F 14's flying low

Splottboy
Splottboy Posts: 3,695
edited September 2009 in The bottom bracket
Two F14's just flew over and parallel to our local cycle track! Feel sorry for any riders as they were only bout 150ft up. Noise was deafening.

Recall two occasions when camping, in South and North Wales where pilots have saw our orange tents, and made a "B" line for them. F 111 in the South, Tornado North.

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Comments

  • Stuey01
    Stuey01 Posts: 1,273
    Are F14's still in service?
    Not climber, not sprinter, not rouleur
  • STEFANOS4784
    STEFANOS4784 Posts: 4,109
    I would have though so considering they flew over :wink:
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  • d198594t
    d198594t Posts: 32
    edited September 2009
    Mmmm. I'm a bit sceptical that they were F-14s. F-15s maybe but not Tomcats. No US carrier operates them and there's no USN bases in the UK. If they we're at a display they wouldn't get low level clearance for a ferry flight. Eagles are pretty similar.
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  • tarquin_foxglove
    tarquin_foxglove Posts: 554
    Oh dear...

    "As of 2009, the F-14 is in service with only the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force"

    from the ever reliable wikipedia
  • _Brun_
    _Brun_ Posts: 1,740
    Stuey01 wrote:
    Are F14's still in service?
    They're very definitely not in service anymore, and it's pretty surprising to hear of them in the UK.

    Can't think what might be mistaken for an F-14 tho'.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    tarquin_foxglove wrote:
    Oh dear...

    "As of 2009, the F-14 is in service with only the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force"

    from the ever reliable wikipedia

    Holy Crap! Iran is invading North Wales :shock:
    Faster than a tent.......
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,822
    They (maybe not F-14s but certainly jets) always fly around that area, 'cos there's an RAF base near there and also pretty close is Airbus where they make the A380 so that's always flying around near Chester, saw it last night actually.
  • Aggieboy
    Aggieboy Posts: 3,996
    Rolf F wrote:
    tarquin_foxglove wrote:
    Oh dear...

    "As of 2009, the F-14 is in service with only the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force"

    from the ever reliable wikipedia

    Holy Crap! Iran is invading North Wales :shock:


    Thank God for that. At least they'll actually be eating the sheep!!
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  • Gav888
    Gav888 Posts: 946
    Rolf F wrote:
    tarquin_foxglove wrote:
    Oh dear...

    "As of 2009, the F-14 is in service with only the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force"

    from the ever reliable wikipedia

    Holy Crap! Iran is invading North Wales :shock:

    LMAO....

    Were they swept wing with 2 tail fins, but they could be F-15's, although are they in service in the UK?

    Possibly MIG's, Russia are invading :)
    Cycling never gets any easier, you just go faster - Greg LeMond
  • _Brun_
    _Brun_ Posts: 1,740
    USAF F-15s are based at RAF Lakenheath.

    Surprisingly easily spotted on google maps.
  • fenboy369
    fenboy369 Posts: 425
    Spotters!
    '11 Cannondale Synapse 105CD - FCN 4
    '11 Schwinn Corvette - FCN 15?
    '09 Pitch Comp - FCN (why bother?) 11
    '07 DewDeluxe (Bent up after being run over) - FCN 8
  • markos1963
    markos1963 Posts: 3,724
    Out on a ride the other day I got a good look into the cockpit of a Typhoon(Eurofighter) as he was less than 200ft and doing a tight banked turn(over 30degrees). Since RAF Coltishall closed near me the amount of military flying has increased! I would say that it was a F15 not F14 that you saw, they are often confused with each other due to the twin tailplanes and large size.
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  • fto-si
    fto-si Posts: 402
    Gav888 wrote:
    Rolf F wrote:
    tarquin_foxglove wrote:
    Oh dear...

    "As of 2009, the F-14 is in service with only the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force"

    from the ever reliable wikipedia

    Holy Crap! Iran is invading North Wales :shock:

    LMAO....

    Were they swept wing with 2 tail fins, but they could be F-15's, although are they in service in the UK?

    Possibly MIG's, Russia are invading :)

    Gav, we have a shed load of F15 Eagles stationed about 40 miles from us at Lakenheath .. also a squadron of Apaches about 15 miles away .. was watching them buzz bout low level out on my ride yesterday
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  • Mark Alexander
    Mark Alexander Posts: 2,277
    were they riding horses and carrying bow and arrows with feathers in their hair? 8)

    Then again, Don't the Chinese use Migs too? MAybe the Chinese are invading?
    Sorry, they already have, everythin's made in China :D Mine's a spicy aromatic duck with prawn crackers o the side please.
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  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    Could have been F18s but unlikely as it's a USN plane. Probably the F15E variant if it was the 2 seater you saw.
    M.Rushton
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    They (maybe not F-14s but certainly jets) always fly around that area, 'cos there's an RAF base near there and also pretty close is Airbus where they make the A380 so that's always flying around near Chester, saw it last night actually.

    You saw the A380 last night?

    Doubt it. My office at work overlooks the runway, and my bedroom window overlooks one of the take off routes. They only make the wings in Broughton BTW, and the aircraft are assembled in France.

    You probably saw the Beluga.

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  • snailracer
    snailracer Posts: 968
    F/A18 also has twin tails.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,822
    Yeah I knew it was just the wings but it sounds more impressive if you say they make the A380, 'cos after all, a plane can;t fly without wings can it?!?!

    I don't know what I saw then, but I know it was effin huge and moving quite slow and quite low, and I know I've seen some big Airbuses flying over Chester before
  • Mark Alexander
    Mark Alexander Posts: 2,277
    so, not an F14 then..... 8)
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  • shockedsoshocked
    shockedsoshocked Posts: 4,021
    A bloke in a SEPECAT Jaguar scared me shitless over the North Yorkshire Moors once.
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I bet it was a baddie UFO from Independence Day..
  • Splottboy
    Splottboy Posts: 3,695
    Ok, maybe not F14'S but big scary, double tailed and swing wing. Probably from RAF Valley.
    Seen more than I usually do, so maybe they're training for sumfin?
    Flying reeeeal low, lower than usual and in built up areas, if N.Wales is built up?!

    Had some Apache choppers here a few years ago at Caernarfon Airport. Yes, there actually is one but usually for civilian light aircraft/choppers. It's at Dinas Dinlle.
    Was old tank training area in war, military huts/bunkers still there. Great riding close by, but I didn't tell you, as it's not accessible, unless you...

    Also get "lights" flying around, flashing as planes normally do, but little or no noise.
    I live 2 miles from Dinas and about 20 miles from RAF Valley, so there's constant flying.
    Great to see 3 - 4 Hawks doing dog-fights over the sea on sunny days.
    ( We DO get 'em...occasionally.)
  • _Brun_
    _Brun_ Posts: 1,740
    How do you know it was swing-wing? Assuming you didn't actually see the wings swinging, as it were.

    I can't think of any other likely aircraft with variable geometry wings and two vertical stabilisers.
  • Cressers
    Cressers Posts: 1,329
    A MIG?
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    Splottboy wrote:
    Ok, maybe not F14'S but big scary, double tailed and swing wing. Probably from RAF Valley.
    Seen more than I usually do, so maybe they're training for sumfin?
    Flying reeeeal low, lower than usual and in built up areas, if N.Wales is built up?!

    Probably not from RAF Valley. Aircraft come from all over the UK and europe to fly the North Wales loop. All that is stationed at Valley is some Hawks and a section of SAR helicopters.
  • Splottboy
    Splottboy Posts: 3,695
    Just looked on Yahoo images, and they looked more like F14's than anything else there.

    Did 2 yrs ATC, played American Football at all the USAF bases in Essex, Suffolk and did Tae Kwon Do in RAF St Athens, and also had visits to the Duxford air museum in Cambridge, plus many air displays, so think I've seen most old/modern planes.
    Saw B52's high above London during first Iraq conflict. Concorde over the City and at JFK.

    Anyway...Was on job interview in 1985, waiting for results of interview and was told to go for fresh air. Waiting outside a "plane" took off from USAF base, did very VERY low circuit and landed back in under 5 mins. Didn't recognise it, but...could have been stealth type.

    Wasn't "normal" shape, style, noise and conformation compared to usual stuff.
    Don't know, but may have witnessed something new for back then.
    Why the hell it flew in broad daylight during lunch time, God only knows!
  • Gav888
    Gav888 Posts: 946
    fto-si wrote:
    Gav888 wrote:
    Rolf F wrote:
    tarquin_foxglove wrote:
    Oh dear...

    "As of 2009, the F-14 is in service with only the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force"

    from the ever reliable wikipedia

    Holy Crap! Iran is invading North Wales :shock:

    LMAO....

    Were they swept wing with 2 tail fins, but they could be F-15's, although are they in service in the UK?

    Possibly MIG's, Russia are invading :)

    Gav, we have a shed load of F15 Eagles stationed about 40 miles from us at Lakenheath .. also a squadron of Apaches about 15 miles away .. was watching them buzz bout low level out on my ride yesterday

    Yeah I know about the Apache's as I see loads about, almost crashed once watching one fly really close by, he was probably watching me about to crash!! LOL

    Didnt know about the F15's, thought they were replaced by FA18's, might have to take a ride up there and check them out :)
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  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    F15/F16 are USAF jets whilst the F18 is a USN/USMC plane I think
    M.Rushton
  • Stewie Griffin
    Stewie Griffin Posts: 4,330
    tarquin_foxglove wrote:
    Oh dear...

    "As of 2009, the F-14 is in service with only the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force"

    from the ever reliable wikipedia

    The beeb says so too.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle ... 315957.stm

    Ahmedinejad is developing a Nuclear Weapon in N Wales and we havent noticed?
  • Gav888
    Gav888 Posts: 946
    Shame they dont have any A10's about, still love those :D
    Cycling never gets any easier, you just go faster - Greg LeMond

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