and fall time. And generally louder than thunder. Like loud enough that you'd think maybe the plate-glass windows will shatter. |
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16 Apr 12 - 03:12 PM (#3339165) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: gnu In the late 60s, the Canuck RCAF and Yank USAF bases exchanged bases in Zwiebrucken and I dunno wher the yank base wass. Prior to the exchange, all low level high speed passes were banned by the Canuck commander. Just before noon, the time of official exchange, all hell broke loose at CFB 3Wing. A fighter had been "stolen" and was airborne. It made a a HSLL pass at M1+ after the commander notified the tower what was gonna happen. He broke a shitload of glass and said, "Follow me to the new base." Now, that's the story I was told by my bro. Seems unlikely, but it did impress his wee bro when he told it to me. |
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16 Apr 12 - 03:47 PM (#3339181) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: GUEST,Hookey Wole now I try to remember, I'm sure I occassionaly heard Concordes sonic boom on SW coast when I was a boy back in the 60's. Or maybe military jets from a nearby local base like Yeovilton ? |
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17 Apr 12 - 02:57 AM (#3339399) Subject: RE: BS: RAF scrambled and go supersonic From: Keith A of Hertford Concorde's boom was often heard in Devon and Cornwall, but that would be 70s omward. As a boy in the 50s, booms from military jets were sometimes heard there. |