Big bang in the midlands and other areas about 6.10 this evening.
What was it then?
Seems pretty widespread but no-one is saying yet.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17697328
And now, as below it was a Typhoon, the beeb haven't changed the link
[Edited on 12/4/12 by iank]
ive been hearing big bangs all day, they had a flash just before them though
Typhoon sonic boom, responding to helicopter emergency transmission
The transmission was sent in error.
A sonic boom can not be descibed as a big bang!
i heard a sonic boom overhead stafford today at about 14:00-14:15
quote:
Originally posted by steve m
A sonic boom can not be descibed as a big bang!
some very odd aerial goings on today, there was a very low flying AWACS plane circling above Leeds today at around 12-2 ish
I think there are some exercises going on today, mostly over the north sea
It was a bit odd, it was very low much lower than those approaching LBA and was on roughly the same flight path, i was thinking he'd be struggling landing something that big at Leeds, but then about half an hour later he was back. Saw some pretty odd military helicopters buzzing around Leeds very very low a few weeks ago too
Big thumping bang, sounded like a bomb nearby. It had me out of the house pretty quick...
quote:
Originally posted by eznfrank
It was a bit odd, it was very low much lower than those approaching LBA and was on roughly the same flight path, i was thinking he'd be struggling landing something that big at Leeds, but then about half an hour later he was back. Saw some pretty odd military helicopters buzzing around Leeds very very low a few weeks ago too
Apparently theres a joint Anglo/Frog exercise due to take place from RAF Leeming next week and theres been some practicing going on today. Cant see why you have to practice for an exercise though!!!
I heard it too, thought at first it was thunder as it had forecast storms but it was a rather odd thunder clap if so! Coincidentally immediately after the bang (within 1 second) I heard a jet fly overhead but couldn`t see it. This was South side of Leicester.
quote:
Originally posted by eznfrank
It was a bit odd, it was very low much lower than those approaching LBA and was on roughly the same flight path, i was thinking he'd be struggling landing something that big at Leeds, but then about half an hour later he was back. Saw some pretty odd military helicopters buzzing around Leeds very very low a few weeks ago too
So why would a typhoon need to attend to a civilian helicopter emergency radio signal? if there was a problem there would be nothing it could do to
help a helicopter land and helicopters are able to land in nearly any location so would not need an escort .
Paul
It got me out from under the car very quick
quote:
Originally posted by stevec
Big bang in the midlands and other areas about 6.10 this evening.
What was it then?
Whether there was any real need or not, given authorization to do that in a something like a Typhoon would you miss the oppertunity?! 
I live & work not far from Spadeadam where the Blue Streak rocket engines were tested & Advantica test blast stuff all the time up there,
there's quite a few blasts that rattle windows etc. There was a really big one about a month back later in the day than usual & did wonder if
it was a sonic boom from a jet on a training mission connected to the RAF base.
I was asleep. 
we can all sleep easy in our beds tonight QRA is alive and alert, heaven knows, this country needs lerts 
There a lot of exercising going on as regards the Olympics
The security build up is mahoosive.
quote:
Originally posted by paulf
So why would a typhoon need to attend to a civilian helicopter emergency radio signal? if there was a problem there would be nothing it could do to help a helicopter land and helicopters are able to land in nearly any location so would not need an escort .
Paul
As the story developes I feel the Helicopter sending a distress message is a distraction from what is in reality an airspace security response
exercise.
How come the AWACS was up??
How come there was a lot of action over the North Sea??
I suspect it was a well planned Olympic airspace exercise
Just a minute there's a knock on the door!!
There's a. An outside with blacked out windows!!!
HEEEEEELP
Deny everything snapper!!
The Typhoon was likely to be on an exercise when the squawk from the rotary a/c was transmitted, hence why they were initially involved with the other
a/c.
With regards to the emergency signal, a/c fitted with a transponder can squawk different codes, the emergency ones are...
7700 - Emergency
7600 - Lost Comms
7500 - Unlawful interference (Hijacking)
Assuming he squawked 7500 the reason for diverting the Typhoon makes sense. Pilot must have been quite embarrassed though!
What assistance could it render other than some 27mm cannon shells?
quote:
Originally posted by scudderfish
What assistance could it render other than some 27mm cannon shells?
Guns? who needs guns?
Sonic booms are quite distinctive sound boom-boom used to hear them quite regularly when Concorde was doing it's test flights up and down the west coast.
At least responding to distress squawk makes a change from attending a diesel spill, only surprised he didn't fly through tower bridge en-route.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hunter_Tower_Bridge_incident
ETA, you can here an interview with the pilot here http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p006xbvc/Witness_Tower_Bridge_Jet/
[Edited on 13/4/12 by scudderfish]
Superb! wonder how many raf fast jet pilots would love to do that!
quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
The official explanation
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4256091/Sonic-boom-as-jets-investigate-UFO.html
According to that quality paper The SUn it was a UFO which was sock shaped .... Although I think it was more knob shaped !!!!