Any suggestions

unfit2006

Hi,

a small aircraft flew over my house in Mullingar about 15 minutes ago heading in a southerly direction. Approx 10 minutes later it returned flying due North. It was travelling quite fast and a relatively high revs.
The reason I mention this is that last Friday night it did exactly the same flight.... crossing overhead due south at a fast speed and 5-10 minutes later crossed back over heading due north.
At first I thought it maybe the light aircraft that lands and takes off from Lough Owel (north of Mullingar) which I see and hear on a fairly regular basis but now I think that it is not that plane as it sounds different and also it was travelling far to fast to have either taken off from the lake or heading back to land there on either occasions.
It is an interesting flight pattern for a light aircraft at this time of evening I reckon.

Any suggestions or other sightings of this plane around Mullingar area.

urajoke

The Aer Corp have been doing night flying recently.

unfit2006

Ah right. It must be that so.

urajoke

unfit2006 wrote: »

Ah right. It must be that so.

Your in the northwestern corner of the MOA4.

mother_of_two

Haven't seen nor hear them before. Fireworks are too loud!!!

trad

Something low and fast single engined flew over my house about 18.30 flying south along the coast towards Wicklow.

unfit2006

What is MOA4 ?

bluecode

Probably the Air Corps all right. I grew up about six miles from the Bal. They seem to use this time of the year for their night flying. It was a regular thing for them to be up at night around Halloween. It's a good time of the year for it as the weather can be quite clear at times.

I remember listening in on airband one Halloween night when I heard one pilot reporting flares over Dublin. The controller reminded him it was Halloween no doubt smirking to himself as I was. That pilot must have led a sheltered life.

It won't have been civilian unless IFR or inside a zone. Although there are rule changes with EASA at the moment. We may yet see VFR night flying for civilians.

Xpro

unfit2006 wrote: »

What is MOA4 ?

Military Operating area,

Tenger

bluecode wrote: »

Probably the Air Corps all right........They seem to use this time of the year for their night flying. It was a regular thing for them to be up at night around Halloween. It's a good time of the year for it as the weather can be quite clear at times. .....

Here is a pic from within the last 2 days......

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcdee6174/8142713542/in/photostream/

kub

Tenger wrote: »

Here is a pic from within the last 2 days......

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcdee6174/8142713542/in/photostream/[/QUOTE]


Is it just me, but is the way the pilot is dressed a bit ott, considering all he is flying is a bloody Cessna with a lawnmower engine in it?

He looks like one of the USAF guys about to take off in a real fighter jet.....God help us.

Peregrine

kub wrote: »

Is it just me, but is the way the pilot is dressed a bit ott, considering all he is flying is a bloody Cessna with a lawnmower engine in it?

He looks like one of the USAF guys about to take off in a real fighter jet.....God help us.

I think the Cessna pilots dress like that too
They can hardly go out in a pair of tracksuits and a hoody and call themselves military pilots now

And in fairness they do have ejection seats in the PC-9

bluecode

Well there are arguments about whether or not the PC9 is a bit OTT for the Air Corps. An expensive toy perhaps.

But as it has ejection seats a helmet is pretty much a must have. Even civilian pilots wear helmets when flying aircraft out of the ordinary while doing things more dangerous than usual

Actually the Cessna pilots don't wear helmets, merely the flight suits.

Xpro

Tenger wrote: »

Here is a pic from within the last 2 days......

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcdee6174/8142713542/in/photostream/

This pics are savage:eek::cool: