Yesterday we had a lot of noise at high altitude and although I could just about make out a plane with four engines. Checking with one of those flight radar sites it transpired it was a tanker with two F-15s. No wonder it created a lot of noise even at 5 miles high. By the time I managed to get some screen grabs they were approaching the Sussex Coast and curiously the F-15s appeared to be 80,000 feet above the tanker. Must be a record At the same time an RAF Typhoon was heading north 5 miles west of us but at a much lower altitude and an unlabelled aircraft called GWOLF (No hyphen) circled Dartford. Shame I didn't hear the latter two due to the racket much higher up. No idea what GWOLF was but it was labelled with a Hawk shape. It certainly has got busy very quickly.
No Amount Of Evidence Will Ever Persuade An Idiot (probably not Mark Twain)
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Although F15s fly high, they don't cruise at that sort of level more like just under half that shown eg FL450; the height readout must have been wrong.
I've 'seen' aircraft on 'real' radar in that area (Farnborough ASR10 primary overlaid by Heathrow SSR) at FL660 northbound going in the general direction of Mildenhall but these would be U2/TR1 not F15s.
I'm always warning people not to believe 100% what they see on SBS or FR24 especially as many aircraft don't even shown on either system because it all depends if the aircraft is transmitting the necessary information via its ADS/Mode S or other systems
GWOLF is a privately owned Cherokee based at Elstree and there's no reason it couldn't have been visiting Rochester.
The F-15s did in fact change colour a few times, so the information, as you say, should not be relied on. Thanks for the GWOLF confirmation, my mind wandered to Airwolf at the time.
No Amount Of Evidence Will Ever Persuade An Idiot (probably not Mark Twain)
My first recollection of the F15 was in late August 1974. Having been posted in during March, I wasn't trained on radar straight away and was given the onerous job of 'shadowing' the SATCO duting airshow preparations.
The F15 pilot came to us to discuss airspace requirements; he wanted 17,000ft for his display, SATCO said 'you can only have 9,000ft (due to the London TMA above us).
'Sheesh I don't think I can stop it climbing by 9' said the pilot.
He managed it every day but one, when a BEA Trident crew reported a 'fighter' pulling through the top of a loop above them!!
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Around 16.40 local time last Wednesday three F15's flew fast, noisely and low (around 200 feet AGL) in a south westerly direction over North Cornwall. They are no longer based at Lakenheath (since April 2022) so must of been from Europe. Spooked local cows, swallows and some folk!
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