Racetrack Contrails and "Bizzare" Planes off the Yorkshire Coast

[ĕrēmīta]

I took this yesterday. I live on the Yorkshire coast and I have seen some unusual aeroplanes in our skys, I presume from the lincolnshire base. This picture is from one of the planes. I would love to post a pic of one of the bizarre planes but my naked eye sees a lot more than my camera!

 

[cloudspotter]

I took this yesterday. I live on the Yorkshire coast and I have seen some unusual aeroplanes in our skys, I presume from the lincolnshire base. This picture is from one of the planes. I would love to post a pic of one of the bizarre planes but my naked eye sees a lot more than my camera!

That looks like a holding pattern http://contrailscience.com/racetrack-contrails/ but I know the RAF operate Sentry http://www.raf.mod.uk/equipment/sentry.cfm airfraft from RAF Waddington

 

[Trailspotter]

That looks like a holding pattern http://contrailscience.com/racetrack-contrails/ but I know the RAF operate Sentry http://www.raf.mod.uk/equipment/sentry.cfm airfraft from RAF Waddington

This does not look like a E-3 Sentry (AWACS) contrail, the radius of orbit is too small. Most likely, it was from a fighter jet.

 

[cloudspotter]

I took this yesterday. I live on the Yorkshire coast and I have seen some unusual aeroplanes in our skys, I presume from the lincolnshire base. This picture is from one of the planes. I would love to post a pic of one of the bizarre planes but my naked eye sees a lot more than my camera!
View attachment 7247

I've emailed RAF Waddington to see if they can shed any light on it but it would be helpful if you can provide some more info on the location, time and direction you were facing (south I would guess). Thanks

 

[Mick West]

Some possible remnants here, just to the north of Yorkshire, May 14th.

https://earthdata.nasa.gov/labs/wor...5-14&map=-2.56299,53.032471,1.512937,55.40332

 

[Mick West]

There's an HPS "To Let" sign on the right, indicating it's near Hornsea, below the middle peninsula in the image above.

 

[Mick West]

Using the HPS web site, I identified the location on Burton Lane in Hornsea, looking due north east
https://www.google.com/maps/@53.905...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s1we9YHovK5NPv-ixXh0MrQ!2e0

 

[Mick West]

 

[Mick West]

Shadows put the time at fairly early morning, like 7-8AM?

 

[cloudspotter]

lol I'd had a look at the satellite images but I'd been looking too far south. I'd thought the picture may have been looking south because of the shadows but it had occurred to me that the numbers on the end of the file name may have been the time.

 

[WeedWhacker]

Shadows put the time at fairly early morning, like 7-8AM?

Mick, you're a little bit scary smart...

 

[Trailspotter]

Using the HPS web site, I identified the location on Burton Lane in Hornsea, looking due north east

Mick has beaten me here. I have found the location by the same approach too but gone on a tea break instead of posting it here

 

[David Fraser]

7 or 8am is early to be in a holding pattern for ranges to the south, they usually open at 9. May well be fighters from the QRF warding the Russians off again.

 

[Mick West]

It appears like three pairs of very similar contrails. So two jets in formation:

 

[Mick West]

And the progression there suggests the wind is blowing south, so the "remnants" I showed before are unlikely to be related.

 

[Trailspotter]

I've checked the UK Military Airspace map, the area of contrails is between the designated Air-to-Air Refuelling Areas above the North Sea.
I also have run the Flightradar24 record for the morning of 2014-05-14. The civil planes were avoiding this area in the morning till at least 09:30 UTC making diversion over the land, but later they were crossing it OK.

 

[ĕrēmīta]

Wow, you lot have been busy! Yes it was taken in Hornsea at 8.30am yesterday. Heading North Easterly. It is unusual to see anything other than civilian air traffic at that time, but as the trail is clearly not an airbus having fun I took a snap. P.s. you could of asked where the photo was taken!

 

[Mick West]

P.s. you could of asked where the photo was taken!

Where's the fun in that?

Can you describe what the planes looked like? What was bizarre about them? Anything like this?

or:

 

[ĕrēmīta]

Both of those look rather ordinary, the strangest one I saw with my boy who was 8 at the time and it had a ray type front with two engines at the rear and an empty space between. Sorry its really hard to explain, the nearest thing I can think to describe it was a thunderbirds2 without the middle. The noise was immense. More often than not there is cloud cover when they are about. I have also seen something that was like a stealth bomber without the creases on the rear.

