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[Closed] What is this aircraft doing?

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A large multi engine aircraft has been flying in clear skies above me all morning. Not appearing on flight radar app so I assume it is military. The aircraft is at high altitude and flying in massive sweeping loops, taking about 10 mins to go round each loop. The contrail look almost like a spiral.

Apart from the obvious purpose of spraying chemicals to subdue the masses, what (non conspiracy) reason might there be for this sort of flying pattern?

Flying over eastern part of Scottish Borders, North Sea, possibly as far down as Northumberland.


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 10:52 am
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Air to air refuelling pattern?


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 10:58 am
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AWACS?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_E-3_Sentry


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 10:59 am
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AWACS patrol. Coordinating a military exercise on the ground in Northumbria, or an incident/exercise over the sea, looking for Ivan bears or just practising patrolling.
If it was really doing something sneaky it would have chosen a level to fly at where there would be no contrail.


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 10:59 am
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That makes sense. It would be over Otterburn, not too far from Spadeadam and also covering North Sea so could be involved in an exercise in any of those areas.


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 11:02 am
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How many engines?

AWACS = 4

Voyager (AAR) = 2

A


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 11:19 am
 Nico
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Hard Brexit monitoring. Boris and Gove at the helm.


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 11:24 am
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It is too high to clearly tell how many engines. Definitely two contrails but could be four if able to see closer


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 11:26 am
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Big Cat population aerial survey.


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 11:26 am
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perchypanther - Member
Big Cat population aerial survey.

Are you hiding under tinfoil then Perchy?


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 11:30 am
 core
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Yup, AWACS, get them round my way sometimes displaying similar behaviour.


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 11:30 am
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Is it near jivehoneyjives house?


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 11:31 am
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Flying in circles usually means a recce platform like E3 or one of the others.


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 11:33 am
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Are you hiding under tinfoil then Perchy?

Never take the hat off. Never


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 11:34 am
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Radar calibration is another possibility.


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 11:35 am
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.


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 11:36 am
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There was an AWACS down that way,
https://global.adsbexchange.com/VirtualRadar/mobile.html#


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 11:58 am
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AWACS....Aircraft With A Camera System. ๐Ÿ˜‰


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 12:03 pm
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Training?


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 12:20 pm
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Broken sat nav?


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 12:35 pm
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It'll just be biding it's time before the slaughter

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 12:46 pm
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Used to watch those things circling overhead and pooping off with the 105 gun.


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 1:02 pm
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pooping off with the 105 gun.

Should that be in the weird dreams thread?


 
Posted : 14/11/2017 1:07 pm