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Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 6:10 pm
by johnhowe
Log for Spadeadam, Tuesday the 6th, May, 2014 Mid morning The Station Commander came to Wiley Syke he was showing a Very Senior Officer around the site. On previous visits to Spadeadam Ive met Clive Loader and Glenn Torpy, when he was Marshall of The RAF.

I arrived at 11.00am and heard Venom 11 on the radio to Jackpot Control 241,950 these were clear comms all day, but Spade on 308.775 was broken transmissions.

11.15am Marham handed over to Jackpot for high level work.

12.55pm Javelin 32 Mark 1 Hawk on medium and low level FAC.

13.25pm Marham 27 on medium level sortie at 13.55pm THE GR4 flew an extremely fast wings fully swept low level Show Of Force the GR4 appeared from the southwest
and flew over jackpot position which I think is in The Grey Mare Hill Area.

14.30pm Psycho A Typhoon arrived for 60 minutes playtime all at 10k feet or more.

15.30 Javelin 22 another Leeming Hawk for a 60 miute slot.


My reason for going to Spade today was that on previous Tuesdays there have been F 15s doing EW and last week it was the Rotary.

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Sun May 11, 2014 8:37 am
by johnhowe
viewtopic.php?f=121&t=10965 Occasionally I am asked about viewing points at Otterburn & Spadeadam, hope this help although some posts are from 2009 it is still relevant in 2014

http://notaminfo.com/node/5

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=97647 Credits to Catkins (Chris) for his fabulous photos of The Wildcat Linx whilst it was on the Range.

RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014 FAC at Otterburn

Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 11:18 pm
by johnhowe
A Forward Air Control Exercise will take place at Otterburn under the title Sphynx Sabre, One fast jet will be operating on the 21st through to the 23rd, May, 2014

Bet 08.00am & 10.00am and 13.00pm to 15.00pm Surface to 20,000 feet.

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:47 am
by dannyboyo20
F-15's on the range now 0930, about to depart to the South FL270. BREW11. 2 Ship. Mentioned about more this afternoon

Regards, Danny

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:55 pm
by dannyboyo20
BREW11 back on the range 1345

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 2:51 pm
by catkins
What sort of altitude did they work at, and much joy with visuals/photo opportunities?

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 3:10 pm
by dannyboyo20
Hi mate, unfortunately I wasn't actually at Spade, at home with scanner on. I'm guessing they must have been quite high as maintained comms quite clearly from Newcastle.


Regards, Danny

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 7:58 pm
by Geoff Carlisle
Heard on the scanner this morning was NOW333A Norwegian C-130 was on the range 11:40L. Operated surface to 12,000ft using R203,R206 & R208.
Departed around 12:00 for Lossiemouth.

Geoff Mackay
Carlisle

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 8:11 am
by johnhowe
http://www.theoldoaktree.net/Acorn/Acorn_1987.pdf

With the deployment of B2s * B52s to RAF Fairford I was reminded that B52s usually visit Spadeadam on their deployments. A B2 flew to Spade several years ago on a
Friday afternoon and was on the range from 2.30pm through to 3.15pm. Whilst researching the net I came across the above amazing site which has references to D 510 and
about everything else, reads like a boys own novel.

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 8:08 pm
by CATCH22
Geoff the Norwegian 333A on ranges Wednesday 11/6 was in fact a P-3 Orion (3297)
It came in to Lossiemouth "armed" . Chaff actually. :)

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:13 pm
by johnhowe
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... un2014.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... 27_Jun.pdf

On recent Tuesdays we have had USAF Helicopters, last week it was F 15s perhaps this week we might have B52s.

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 4:04 pm
by NorthSouth
Those timetables are for Operational Low Flying, which is flying at less than 250 feet. That's only done by the RAF. B1s, B2s and B52s are no longer allowed to fly at less than 2000 ft agl over any part of the UK, except, with special MoD authorisation, down to 1000ft agl in LFA 14 only. Fair enough really, given that low level ops are no part of B1/B52 ops these days and never were for B2s. Low level over the UK for these guys was never more than a sight-seeing trip.

