Hi all. A bit of an oddball.....

We went walking at Wimpole Hall near Cambridge today. Lots of helicopter
noise as we walked across the fields. Eventually, just like in the
standard war movie, a helicopter slowly rose above the treeline and
headed towards us, at maybe about 100ft or less. Fortunately without
guns ablaze. It flew off at low height behind the trees and was audible
for a considerable time.

But as it passed, I looked for any markings. None whatsoever. Neither
civil nor RAF. It was just a plain dark matt khaki green all over. I'm
no chopper expert, so no clue what it might have been; looked like a
very chunky 2-seater with some big engines. Wimpole staff were also
puzzled as they'd seen it too.

I thought all aircraft had to have some sort of ID visible. Is this not so?

--
Mike Scott
Harlow, England

On 24/04/2024 19:28, Mike Scott wrote:
> Hi all. A bit of an oddball.....
>
> We went walking at Wimpole Hall near Cambridge today. Lots of helicopter
> noise as we walked across the fields. Eventually, just like in the
> standard war movie, a helicopter slowly rose above the treeline and
> headed towards us, at maybe about 100ft or less. Fortunately without
> guns ablaze. It flew off at low height behind the trees and was audible
> for a considerable time.
>
> But as it passed, I looked for any markings. None whatsoever. Neither
> civil nor RAF. It was just a plain dark matt khaki green all over. I'm
> no chopper expert, so no clue what it might have been; looked like a
> very chunky 2-seater with some big engines. Wimpole staff were also
> puzzled as they'd seen it too.
>
> I thought all aircraft had to have some sort of ID visible. Is this not so?
>
>

There are exemptions granted, upon application to the CAA, for film work
and for aircraft in historically accurate liveries.

--
Colin Bignell

On Wed, 24 Apr 2024 19:51:28 +0100, Colin Bignell
<cpb@bignellREMOVETHIS.me.uk> wrote:

>On 24/04/2024 19:28, Mike Scott wrote:
>> Hi all. A bit of an oddball.....
>>
>> We went walking at Wimpole Hall near Cambridge today. Lots of helicopter
>> noise as we walked across the fields. Eventually, just like in the
>> standard war movie, a helicopter slowly rose above the treeline and
>> headed towards us, at maybe about 100ft or less. Fortunately without
>> guns ablaze. It flew off at low height behind the trees and was audible
>> for a considerable time.
>>
>> But as it passed, I looked for any markings. None whatsoever. Neither
>> civil nor RAF. It was just a plain dark matt khaki green all over. I'm
>> no chopper expert, so no clue what it might have been; looked like a
>> very chunky 2-seater with some big engines. Wimpole staff were also
>> puzzled as they'd seen it too.
>>
>> I thought all aircraft had to have some sort of ID visible. Is this not so?
>
>There are exemptions granted, upon application to the CAA, for film work
>and for aircraft in historically accurate liveries.

Wimpole Hall has been used as a filming location in the past. It's
advertised as a filming location on the National Trust website. And "just
like in the standard war movie" does possibly suggest precisely such a
scenario :-)

Mark

Mike Scott <usenet.16@scottsonline.org.uk.invalid> writes:

> Hi all. A bit of an oddball.....
>
> We went walking at Wimpole Hall near Cambridge today. Lots of
> helicopter noise as we walked across the fields. Eventually, just like
> in the standard war movie, a helicopter slowly rose above the treeline
> and headed towards us, at maybe about 100ft or less. Fortunately
> without guns ablaze. It flew off at low height behind the trees and
> was audible for a considerable time.
>
> But as it passed, I looked for any markings. None whatsoever. Neither
> civil nor RAF. It was just a plain dark matt khaki green all over. I'm
> no chopper expert, so no clue what it might have been; looked like a
> very chunky 2-seater with some big engines. Wimpole staff were also
> puzzled as they'd seen it too.
>
> I thought all aircraft had to have some sort of ID visible. Is this not so?

Flightradar 24 shows an Army Air Corps Apache AH-64E in the vicinity at
about 12:30. No markings in the photo on the website, the colour matches
your description. It seems to have taken off from an expensive villa
style house north of Croyden Road between Croyden and Arrington and
headed to Wattisham Flying Station.

The building is shown on a 1902 OS map at TL 320 502.

https://www.flightradar24.com/2024-04-24/12:34/4x/AAC311/34e92e16

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wattisham_Flying_Station

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=18.9&lat=52.13521&lon=-0.07244&layers=168&right=osm

--
Alan J. Wylie https://www.wylie.me.uk/
Dance like no-one's watching. / Encrypt like everyone is.
Security is inversely proportional to convenience

Colin Bignell wrote:

> Mike Scott wrote:
>
>> I thought all aircraft had to have some sort of ID visible. Is this
>> not so?
>
> There are exemptions granted, upon application to the CAA, for film work
> and for aircraft in historically accurate liveries.

