Click on the link below and take a look at the short impromptu film I made earlier tonight (9 September, 2011) from the platform at Grange Park railway station in north London.
Here's the film; Jets over London. Sorry, it's a bit jerky as it's not edited. Just run it for a few seconds and the planes will soon appear.
I'm not an aviation journo but planes and helicopters always intrigue me. I'd seen the large jet circling this part of north London earlier this week. On that occasion, the large jet was flying solo.
Tonight, the large jet was accompanied by two smaller jets. A third smaller jet appeared at one point but then disappeared.
The one large and two smaller aircraft repeated at least six wide circles over a heavily populated part of north London during a thirty-minute period.
Their presence in the sky - just two days before the tenth anniversary of the 9-11 attacks on New York - generated curiosity on the streets below and consternation on social media network Twitter. Many Tweeters assumed the two smaller aircraft were fighter jets escorting a larger passenger jet.
But it seems the large jet - with the Union Jack visible on the tail fin - might be an RAF jet used to fly Royal Family, VIPs and military personnel. Apparently, there are two such planes, based at RAF Northolt in north-west London.
The two smaller aircraft look like private passenger jets used by rich folk. As I said at the top, I'm not much of a plane spotter but I was puzzled at the purpose of this flight tonight.
Perhaps the smaller planes were filming the larger plane, hence the need for repeated circles. Maybe it was practice for an air show or for next year's Olympics.
Whatever its purpose, I thought this flight tonight was strange given this weekend's significant global anniversary.
It also seemed somewhat insensitive. People in these post 9-11 times are still easily spooked by the sight of unusual plane formations flying low over their homes and streets.
Whatever its purpose, I thought this flight tonight was strange given this weekend's significant global anniversary.
It also seemed somewhat insensitive. People in these post 9-11 times are still easily spooked by the sight of unusual plane formations flying low over their homes and streets.
Paul Coleman, London, September 2011.
2 comments:
Hi
Those look like RAF jets, especially as the bigger one has the Union Jack on it that the RAF uses on its transport aircraft..The bigger is a BAE 146, the two smaller look like BAE 125s. The fact that they are flying in close formation also suggests that they are RAF flights - you would never see civilian planes flying un such close formation over a populated area.
Unique film of three jets circling over north London made by Paul Coleman, thanks for sharing this with us. It's nice and interesting.
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