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2014 9:18 pm
by johnhowe
Log for Tues 17th, June, 2014, fantastic sunny weather quite warm no wind, Rebel 84 Tornado doing high level EW for a hour or so later joined by Typhoons even higher.

In the afternoon a T2 Hawk flew a single low level sortie from the sutheast to the northwest and that was it.

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 8:49 pm
by Geoff Carlisle
Thursday 19/06/14 12:20-13:15

2 F-15s on the range c/s Brew 11 / Brew 12 made several high level passes behind the clouds. Worked in the block 2-22,000ft.
Around 12:45 they both moved to the South of the range and we're joined by another F-15 c/s Panther 24.
He had a couple of high level runs but seems was not booked in on the range. Again worked same levels as brew but nothing seen even through the breaks in the cloud.

Left for Carlisle about 13:20 and heard RRR194 call up and ask to do a low level fly through runway 01 at Carlisle.
A quick park up and grab the bins then ZH869 did a lovely fly through. He departed low level to the North West.

Geoff Mackay
Carlisle.

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 9:26 pm
by Lossie
B-52s had a low level role in the 1980s and used to do low level airfield attacks during big exercises, saw numerous attacks on Leuchars. If a B-52 had to get through the USSR's air defence network low-level would have been its best chance.

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:04 pm
by johnhowe
Notam H 2837/14 A large scale release and ignition of natural gas within 2 nautical miles of 550242N and 0023526W RAF Spadeadam
A fireball up to 3500 feet above mean sea level with hot gasses up to 35,000 feet AMSL From 12th, July, 2014 to 13th, July, 2014 from
09.00BST throu 19.00 BST.
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/hall_s_dark ... e_1_688154 my family retreat
This is Spectacular, last time I saw this was on a Thursday mid week.

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2014 7:51 pm
by Blackcat1
B1s still do a lot of low level work in the USA, down to 500 feet, especially in the Desert MOA's, the local MOAs close to Ellsworth and also when on long range sorties to the Yukon range.

Cheers

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 7:08 pm
by johnhowe
FAC at Wiley Syke Tuesday the 15th, July, 2014 long sunny periods today which is good as it is St Swithins Day.

10.30am through to 11.00am. Spider 1 & 2 Royal Navy T1 Hawks with their distinctive naval emblem on the tail.
mostly low level control from the Wiley Syke Compound attacking the Afghan Village lots of interesting comms.

Interestingly they were informed that a Drone (UAV) was operating on the Range.

As there was going to be a gap of three hours or so I went off to Otterburn the forestry route for lunch at Kielder.

14.30pm a Single Chinook arrived from Leeming and disappeared in the general direction of White Preston it was

joined by two more Chinooks. I had been informed earlier that an Oshkosh had been seen trundling along local

roads in the general direction of Spadeadam.

16.30pm Spider 1 & 2 Returned for more FAC work this time they were either at Greymare or Prior Lancey
because they were describing that the target was in the close proximity of the Blue Steel Revettments.
for 25 minutes the Spiders were at medium level, but for the last sortie it was going to be low level with a pull up
into the vertical and then tipping in to drop simulted Paveways.

It was very spectacular just like The JFATSU Hawks from Leeming, obviously Carl J (RTD) trained them well.

I was informed that there will be FACs all week but not necessarily at Wiley Syke with Typhoon and GR4s involved. BDSTM.

Did anybody witness or photo Sat/Suns Big Bang.

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 11:21 am
by mikev1984
Any active frequencies now. ?

Re: Action at RAF Spadeadam/Otterburn in 2014

Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:21 pm
by johnhowe
mikev1984 wrote:Any active frequencies now. ?
The Spade ICF 308.775 & 282.050.