 

[BombDr]

Both of those look rather ordinary, the strangest one I saw with my boy who was 8 at the time and it had a ray type front with two engines at the rear and an empty space between. Sorry its really hard to explain, the nearest thing I can think to describe it was a thunderbirds2 without the middle. The noise was immense. More often than not there is cloud cover when they are about. I have also seen something that was like a stealth bomber without the creases on the rear.

Did it look anything like this?

The trails to me look like jets 'in the wheel', which means they are hanging around for some reason, either to fuel, or in my Sqns case, usually when using the surveillance pod or lining up their attack profile.

 

[Mick West]

Both of those look rather ordinary, the strangest one I saw with my boy who was 8 at the time and it had a ray type front with two engines at the rear and an empty space between. Sorry its really hard to explain, the nearest thing I can think to describe it was a thunderbirds2 without the middle. The noise was immense. More often than not there is cloud cover when they are about. I have also seen something that was like a stealth bomber without the creases on the rear.

Sounds very interesting, but unfortunately without pics it's very hard to go anywhere with this. If you look at the google image results for "flying wing", does anything look similar?
https://www.google.com/search?q=flying+wing&es_sm=119&source=lnms&tbm=isch

Or delta wing
https://www.google.com/search?q=delta+wing+aircraft&es_sm=119&source=lnms&tbm=isch

 

[pseacraft]

am confused... My understanding was that you were seeing rather unusual aircraft currently/in conjunction to the the contrail photo you took. Then you comment about a odd description when your son was about 8 which means over a period of years you have seen aircraft your not familiar with. I think a quick google on RAF aircraft or history of RAF aircraft and you will find your answer. Many RAF airframes of recent past had rear mounted engines, as it was basically the same airframe just configured for different specialized missions. Like ASW, Refueling, ISR, etc...

What is a "ray type front end"?

 

[Mick West]

a thunderbirds2 without the middle

 

[David Fraser]

Did it look anything like this?

View attachment 7255

The trails to me look like jets 'in the wheel', which means they are hanging around for some reason, either to fuel, or in my Sqns case, usually when using the surveillance pod or lining up their attack profile.

He did say about the noise and the refuelling area is out at sea to the north and south of Hornsea

http://www.pb-photos.com/Images/Aviation/Others/UK Military Airspace.pdf

I would be interested to know the year and although I can't post pics I am wondering if it was an A10

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunderbolt_II

They were a common sight around that area but as far as I know are no longer in the UK

 

[David Fraser]

Wow, you lot have been busy! Yes it was taken in Hornsea at 8.30am yesterday. Heading North Easterly. It is unusual to see anything other than civilian air traffic at that time, but as the trail is clearly not an airbus having fun I took a snap. P.s. you could of asked where the photo was taken!

Unusual to see anything other than civilian traffic? Times must really have changed. I am from Hull and when we lived in East Hull we used to walk along the old Withernsea train track with the kids and watch aircraft either coming off Donner Nook opposite Spurn point or going into Cowden. We saw all sorts even yank planes like F111 and A10s. Even saw the Buccaneer before it retired. Even though Cowden has closed I would have thought there would still be aircraft on flights via Donner.

Edit: Donna not Donner. Guess who fancies a kebab?
Further edit: I missed the "at that time" sorry.

 

[BombDr]

Unusual to see anything other than civilian traffic? Times must really have changed. I am from Hull and when we lived in East Hull we used to walk along the old Withernsea train track with the kids and watch aircraft either coming off Donner Nook opposite Spurn point or going into Cowden. We saw all sorts even yank planes like F111 and A10s. Even saw the Buccaneer before it retired. Even though Cowden has closed I would have thought there would still be aircraft on flights via Donner.

Edit: Donna not Donner. Guess who fancies a kebab?

Like you said earlier, ranges don't open until 0900 (RAF staff...!). The main training areas for the CAS platforms are Ottoburn, STANTA and Spadeadam, but Marham have been stood down from CAS this week so I didn't pay attention to who is up and about. There is 100 Sqn in Leeming and 41(R) Sqn in Connigsby, as well as the GR4s from Lossimouth. I don't really get involved with Typhoons or the USAF jets from Mildenhall and Lakenheath, but suffice to say there is a lot of Fast Air (as opposed to heavies) that could be up that time of the morning making tight turns and pretty patterns...

