News Sonic booms heard as RAF scrambles Typhoons

[Notebook]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36188979

I live on the ILS to Rwy 27 at Newcastle Airport. Heard some fast jet noise around 22:30 last night, and guess that was the Typhoons leaving the area.

Looks like it was probably Air France AF1558 from PARIS at 2215. A coms failure is reported as causing the alert.

N.

 

[garyw]

I saw this on twitter yesterday. It's flight path was "unusual".

 

[Notebook]

Good Grief! If that's genuine its very odd. I'm not a big plane spotter, but I use radar24 and usually look up whats just going into Newcastle.

It was on local news this morning, but no new info, just it landed normally, very odd.

N.

 

[Ravenous]

I've heard it's common procedure for commercial flights to fly right-hand triangles if all radio communication is lost, and wait until contacted by some other means... maybe that's what the original right-hand turn was for?

They would then have been met by the escort and had a (visual) signal to follow them out of busy airspace - I guess.

I have to admit I only heard about this while casually reading up on Air Law when I used to fly... in... sailplanes! So I could be completely wrong!

Edit: forget the triangle thing. On reading the updated story, it looks like they lost radio contact long before they started turning. So no doubt they were navigating by themselves and were met by the Typhoons later, then followed a diversion.

 

[Spacethingy]

Was super-sonic really necessary, bearing in mind this is an RJ85 we're talking about here? They're not exactly Citation X's... :lol:

 

[Notebook]

Presumably that's the format the RAF work to. They are Quick Reaction pair, so I guess fastest to the job, do what's required, and fastest back to refuel and rearm.

N.

 

[Andy44]

Is this a post-9/11 thing? If so, supersonic makes sense.

In fact it makes a lot more sense if you think you might be intercepting an actual armed incursion.

 

[Notebook]

As far as I know, they spend a lot of their flight time chasing bears around Scotland:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...pair-Russian-bombers-heading-UK-airspace.html

Ok, Blackjacks, but that's been happening for decades. Got more frequent after Putin got annoyed with Nato recently.

Due to recent events I guess the fact it was an Air France aircraft raised more concern.

N.

 

[garyw]

Was super-sonic really necessary, bearing in mind this is an RJ85 we're talking about here? They're not exactly Citation X's... :lol:

Yes. If it had been hijacked a quick response may have prevented a disaster. Even an RJ-85 can cause mass destruction.

If (as in this case), it was a false alarm then it's a good exercise for the fly boys.

 

[mojoey]

I've heard it's common procedure for commercial flights to fly right-hand triangles if all radio communication is lost, and wait until contacted by some other means... maybe that's what the original right-hand turn was for?

They would then have been met by the escort and had a (visual) signal to follow them out of busy airspace - I guess.

Maybe? I've never heard of that, but that might just be an EASA procedure. In the US if you've lost your radio, you change your sqwawk code and continue on your route, and when you arrive at your destination there's usually a lost coms procedure that you'd follow, and if ATC wasn't blind they'd clear the way for you, unless your friendly neighborhood ANG interceptors had indicated otherwise.

 

[birdmanmike]

This is UK and pretty congested airspace. With no comms and therefore possible hi-jack risk, diverted away from land to nearest off shore/over-sea routing would be normal then routed to destination. Last anti-clockwise turns would likely be hitting the pattern then down-wind leg/cross-wind and finals. At some point apparently comms was re-established anyway.

Any plane/pilot not following the Tiffies directions in these circumstances would know they'd likely be blown away if not complying as then would well be likely hi-jack - or even pilot problem like Germanwings?. As Andy44 says, it's post 9/11 (rather than particularly Air France). And per garyw, even a RJ85 coming down on a town (or city - was over Leeds on the turn to 90!) could be absolutely horrific . . . the Tiffies were out of Coningsby so would be expected to move fast . . .

Whether warning shots might be fired?

Worth noting a BA flight from Dubai was intercepted over Hungary on 3th April after apparently missing/failing to notify ATC on crossing border, although responded fairly quickly when warned!

It's all (both and more) on Pprune

 

[C3PO]

I've heard it's common procedure for commercial flights to fly right-hand triangles if all radio communication is lost,....

Edit: forget the triangle thing. On reading the updated story, it looks like they lost radio contact long before they started turning. So no doubt they were navigating by themselves and were met by the Typhoons later, then followed a diversion.

One of the reasons you file a flight plan is loss of communication. Diverting from a plan without comms would be a very bad idea these days. It makes much more sense to proceed as planned until the "babysitters" arrive.
:2cents:

 

[Notebook]

Does anyone know if the turn off-route was by the PIC or directed by the QR Typhoons?

N.

 

[TachyonDriver]

Jet noise! The sound of Freedom (especially our fighters going supersonic - helps me sleep better at nights). Yes, if a boom woke me up, I'd be WTF!! then .. OK chaps, as you were, carry on!

If you want your own up close, personal airshow, just squawk 7500 and wait...