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TAC UK 2015

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geoffmackay
Posts: 67
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 7:58 pm
Location: Carlisle Cumbria

Re: TAC UK 2015

Post by geoffmackay » Mon May 18, 2015 7:25 pm

Stewart,

Griffins should be ZJ234/S & ZJ237/T. You should be able to see with that new lens of yours!

Catch you later in the week.

Geoff

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catkins
Posts: 539
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:30 pm
Location: Tyne Gap, Northumberland

Re: TAC UK 2015

Post by catkins » Tue May 19, 2015 8:21 am

Glad to hear that there was plenty of action despite the weather! I'll hopefully get to Spade on Wed if weather stiller and drier (heck I'm becoming a fair weather photog!). Are they leaving on Fri or staying for the final weekend?
Chris
If I'm out I'm Just Swanning Around taking photos!
So give a 'Like' to my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/JustSwanningAround

johnhowe

Re: TAC UK 2015

Post by johnhowe » Tue May 19, 2015 9:01 pm

After contacting Carlisle I was informed that the first Dutch Missions to Spadeadam would be after 2.30pm this afternoon. I went to the farm and ended up watching a guy walking up a field with a lure covered in aniseed, after a few minutes a couple of vans arrived with hounds and they started hound trailing certainly different.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiYbG0loF0E This is the real thing not the practise I saw yesterday.

At 2.30pm I arrived at the airport it was interesting to see that two Chinooks already had their rotors turning, after a few minutes the troops made their way to the helicopters and boarded both Chinooks hover taxied for a 25 departure inbound to Spadeadam Range.
viewtopic.php?f=350&p=779788#p779788 Cougar in action.

Edit I forgot to mention that Carlisle ATC asked Grizzly for their TOT it was given as 2 hours 45 Minutes usually it was about 90 minutes as on previous missions.
Last edited by johnhowe on Tue Feb 02, 2016 1:14 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Durranhill
Posts: 240
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:05 pm

Re: TAC UK 2015

Post by Durranhill » Tue May 19, 2015 11:54 pm

D-661 & 101 came back into Carlisle just after 17.00 & apologised to the tower for being late back .

I called round this evening at about 19.45 but it was quiet until just after 20.15 when they tried to start up D-101 with out success :Oops: .
20.28 Grizzly 1 D-661 then requested start up & at 20.40 he dep 25 with a RH turn out & headed for Spade - it looked very nice against the setting sun .
They worked on D-101 for about another hour before giving up for the night .
22.32 Grizzly 1 called up to say he was inbound just as the Fire engine was tearing up & down the runway with all his lights going :S , Grizz then asked the tower to switch off the landing lights for his approach as he must have been using NVG's , D-661 landed & shutdown at 22.40 .

Providing there are 2 Chinook's flying I'll be going up to Spade later today .

Stewart .

jules50
Posts: 434
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2010 4:33 pm

Re: TAC UK 2015

Post by jules50 » Wed May 20, 2015 7:39 pm

Any idea if they will be routing via Northolt on their return

Durranhill
Posts: 240
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:05 pm

Re: TAC UK 2015

Post by Durranhill » Wed May 20, 2015 9:43 pm

Called round to the Airport at 9.30 to find D-661 & the now fixed 101 with rotors running & about to dep to Spade .
10.05 Arrived up at the parking area at Spade just in time for them to appear over the hill from Berryhill & very close past me before doing a RH Circle round the back of me against the tree line then heading off towards the farm :thumbs: .

Later on at the same spot I watched Sabre 3 or 4 on his own come over the gorge with an under slung load & head off above the tree line .
Sabre 3 & 4 later came up the gorge crossing the road at the cattle grid before heading into the range , but most of the time they stayed well clear to the north .

I left for the Airport about 15.00 & watched them arrive from Spade , do a hot refuel / land back on the pad & shut down , I left about 18.00 after watching them both depart again .
The Army lad's have taken down the tents at Carlisle & look to be winding down the ex , I was told later that the Chinooks will be leaving 1st thing on Friday .

Stewart .

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catkins
Posts: 539
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:30 pm
Location: Tyne Gap, Northumberland

Re: TAC UK 2015

Post by catkins » Thu May 21, 2015 2:30 pm

I spent the day in the eastern and northern edges of the range yesterday (20th May) after watching the Chinook pair ingress the range via the Irthing gorge. I then went up range to watch a couple of great passes at Butterburn, plus later a singleton Chinook with lightweight vehicle and load underslung. Later still in the afternoon I watched a Chinook pair circling as they recced their landing zone for their underslung loads.
Operations seemed to be insertion of troops initially and, then when the target was secured, to bring in their equipment as underslung loads. The target area seemed to be based on the airfield area in the northern range.
I also had pass by of a squad with two vehicles from (I presume) the RNlA 11th Airmobile Brigade Pathfinder Platoon - great to see some of the ground side of the RNlAF Chinook operations that I was photographing.
If I'm out I'm Just Swanning Around taking photos!
So give a 'Like' to my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/JustSwanningAround

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Skoshi
Posts: 221
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:16 am

Re: TAC UK 2015

Post by Skoshi » Thu May 21, 2015 9:52 pm

Last day tomorrow the tidy crews came in today off the AMS flight into Newcastle, unsure if any range flying tomorrow but troops due out on Saturday from Newcastle if all goes well.
Steve...

3 miles south of EGNT
UBC780XLT,UBC-800XLT,UBC-3500,MVT-7100,Aor8200Mk3
PP (BX), SBS-1
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geoffmackay
Posts: 67
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 7:58 pm
Location: Carlisle Cumbria

Re: TAC UK 2015

Post by geoffmackay » Fri May 22, 2015 5:57 am

Helicopters due to leave 09:00-10:00 this morning.

Geoff

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catkins
Posts: 539
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:30 pm
Location: Tyne Gap, Northumberland

Re: TAC UK 2015

Post by catkins » Fri May 22, 2015 7:02 am

Thanks everyone for the various updates, it's been interesting to follow the action and at times to know what's happening and where. There's been some great photo opportunities as usual provided by the Dutch and I know that they have made the long wait since their last visit well worthwhile. I always love their visit, as they have helped my LL photography improve through repeated photo opportunities. This year it's been great to see them in the gorge, as well as right up the valley, and in reasonable light!
So to the RNlAF and RNlA lads & lasses, Have a great flight home and Thank You. Come again soon.
If I'm out I'm Just Swanning Around taking photos!
So give a 'Like' to my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/JustSwanningAround

johnhowe

Re: TAC UK 2015/2016

Post by johnhowe » Thu Apr 14, 2016 9:32 pm

Called in at Café Stobart at Carlisle Airport, asked the lady serving the food if she knew of any movements re JW, all she knew was that The Dutch were due
on the 11th, May, 2016 for about two and a half weeks. Anybody else comfirm this deployment. I've checked on Scramble it does mention an Ex in the Borders but does not mention Spade or Carlisle.

http://www.carlisleairport.co.uk/images ... 5%2016.pdf

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=131895 Danny Toom 317 selection from TAC Blaze 2016.
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=131908 Barrow 759 Stewart Hill.

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