It could feasibly also be multi-engined, but probably not the sort that carries passengers...

 

[David Fraser]

Like you said earlier, ranges don't open until 0900 (RAF staff...!). The main training areas for the CAS platforms are Ottoburn, STANTA and Spadeadam, but Marham have been stood down from CAS this week so I didn't pay attention to who is up and about. There is 100 Sqn in Leeming and 41(R) Sqn in Connigsby, as well as the GR4s from Lossimouth. I don't really get involved with Typhoons or the USAF jets from Mildenhall and Lakenheath, but suffice to say there is a lot of Fast Air (as opposed to heavies) that could be up that time of the morning making tight turns and pretty patterns...

It could feasibly also be multi-engined, but probably not the sort that carries passengers...

With Trailspotter mentioning that Flightradar24 showed civilan aircraft seemed to avoid the area until 9.30 my money is on a couple of Typhoons from the QRA, maybe Coningsby, either on station or waiting for refueling. However that is pure conjecture.

 

[BombDr]

With Trailspotter mentioning that Flightradar24 showed civilan aircraft seemed to avoid the area until 9.30 my money is on a couple of Typhoons from the QRA, maybe Coningsby, either on station or waiting for refueling. However that is pure conjecture.

I'm on leave this week so could find out if anyone really needs to know, but Typhoons would be the best bet. I'm CAS so AD is not really my thing...

However, as no-one is claiming the Illuminati are on manoeuvres, spraying the fish with weather altering chemicals, in order to cover a false-flag to move Elvis through a tunnel is Paris, so that a space laser can stop the Israelis from using the stolen Malaysian jet to collapse the US economy and bring in a One World Government/Currency/Religion, and implant RFID chips in every little baby, I'm not sure I will bother....

 

[deirdre]

this says its a show...but this isn't real, right?

 

[WeedWhacker]

this says its a show...but this isn't real, right?
View attachment 7264

It's real.

Forced perspective, though.....in camera. They are not directly above one another, but side-by-side (in formation) several feet apart horizontally, in reality.

A trick many use, in photography, with sometimes unintuitive results!:
Forced Perspective in Photography

(Only one example....using various lens focal lengths, and angles, etc....you can get quite creative....after learning the skills, of course).

 

[ĕrēmīta]

Firstly I am not a pilot or a plane spotter so a laymans explanation is all your ever going to get and no apololgy. (Some people have ordinary busy minimum wage lives and can't afford a flash camera too take pics of funny looking planes).
I did not see the plane that made the trail or hear it before the trail appeared. Like I said the contrails are not like any I have seen before. I do know what an ordinary contrail is and where the flight paths are just from daily observation.
BombDr I am not a CT I shared for the reasons I stated, if you want to be a jerk fair enough. Do realise that your not helping anyone and your time may be better spent bothering a CT website.
By a ray type front I meant that the front was at low angle from the point spread out. I mentioned about that plane as it was the most bizarre, yes it was a year ago and I haven't seen one since, I went online to find out what it was there was nothing like it and I didn't know about this site then.
The A10 does look odd but the profile and setup was different.
It can be busy we seem to be a playground for fighters, I didn't think about the troubles with Russia which would increase air traffic. Thanks

 

[pseacraft]

this says its a show...but this isn't real, right?
View attachment 7264

Deirdre - has WW has mentioned this is a very standard air show maneuver done a very low altitude (200 feet or lower) in front of the crowd to give the audience the optical illusion, in this case performed by the Lawn Darts...I mean Thunderbirds. There is a name for it, just I don't know it. If you were to go to an air show, you will most likely see it performed regardless who the performers are.

 

[pseacraft]

Firstly I am not a pilot or a plane spotter so a laymans explanation is all your ever going to get and no apololgy. (Some people have ordinary busy minimum wage lives and can't afford a flash camera too take pics of funny looking planes).
I did not see the plane that made the trail or hear it before the trail appeared. Like I said the contrails are not like any I have seen before. I do know what an ordinary contrail is and where the flight paths are just from daily observation.
BombDr I am not a CT I shared for the reasons I stated, if you want to be a jerk fair enough. Do realise that your not helping anyone and your time may be better spent bothering a CT website.
By a ray type front I meant that the front was at low angle from the point spread out. I mentioned about that plane as it was the most bizarre, yes it was a year ago and I haven't seen one since, I went online to find out what it was there was nothing like it and I didn't know about this site then.
The A10 does look odd but the profile and setup was different.
It can be busy we seem to be a playground for fighters, I didn't think about the troubles with Russia which would increase air traffic. Thanks

Eremita - I don't think BombDr was poking you or branding you at all, He was making a tongue in cheek comment that simply no one was saying what you observed was dubious or nefarious. Several of us here are Service Veterans, many still active, so our humor is not the norm for civilians and is usually misconstrued.

