No Machloop for the RAF for 6 weeks

[topgun1984]

Hi guys,

I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but what i've heard can't be good.

I've heard that the higher ranks of the RAF have decided that there will be NO flying RAF aircraft in the Machloop area for the upcomming 6 weeks. Don't know if anyone has got some trips planned to there, but the only thing you are going to find are Eagles.

For the ones that question my source. It's also a member from another airforce who i shall not name.

I hope they will fly again soon.

Grtz,


TG1984

[Iwan Bogels]

Hi TG,

I hate to question your source, but I would like to have some more info on this news. Can your source refer to open source newsbulletins or any other publically accesible info ? And does this info involve all RAF aircraft, or specific squadrons only ? There was an incident recently, involving a 31sqn Tornado, which caught a lot of media attention. This might be a cause for the Welsh flying ban.

Can your source provide more (open) info ?

Thanks,
Iwan

[Thijs]

Curious how they gonna call this exercise:

EXERCISE WELSHRIDER 10-01 - 5-16 July 2010. Exercise operating areas are LFA 7. Aircraft will be operating from 0830L until no later than 2230L. The aircraft that are attending will be Tornado GR4, C-130J, Lynx, Merlin and Chinook.

Exercise NON-Welshrider? Exercise LAKERIDER, named to the Lake District.

In my opinion very un-likely news. But we shall see.

[Richard from Rotterdam]

Chick these links for upcoming low flying events:

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/About ... ying/LFAs/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/About ... Area07.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Welsh Rider seems still on the list.

This list provides booked times for LFA7 and 14 and 20 (Scotland):

http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/E3D4806F ... july10.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't know if this means no activity takes place outside these times.

[Iwan Bogels]

Hi Richard,

I found these links too. The booking times don't seem to mean a thing for flying, but the exercise info does. Maybe TG's info was very hot, and the RAF website has not been updated yet.....

Cheers,
Iwan

[topgun1984]

Hi guys,

Sorry to give such a late reply, but here it goes.

My source is a very close friend who serves at an airforce not far from here... he also post things here on this site from the Machloop,

I think that what he wrote regards from the flying outside the usual excersizes. So if you go with an excersise taking place you have indeed a chance to photograph the planes offcourse (sorry i forgot to mention that).



Grtz,

TG1984

[KoenHartkamp]

hi,

I think it is not as bad as it might seem.
Got a text from a friend in the Lakes and he had several movements today, whilst yesterday 3 Hawk T2's and 2 C-130's were seen in Wales

I think I'll just give it a go next week


Koen

[sonicbenj]

Eeek. The exercises section of the MOD page suggests a 6 week gap beginning 16th July for LFA7

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/About ... Events.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Balls...

[Iwan Bogels]

This exercise gap makes sense to me, as it is the middle of the school holidays. Not many exercises are scheduled for this period, for obvious reasons.

[Machlooper]

Just to clarify something here. The Mach Loop is a very small piece of LFA7. Its approx 25 miles around the Loop and takes most jets approx 3 minutes to go around it.
So they dont need to go anywhere near it if they so wish.
The avoid is apparantly on frontliners, i.e Tiffies,Tonkas and Harriers. The Hawks and other stuff are not effected.
An F3 was in the area today but went high above the loop, take what you will from that.
Excercises have no bearing on the Loop and if anything can kill it off at times. Also, excercise traffic tends to transit at medium to high level, not low in the valleys.

With regards to the GR4 article in the media, Im in no doubt it has had an impact on the Loop and this is just one piece of the story.
I will not go into the whole story here or I may Pee some people off, the truth hurts as they say.

Can we lock this thread now as theres been enough debate on the subject all over the web.

Cheers.

[NFLineast]

There were 4 F3's Pat. They were doing target exercises and practice bomb runs. Not low level work.

[Machlooper]

Hi Joe,
The F3's may have not been at L/L but the whole avoid debate is still on going. i think we all have to take a bite of a big s*%t sandwich for a couple of months.


Pat.