Been A Bit Noisy Here Today

[sherrardk]

The army camp that I live next to was back in action today (it’s always quiet over the summer) but they appear to have changed where the helicopters take off and land. Their ‘normal’ helicopter now flies (5 times this afternoon) straight over my conservatory as it takes off (the crew waved to thing 1 they were so low) and the visiting chinook lands and takes off about 300m in front of my conservatory. Can’t wait for the Osprey to visit :)

[bookbinder]

It's a good job there isn't a war on, as well!

[Buenchico]

We're just down the road from the biggest army helicopter base in the country. (Wattisham). When there's an exercise on there it sounds like the soundtrack to the film M*A*S*H*! (The night-time exercises always seem to be the noisiest ones).

People around here generally 'accept' (rather than either 'love' or 'hate') the helicopters but almost everyone you talk to says that they really miss the days when Wattisham was an RAF base, with Phantom jets thundering into it day and night. (We're an odd lot here in Suffolk!)

[Tilly2]

How exciting! It must be great to see them so close up.

[sherrardk]

I love the helicopters (there’s one going now - they make them abseil out of them in the dark).

[sherrardk]

Tilly - the chinooks are great but the Osprey is amazing - big, ugly thing but so cool and at night it’s like a space ship :)

[TonyV]

Had one of these over my house on last flight, a gorgeous aircraft.

[sherrardk]

That’s cool. We don’t get that many aircraft but have had Hercules (taking off over the house) and stunt planes but mainly the ‘everyday’ helicopter, chinooks, a dinky little army helicopter and two Ospreys.

[Ellipsis]

> We're an odd lot here in Suffolk!

Suffolk'in odd ...

[Buenchico]

Yes, Ellipsis.

In Suffolk we're 'odd'.

In Norfolk they're 'good'.

Indeed, they're all Norfolk'n'good up there ;-)

[-SharonA-]

The only time we get overhead helicopters is when they're looking for criminals.
We get the full works with sweeping spotlights!! Makes you feel famous when you're caught in the spotlight!!! :-)

[zebo]

We get them rattling the slates from Lakenheath and Marham, the Ospreys are over a lot, today we had something that looked like stealth bombers, very interesting. Last year I was sitting on the sofa minding my own when I heard planes and from the sofa I watched the rehearsal for the Trooping flypast returning to their bases.

[Buenchico]

>>> The only time we get overhead helicopters is when they're looking for criminals

Ruddy 'eck! Haven't they found you yet, Sharon?

;-)

[retrocop]

My house is right under the helicopter flight path to central London. Battersea Heliport and the heli landing barge on the Thames.Whenever there is a crisis here or abroad we often get the chinooks flying from RAF Odiham to R.N. Northwood with the top brass on board. I can always recognise the military choppers approaching out of the hundred or so overhead flights each day. Much noiser engines.
When there is Derby day or other major races at Epsom we get non-stop corporate flights all day. We are only 4 miles away from Epsom.

[Buenchico]

You'te probably not seeing as many helicopters from Lakenheath as you used to, Zebo. The USAAF 56th Rescue Squadron (which was the only resident helicopter unit) moved to Aviano in Italy two years ago. Marham hasn't got any resident helicopter units, so they must be visitors.

[marval]

We get a helicopter flying over us in Milton Keynes. That is the police one looking for criminals, I have managed to escape them so far.

[-SharonA-]

Very funny Chico!!!!

[Ken4155]

Only ever been in a helicopter twice. The first time i was winched down to the ground and the second time i abseiled. And, to be totally honest (for someone who cannot stand heights) the abseil was far less scary than being winched down.

[diddlydo]

We get the blasted chinooks from RAF Benson - absolute menace. Ground the lot of them.

[sherrardk]

The chinooks are ace and the ospreys are even noisier - we love them!

[zebo]

Never said they were jelly-hoppers, the only time we see those they tend to be on their way to Sansringham area! I saw a photo in the Telegraph yesterday of the stealth planes, B-2, so I wasn't imagining them on Thursday or Wednesday.