Nay worries about the camera mate, they just make things easier sometimes. Worst case, I do this with my kids when teaching them astronomy, is to draw what you saw. Perfection isn't required, I am a stick figure guy, but doing that can help tremendously. My thick-headedness is drawing a blank on your clarification, sorry some days I am just not good at grasping a visual. From your point that it was rather loud I take it was at a lower altitude than normal traffic for your area. I am guessing it was either a VC10 which was retired last year, a Nimrod which was retired a further few years ago or maybe the Sentinel but its quieter than the previous two and usually isn't a low level operator.

 

[BombDr]

Firstly I am not a pilot or a plane spotter so a laymans explanation is all your ever going to get and no apololgy. (Some people have ordinary busy minimum wage lives and can't afford a flash camera too take pics of funny looking planes).
I did not see the plane that made the trail or hear it before the trail appeared. Like I said the contrails are not like any I have seen before. I do know what an ordinary contrail is and where the flight paths are just from daily observation.
BombDr I am not a CT I shared for the reasons I stated, if you want to be a jerk fair enough. Do realise that your not helping anyone and your time may be better spent bothering a CT website.
By a ray type front I meant that the front was at low angle from the point spread out. I mentioned about that plane as it was the most bizarre, yes it was a year ago and I haven't seen one since, I went online to find out what it was there was nothing like it and I didn't know about this site then.
The A10 does look odd but the profile and setup was different.

It can be busy we seem to be a playground for fighters, I didn't think about the troubles with Russia which would increase air traffic. Thanks

My apologies, my sarcastic comments were not directed at you, as I said:

as no-one is claiming the Illuminati are on manoeuvres

It didn't seem like anything needed debunking as no-one was making a claim. Sorry if my humour appeared to be an admonishment of any sort.

 

[Trailspotter]

a thunderbirds2 without the middle

Could it be one of Vampires?

I've seen a couple of them at the Duxford Air Show last summer, they were from Norway. Could have flown elsewhere in the UK at the time. There are more modern planes of similar shapes, but I do not know if any of them is flying here.

 

[cloudspotter]

I am guessing it was either a VC10 which was retired last year, a Nimrod which was retired a further few years ago or maybe the Sentinel but its quieter than the previous two and usually isn't a low level operator.

I spotted the last VC10 leaving RAF Coningsby last September and yes it was bloody noisy, even from a couple of miles away

https://www.metabunk.org/threads/ph...that-you-took-yourself.1487/page-5#post-67839

 

[ĕrēmīta]

That one could be It, a 'Vampire'. Other than a thunderbird 2 I personally haven't seen a plane like that before. Wow I can't wait to show my husband! He thought I was mad at the time, I stopped in the middle of the road! I drew a picture for him then and just before I logged on I had another go, memory is a strange thing!
I may have jumped the gun slightly sorry. Its just that having snooped on the site for some time, while I have found most to be patient and helpful the attitude of some seem to go against the purpose of the site.
I appreciate the lengths members go to and I am sure there would be a lot more people that belive bunk if you weren't here. I happened upon the site after MH370 dissappeared.

 

[cloudspotter]

That one could be It, a 'Vampire' other than a thunderbird 2

Awww.

 

[Trailspotter]

That one could be It, a 'Vampire'. Other than a thunderbird 2 I personally haven't seen a plane like that before. Wow I can't wait to show my husband! He thought I was mad at the time, I stopped in the middle of the road! I drew a picture for him then and just before I logged on I had another go, memory is a strange thing! View attachment 7268

To help you, here are a few pictures of the Vampires I had taken the last summer:

 

[ĕrēmīta]

From that distance it doesn't look right, there was much more going on at the back. Sort of more in proportion.
At least I now know that planes of that shape exist now.