Low flying aircraft on saturday south of Wicklow town

trad

Saturday afternoon approx 5pm near Jack Whites saw a twin engined passenger plane flying inland from the sea very low probably less than 200 feet. Had approx 6 to 8 windows on the side I saw and what looked like a very long antenna trailing out of the aircraft.

Saw it doing two passes, no camera. Any ideas what they were up to?

xflyer

The country seems to be overrun with survey aircraft at the moment. I hope they find the gold they're looking for.

I heard a survey aircraft coming out of Waterfold yesterday, British registered I think. That could well be it.

trad

Quick reply. seemed to be flying very low. Some one told me that gold had been found South Wicklow North Wexford so that might fit.

xflyer

I was joking about the gold, but come to think of it. Wasn't there gold in the Wicklow hills way back in time. Maybe they're looking for the Mother lode!

trad

The truth is often stranger than fiction
http://www.wicklowpeople.ie/news/company-begins-digging-for-gold-3013737.html

N7777G

xflyer wrote: »

The country seems to be overrun with survey aircraft at the moment. I hope they find the gold they're looking for.

I heard a survey aircraft coming out of Waterfold yesterday, British registered I think. That could well be it.

PA-31 Navajo C-GXKS was doing surveys over the Wicklow Mts this morning and is temporarily based at Waterford.

xflyer

That's it, not British, Canadian. I heard him heading back to Waterford.

Let's see, what survey aircraft are here at the moment or recently.

Basler/DC3, last seen in Galway airport.
Navajo in Waterford
Another Danish Navajo in Galway recently.
The Twin Otter in Enniskillen
Plus the two OS contract Aztecs out and about in Shannon on Sunday until the cloud rolled in.
Anymore?

clown2brown

Don't think the survey aircraft will be welcome much longer unless they get their act together after hearing what Dublin had to say to C-GXKS last Saturday
http://freemp3host.com/play:6642

Oscar Bravo

Im recent times to add to the list,Piper Aztec F-GOPR and Cessna 206 F-GDAP were also doing survey work.Not to forget blown over G-BHAW. Clown2brown,i couldnt get that to play,what was said(roughly).

clown2brown

Oscar Bravo wrote: »

Im recent times to add to the list,Piper Aztec F-GOPR and Cessna 206 F-GDAP were also doing survey work.Not to forget blown over G-BHAW. Clown2brown,i couldnt get that to play,what was said(roughly).

Try this link: http://freemp3host.com/mp3/6642/Tower-ATC%20[freemp3host.com].mp3

xflyer

Oscar Bravo, ATC asked them to telephone the station supervisor on landing because they had complaints of low flying and flying too close to other aircraft in the vicinity of Newcastle Airfield.

That's slightly surprising because I would have thought that permission to fly very low is part and parcel of survey flying. It's hard to imagine they would be unaware of this. Flying too close to Newcastle is quite another thing though and in all probability is the real issue.

Being asked to call the station supervisor isn't the end of the world, ahem, cough. Sometimes it's just a misunderstanding.:P

Oscar Bravo

Yes,sounds like Newcastle werent happy at all and in all fairness the guys down there would organise something with the survey aircraft if they knew about it id say.

Marinjohn

This is just a shot in the dark,but I wonder has it anything to do with the proposed building of the airport in Arklow?The aircraft was flying around Arklow today...It appears to be a survey aircraft and it could be plotting approaches/navaids etc into Arklow(supposed airport location)

Tenger

Marinjohn wrote: »

....I wonder has it anything to do with the proposed building of the airport in Arklow?.....

That's just what we need ANOTHER airport in the country!

xflyer

Not likely Marinjohn, it wouldn't require that kind of survey aircraft. It's most likely a mineral deposits survey. We were joking about gold earlier but in fact that's likely.

Aha quick edit, googled the reg, leads to Terraquest the operator. Put in Terraquest and Wicklow and we have this:

http://www.businessworld.ie/bworld/livenews.htm?a=2927027

Connemara start Wicklow/Wexford study

Monday, April 02 11:19:12

Irish metals prospector, Connemara Mining, today said it has started an aerial survey of its licence blocks in Wicklow and Wexford.

The survey is being done by Hendrick Resources (Ireland) Ltd (HRI) over the 5 license blocks of Connemara Mine River licences held in the Wicklow/Wexford area.

Connemara has a joint venture over these licences with HRI, a private Canadian company. HRI will also survey its adjacent block of 11 licences.

The aim is to aid in the structural and geological interpretation of the region and to focus exploration efforts in the areas highlighted by this survey. The principal element of the survey is to look for magnetic anomalies which can frequently be associated with gold mineralisation, it said.

The airborne operator is Terraquest Geophysics Ltd - a highly experienced international geophysical company from Ontario Canada.

"Taking a fresh look at the gold potential in Wicklow/Wexford is long overdue. Adding the results from this sophisticated technology and fresh processing to the extensive gold data base held by Connemara offers exciting new prospects in an area long known for gold," Connemara chairman John Teeling said.

I knew it, there's gold in them dar hills.

Discodog

There was a DC3/Dakota ? flying circuits over Galway today with what appeared to be a long trailing antennae.

Oscar Bravo

Its the Basler BT-67, C-FTGI. Nice machine. www.planepictures.net/netshow.php?id=1099784

Discodog

That explains why it didn't sound like a Dakota Nice plane but the engines just ........look wrong

Oscar Bravo

It was based at Galway before before going to Enniskillen and now back to Carnmore.All depends where there working.I take it you were at the Airport,anything elese there?

Discodog

No I was near Salthill. It flew about three lowish circuits over Galway with the "wire" trailing - I presume they wind it in to land. It reminded me of a glider tug

xflyer

Actually I heard it flying over but I spent too much time flying this weekend to look up. As is happens, one of their pilots is Irish with Galway connections. Which might explain spending the weekend in Galway.

tomsolo

Saw it again today, its incredibly low!!