UK usenet committee biscuit factory trip?

In message <874jbq4iqo.fsf@wylie.me.uk>, at 21:18:39 on Wed, 24 Apr
2024, Alan J. Wylie <alan@wylie.me.uk> remarked:
>> Hi all. A bit of an oddball.....
>>
>> We went walking at Wimpole Hall near Cambridge today. Lots of
>> helicopter noise as we walked across the fields. Eventually, just like
>> in the standard war movie, a helicopter slowly rose above the treeline
>> and headed towards us, at maybe about 100ft or less. Fortunately
>> without guns ablaze. It flew off at low height behind the trees and
>> was audible for a considerable time.
>>
>> But as it passed, I looked for any markings. None whatsoever. Neither
>> civil nor RAF. It was just a plain dark matt khaki green all over. I'm
>> no chopper expert, so no clue what it might have been; looked like a
>> very chunky 2-seater with some big engines. Wimpole staff were also
>> puzzled as they'd seen it too.
>>
>> I thought all aircraft had to have some sort of ID visible. Is this not so?
>
>Flightradar 24 shows an Army Air Corps Apache AH-64E in the vicinity at
>about 12:30. No markings in the photo on the website, the colour matches
>your description. It seems to have taken off from an expensive villa
>style house north of Croyden Road between Croyden and Arrington and
>headed to Wattisham Flying Station.

On the local TV news this morning was a massive military exercise
commencing in East Anglia, involving inter alia lots of helicopters.
Perhaps this part of the preparations?
--
Roland Perry

On 24/04/2024 21:32, Mark Goodge wrote:
> On Wed, 24 Apr 2024 19:51:28 +0100, Colin Bignell
> <cpb@bignellREMOVETHIS.me.uk> wrote:
>
>> On 24/04/2024 19:28, Mike Scott wrote:
>>> Hi all. A bit of an oddball.....
>>>
>>> We went walking at Wimpole Hall near Cambridge today. Lots of helicopter
>>> noise as we walked across the fields. Eventually, just like in the
>>> standard war movie, a helicopter slowly rose above the treeline and
>>> headed towards us, at maybe about 100ft or less. Fortunately without
>>> guns ablaze. It flew off at low height behind the trees and was audible
>>> for a considerable time.
>>>
>>> But as it passed, I looked for any markings. None whatsoever. Neither
>>> civil nor RAF. It was just a plain dark matt khaki green all over. I'm
>>> no chopper expert, so no clue what it might have been; looked like a
>>> very chunky 2-seater with some big engines. Wimpole staff were also
>>> puzzled as they'd seen it too.
>>>
>>> I thought all aircraft had to have some sort of ID visible. Is this not so?
>>
>> There are exemptions granted, upon application to the CAA, for film work
>> and for aircraft in historically accurate liveries.
>
> Wimpole Hall has been used as a filming location in the past. It's
> advertised as a filming location on the National Trust website. And "just
> like in the standard war movie" does possibly suggest precisely such a
> scenario :-)
>
> Mark
>

Love the idea. But no camera crew on the ground.

As it happens, my wife picked up on a Look East news item on the telly
today.... seems a pile of helicopters were headed off for a NATO
exercise yesterday - one of the images looked rather like the one we
saw, and had no markings either. So maybe RAF. Only trouble being they
were headed out from Wattisham. Maybe their satnav was on the blink :-}

--
Mike Scott
Harlow, England

On 24/04/2024 21:18, Alan J. Wylie wrote:
.......
>
> Flightradar 24 shows an Army Air Corps Apache AH-64E in the vicinity at
> about 12:30. No markings in the photo on the website, the colour matches
> your description. It seems to have taken off from an expensive villa
> style house north of Croyden Road between Croyden and Arrington and
> headed to Wattisham Flying Station.
>
> The building is shown on a 1902 OS map at TL 320 502.
>
> https://www.flightradar24.com/2024-04-24/12:34/4x/AAC311/34e92e16

Now that makes a deal of sense.... we heard him pottering around out of
site for ages, which the flightradar track shows. Thanks. Starting point
a little unexpected though.

I've used flightradar a little - but now I've been alerted, I've finally
seen the 'playback' button; hadn't thought to look for anything like
that. Something to remember; thanks.

>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wattisham_Flying_Station
>
> https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=18.9&lat=52.13521&lon=-0.07244&layers=168&right=osm
>

--
Mike Scott
Harlow, England

"Alan J. Wylie" <alan@wylie.me.uk> writes:

> Flightradar 24 shows an Army Air Corps Apache AH-64E in the vicinity at
> about 12:30. No markings in the photo on the website, the colour matches
> your description. It seems to have taken off from an expensive villa
> style house north of Croyden Road between Croyden and Arrington and
> headed to Wattisham Flying Station.

