Strange flights

[BGarner]

Hi

I had the pleasure of spending a few hours in the river wyre this weekend.
I was caught out by the low tides and spent a few hours waiting for the water.
Not a problem with triple keels.

Whilst we waited there was a lot of flights all seeming to come from somewhere to the north east of fleetwood and all followed a similar pattern.
From low in the sky looking as if they had just taken off all heading on the same course and all dissappeared in the cloud cover. Possible heading to Ireland or farther afield.

There was a series of about 20 all at about one minute intervals. mostly spaced out at regular intervals but some came in small groups.

Does anyone know where these could be from or where they would be going.

I had to ask in here because I know what a massive source of knowledge this forum contains.

Thanks

Brian

 

[Bilgediver]

There was a series of about 20 all at about one minute intervals. mostly spaced out at regular intervals but some came in small groups.

Does anyone know where these could be from or where they would be going.

Geese???? Maybe taking the westerly route on the way to the sun???

 

[Twister_Ken]

flights of what?

 

[sarabande]

fancy

imagination

geese

darts

condor

bumblebee

Earls

Phoenix

Prometheus

Icarus

 

[Powers]

There are several air routes in that particular area (motorways in the sky) which many aircraft from various departure points in the UK, or elswhere, would be following. However, these would be at height and would not give the impression that that they had just taken off! There is certainly no airfield in the vicinity that would have the density of aircraft movements you descibed. It would have to be another Heathrow! Interesting.

 

[BGarner]

It seems that these are still a mystery.
We could see the lights perfectly till they dissappeared ito the coud cover. That sort of rules out the geese theory.


I looked and couldnt find an airfield in the area. They seemed to come from the general direction of lancaster, but as I said they seemed to be taking off.

They did not seem to be large aircraft and from where we were we couldnt hear any engine noise. They also didnt travel fast. At a guess I would say these were light aircract but that is only a guess.

Possibly a trip out from a flying club but I didnt know there was any airfields there.

Brian

 

[jimi]

was it after dark? If so probably Sky lanterns.

 

[BGarner]

I have never heard of sky lanterns before so had to google them.

This makes sense. We could not hear engine noise but thought they may be too far away to hear. they could have been a lot closer and silent.

They all followed the same track through the air and I assume that sky lanterns would do the same in a steady breeze.

Many thanks for clearing up a mystery for me.

Brian

 

[jimi]

We were on the mooring buoys between Trseco and Bryher last week and I saw what I thought was a masthead starboard of a tricolour approaching fast, I said to SWMBO "There's a large mast approacking very fast with it tricolour twisted, I hope he knows what he's doing" just as the tricolour continued on over Tresco ... obviously another of the sky lanterns ;-)

 

[Hyperborean]

Sounds like airliners en-route across the Atlantic. Basically the eastbound and the westbound flights tend to bunch into the same hours of the day. So mid morning-ish most of the flights from europe head off to America. They tend to follow similar routings as it is more economic to take advantage of the upper winds around the atmospheric pressure patterns. As the pressure changes from day to day so the pattern of tracks flown across the ocean changes to suit. Overland the route structure is more rigid, the "airways" mentioned in a previous reply. As for lack of noise they would be up at 30,000ft or more by the time they reach the Irish Sea so it is quite possible not to hear the sound of the engines.

 

[Carduelis]

BAe airfield at Barrow in Furness maybe?

No idea what the flights were, but there is still an airfield there I think.

 

[Ubergeekian]

Hi

I had the pleasure of spending a few hours in the river wyre this weekend.
I was caught out by the low tides and spent a few hours waiting for the water.
Not a problem with triple keels.

Whilst we waited there was a lot of flights all seeming to come from somewhere to the north east of fleetwood and all followed a similar pattern.
From low in the sky looking as if they had just taken off all heading on the same course and all dissappeared in the cloud cover. Possible heading to Ireland or farther afield.

Military things leaving BAe Warton airfield?