People need to make a decision based on how smart meters perform today, not how they performed 10 years ago. Most of what you list were problems with SMETS1 meters, industry standard is now SMETS2 and those problems are long gone. I switched 18 months ago and have had absolutely no problems or worri...

As far as I can see, the article doesn't specify how many F-35B will be on board, only that two of our squadrons will be on board. However, if it is to be 24 F-35B on board (and I have heard that rumour elsewhere), as we only have had 29 delivered to the UK (and one of those is still rather wet arou...

Cocktail were G-BYVD and G-BYVP
Poacher were G-BYWI and G-BYXK

Mmmm, only carrier this side of the Atlantic currently is the Truman, which is in the Red Sea. Not aware of any ARG’s anywhere near us, the Med, or the Middle East either. If that is the case, possible land storage at Souda or Syracuse for the replenishment ships to onload at a future date. As the ...

Ok, thanks - my bad. The "UK Military Review" issued to LAAS members lists the eight Chinooks ZH897 to ZH904 as HC.5s except '898 which it lists as a HC.6A, which is where I got the info from.

I have seen it listed elsewhere as an HC.6A, so it may have been converted over the last year or so and the info hasn't been updated in various databases (e.g. Scramble and UK Serials websites still list it as an HC.5). I think there is no external difference between them, as the conversion is from ...

ok, thanks jd.

Ah, ok thanks Alf, that explains it.

If you look at the Australian and Turkish examples, all built as new BBJ airframes by Boeing and converted by them to E-7s, they took between 6 and 10 years from first flight (as a BBJ) to delivery (as an E-7) to the respective air force.

Final conversion to full military spec prior to transfer to UK military serials? They were delivered in mid 2022 and were supposed to be used by mixed civilian and military crews for the first 2 years, then fully by the RAF crews.

Currently in the Benson circuit and definitely a Chinook (according to Mk 1 eyeballs!).

According to Benson ATIS this morning, Benson ATC is now closed until Tuesday 7th January. I assume therefore no further Puma, Chinook or Tutors will be flying until then.

As always, the Police and Air amabulance EC135s, and the local flying club aircraft will continue to operate.

G-BYUL is in service today with Oxford UAS, so perhaps it wasn't just visiting when D1scafellpike saw it on the 4th!

And we can also add G-BYXX, first noted today (by ADSB).

There appears to have been a recent complete change-around of Grobs with Oxford UAS.

None of the G-CGK* batch have been picked up on my AirNav ADSB system this month.

Instead the following have been in use: G-BYUS, G-BYWD, G-BYWR, G-BYWU, G-BYWY and G-BYXI.

RAF Benson has posted a brief notice on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/RAFBenson/ Helicopter "joy-rides" (Puma and Chinook presumably) for families in the morning, aircraft arrivals during the day and flying display 13:00-16:00, but without any details of what is in the display. Weather for...

It's allegedly four A-400M, according to Grant Shapps (via the Mail):

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... happs.html

AME5401 showing on ADSB-X passing Le Mans heading for Le Havre then Brighton, at FL430.

Edit 12:09 - slight left turn mid-channel, now heading to make landfall over Shoreham. Blasted shame we have 8/8ths cloud cover!

I think Doughnut's advice above will get you to the best answer. Scramble's on-line database is probably more up to date than any book, which presumably becomes out of date quite quickly after publication.

Perhaps it would useful to have a full list of serials, hence let me see if this helps. I too missed 5618 being back with the 495th, but I think this now makes it 27 with them and hence only 14 of the delivered 41 aircraft with the 493rd, namely: 495th: 5473, 5474, 5475, 5476, 5484, 5485, 5486, 5495...