Large low flying plane circling over south Nottingham UK (03/09/12) Any ideas?

No conspiracy here (that I know of) but I was wondering if anyone in my area (I know there's a few of you here) had seen this and know what it was?

It was Monday 3rd September just after 6pm and I was driving back from a meeting along the A52 between Gamston and West Bridgford when I noticed a large aircraft in the sky flying what appeared to be quite low. It caught my attention because it was different from the usual passenger airliners we see all the time over the area. It seemed extremely big, dark and was flying very slowly. In the time It took me to get from Gamston to the Nottingham Night Island, it had circled a couple of times and I then lost sight of it until I arrived in Beeston around 20 mins later when I caught a glimpse of it in the distance between buildings.

For anyone who cares to check out the area on Google Maps, it looked as though it was circling around East Leake, Gotham and Keyworth although it's difficult to judge the distance. East midlands airport is not far away but there are a few regular approach paths which I am familiar with and this plane didn't follow them and it was too low to be in a holding pattern

I'm assuming it was military and I have never seen anything like this so wondered if any local members could enlighten me? Any non local members, sorry but I can't provide much of a description as I was driving and couldn't look for too long at a time. I think it had 4 engines, It didn't appear to have a radar 'mushroom' on the top and it didn't look the shape of a hercules.

Had some circling around my area early last month but they are gone now. Didn't look to be Military or anything, assumed google was updating its aerial photography.

Originally posted by Suspiria
Had some circling around my area early last month but they are gone now. Didn't look to be Military or anything, assumed google was updating its aerial photography.

Don't google normally use light aircraft?

Originally posted by fiftyfifty

Originally posted by Suspiria
Had some circling around my area early last month but they are gone now. Didn't look to be Military or anything, assumed google was updating its aerial photography.

Don't google normally use light aircraft?

Might yours have been this?
www.bbc.co.uk...
Perhaps they took it up for another joyride.

Nimrods are grounded (i think)

reply to post by Suspiria


Yeah I thought the Nimrod was grounded since last year? It looked a similar size though if not bigger. What got me wondering was how slow it was flying and how dark and imposing it seemed. Normally, the planes we get over here are slender and light in colour.

This is on the front page of infowars at the moment.


"Scientists now admit that vapor trails from airplanes are creating “artificial clouds” that block out the sun. This is no longer a matter of debate. The chemtrail “conspiracy theorists,” who were ridiculed for pointing out that from the mid-90′s onwards contrails from jet planes were lingering for hours and forming artificial clouds, have been proven correct."


www.infowars.com...

reply to post by TheMindWar


They aren't doing a very good job then, there's not a single cloud in the sky here today.

Originally posted by TheMindWar
This is on the front page of infowars at the moment.


"Scientists now admit that vapor trails from airplanes are creating “artificial clouds” that block out the sun. This is no longer a matter of debate. The chemtrail “conspiracy theorists,” who were ridiculed for pointing out that from the mid-90′s onwards contrails from jet planes were lingering for hours and forming artificial clouds, have been proven correct."


www.infowars.com...

Can we please leave 'chemtrail' theories out of this please? The plane was not making trails of any sort and to do what you are suggesting in the rush hour of a Monday over a highly populated area just defies logic.

EDIT: I may have misread that is it doesn't mention chemtrails but the fact that contrails spread out and create high altitude cirrus clouds is a well known fact a far as I'm aware. Regardless, it is totally irrelevant to this thread.

reply to post by fiftyfifty

Could it have been an RAF C-17 Globemaster transport? they're based down in your neck of the woods in Cambridgeshire/Suffolk maybe circling whilst waiting fror the landing pattern to clear at it's home base.Or maybe a visitor to RAF Syerston?

Originally posted by nake13
reply to post by fiftyfifty

 

Could it have been an RAF C-17 Globemaster transport? they're based down in your neck of the woods in Cambridgeshire/Suffolk maybe circling whilst waiting fror the landing pattern to clear at it's home base.Or maybe a visitor to RAF Syerston?

I was about to suggest that. Or a Galaxy:

www.google.co.uk...,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&biw=1460&bih=979&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi& ei=s25HUMbgNIq80QWnyIEI

Originally posted by 3danimator

Originally posted by nake13
reply to post by fiftyfifty

 

Could it have been an RAF C-17 Globemaster transport? they're based down in your neck of the woods in Cambridgeshire/Suffolk maybe circling whilst waiting fror the landing pattern to clear at it's home base.Or maybe a visitor to RAF Syerston?

I was about to suggest that. Or a Galaxy:

www.google.co.uk...,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&biw=1460&bih=979&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi& ei=s25HUMbgNIq80QWnyIEI

The Galaxy does look pretty familiar. The kind of thing that would make you notice! No idea what that would be doing around here though?

Have you had any airshows your way? We just had the Bournemouth one, sometimes you get aircraft circling or waiting around during the show.

We often get what could possibly by Hercs circling above the forest here in The New Forest, they've dropped off troops for training in the past. They don't always drop anyone off but i often see them circling at night.

CX.

reply to post by fiftyfifty


The US often has its planes here. Look up "Mach Loop" videos on youtube and you will see F15 and F16s flying in Wales. All to do with training. Just as we have some of our planes in the US.

And CX is right, with big airshows, the planes are often circling very wide for a while before heading back in to display.

reply to post by 3danimator


Well that would explain it. I expected it to be a military plane of some sort, I just wanted to know if anyone else had actually seen it and what they thought. There may not be nay members in that area so a bit of a long shot.

Google updating maps maybe? or paratrooper practice for IRAN invasion?
or practice runs for human depopulation spray. just kidding on that one....I think.

reply to post by fiftyfifty


I've had a look around the UK aviation forums and can't see anything that matches with your sighting. All I can suggest is joining the East Midlands Aviation Group [E-MAG] Yahoo Group. Some in the group is bound to have plotting software or registered the aircraft in the area?

groups.yahoo.com...

The Nimrod was previously suggested. There are no flying Nimrods. There are examples in private hands but they are only capable of ground running and for fast taxi.

Hello sorry I can't shed any light on the aircraft however I was driving home from Wales to London this was on Sunday weekend just gone, was about half way to London when I spotted a large low flying aircraft in the distance, it seemed to stay at a level alititude as it was flying. From a distance it looked like a avro vulcan I understand there is still one flying in the UK also while I was stopped at a service station there was a bi-plane with a wing walker. So maybe there were a few air shows over the weekend ... I don't know

reply to post by fiftyfifty


In answer to your thread. Take a look at this, These things fly around very low over Lincoln and are based at Waddington. Nottingham is only a stones throw away from Lincoln.

upload.wikimedia.org...

reply to post by toxic32


Thanks, It may have been one of those although I have seen them before. Wondered what it was the first time which was a good few years back! I'm pretty sure it was bigger but it could have been any of the above. I actually saw an RAF super puma yesterday and they look huge compared to what you normally see flying around.