P.S.
The building is 5km or so north of Bassingbourn Barracks, previously
the home of the Army Training Regiment, now the Mission Ready Training
Centre (MRTC), a unit responsible for training troops for operations
abroad.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassingbourn_Barracks

--
Alan J. Wylie https://www.wylie.me.uk/

Dance like no-one's watching. / Encrypt like everyone is.
Security is inversely proportional to convenience

On 25/04/2024 08:36, Alan J. Wylie wrote:
> "Alan J. Wylie" <alan@wylie.me.uk> writes:
>
>> Flightradar 24 shows an Army Air Corps Apache AH-64E in the vicinity at
>> about 12:30. No markings in the photo on the website, the colour matches
>> your description. It seems to have taken off from an expensive villa
>> style house north of Croyden Road between Croyden and Arrington and
>> headed to Wattisham Flying Station.
>
> P.S.
> The building is 5km or so north of Bassingbourn Barracks, previously
> the home of the Army Training Regiment, now the Mission Ready Training
> Centre (MRTC), a unit responsible for training troops for operations
> abroad.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassingbourn_Barracks
>

I don't think it came from there. I had a look on flightradar, and it
seems it came from Wattisham, there's a discontinuity when it reaches
Croydon Road, then it messes around Wimpole and heads back to Wattisham
and circles for a while, with another discontinuity in the track
recording. Maybe it landed? Or maybe they turned off the tracking equipment?

Anyway, the mystery seems solved; we had a better view than anything at
an airshow :-}

Again, thanks for the input.

--
Mike Scott
Harlow, England

Alan J. Wylie <alan@wylie.me.uk> wrote:
> Flightradar 24 shows an Army Air Corps Apache AH-64E in the vicinity at
> about 12:30. No markings in the photo on the website, the colour matches
> your description. It seems to have taken off from an expensive villa
> style house north of Croyden Road between Croyden and Arrington and
> headed to Wattisham Flying Station.
>
> The building is shown on a 1902 OS map at TL 320 502.

That's the abode of:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Blundell

however I think that's a red herring - FR24 doesn't show it landing. It
seems to have started from Wattisham, done some manoeurves over Wimpole and
then headed back to Wattisham. FR24 just doesn't link that into one
continuous track, you have to scroll the timeline forward and back to see
pieces of the track.

Theo

In message <xmx*C0PIz@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk>, at 16:19:15 on Thu,
25 Apr 2024, Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> remarked:
>Alan J. Wylie <alan@wylie.me.uk> wrote:
>> Flightradar 24 shows an Army Air Corps Apache AH-64E in the vicinity at
>> about 12:30. No markings in the photo on the website, the colour matches
>> your description. It seems to have taken off from an expensive villa
>> style house north of Croyden Road between Croyden and Arrington and
>> headed to Wattisham Flying Station.
>>
>> The building is shown on a 1902 OS map at TL 320 502.
>
>That's the abode of:
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Blundell

Small world. He was my (somewhat reclusive) neighbour when I lived in
Melbourn, and moved away in perhaps 2002. I knew it was in that general
area but never had the urge to explore it.
--
Roland Perry

On 25-Apr-24 15:54, Mike Scott wrote:
> On 25/04/2024 08:36, Alan J. Wylie wrote:
>> "Alan J. Wylie" <alan@wylie.me.uk> writes:
>>
>>> Flightradar 24 shows an Army Air Corps Apache AH-64E in the vicinity at
>>> about 12:30. No markings in the photo on the website, the colour matches
>>> your description. It seems to have taken off from an expensive villa
>>> style house north of Croyden Road between Croyden and Arrington and
>>> headed to Wattisham Flying Station.
>>
>> P.S.
>> The building is 5km or so north of Bassingbourn Barracks, previously
>> the home of the Army Training Regiment, now the Mission Ready Training
>> Centre (MRTC), a unit responsible for training troops for operations
>> abroad.
>>
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassingbourn_Barracks
>>
>
> I don't think it came from there. I had a look on flightradar, and it
> seems it came from Wattisham, there's a discontinuity when it reaches
> Croydon Road, then it messes around Wimpole and heads back to Wattisham
> and circles for a while, with another discontinuity in the track
> recording. Maybe it landed? Or maybe they turned off the tracking
> equipment?
>
> Anyway, the mystery seems solved; we had a better view than anything at
> an airshow :-}
>
> Again, thanks for the input.
>
Someone forgot to pick up their sandwiches. Bound to be that.

--
Sam Plusnet