Hercules

[Rich Griff]

About ten mins ago watched s hercules fly over penygroes by caernarfon, lower than the top of TV mast z heading towards rsf valley perhaps. Tail ramp was open. No exhaust smoke seen and was s bit on the quiet side. Rotors instead of props perhaps ?

 

16 + mins ago now due to delays in message

[Shaun Walsh]

I thought that the Hercules had been retired and replaced with the Airbus A400M

[leccyflyer]

The RAFs Hercules have been retired a few years back, but the USAF and some other operators do still operate the C-130 in UK airspace. I'm not sure what the comment about whether the aircraft had props or rotors was about? Could this have been an A400, or maybe even a V-22 Osprey, both of which do make occasional visits to the Mach Loop.

[GrumpyGnome]

You'd need pretty bad eyesight to confuse an Osprey and a Hercybird... 🙂

[Rich Griff]

was in raf camo colour scheme as far as i could tell.

 

was not noisey, quite quiet, not a typical herc noise, did they fit multi blade fans instead of the 4 blade paddle type prop ??

 

defo a herc, i have been in a few, but could not see the outside.......😁

 

yes i knew the fleet had been "pensioned off" which prompted me to post asap.

 

people on here have that app giving flight plan info ??

 

anything mentioned on that ?

 

was at bus stop in peny, looked like he passed tv mast with it on his starboard green side,

and at a lower altitude than the top of the mast from my view point.....

 

mast guys stick out quite a bit, national grid pylons close by, he seemed to climb a bit to fly over Carmel, would have been lower than my mates place, if he was outside ( beautiful day here again ) , he would have been looking down at/on it, but as said, seemed very quite.

 

as to osprey, bloody yanks........

 

saw one which seemed to be flying just above our kitchen floor level, across the other side of the valley.

It was below the level of the first "hill" height, very very very  low and very very close to rising ground on his side of the valley, rising ground to his port side.

 

he was heading out of the valley in the direction of the mast and pylons. Very limited opportunities to gain height, similar for change of heading. 

 

I did not hear a crash and the lights stayed on.....

 

 i reckon he flew under the pylon wires !!!!!

 

i will ask mo later, if he saw the herc.....

 

any flight plan app info ??

 

 

 

 

[leccyflyer]

If you are certain it was a Hercules then it's not going to be an RAF one.

 

ADS-B is real time flight information, not flight planning. There were no RAF Hercules in UK airspace at the time that I read your post and replied. There wouldn't be, because the RAF doesn't operate any Hercules.

[leccyflyer]

1 hour ago, GrumpyGnome said:

You'd need pretty bad eyesight to confuse an Osprey and a Hercybird... 🙂

Indeed - just as you would to not be able to tell whether an aircraft had props or rotors.

[John Lee]

 

Here you go

[Rich Griff]

Thanks John,

 

Yep, that looks like it...

 

Looks as if it has multi blade rotor rather than 4 blade paddle type prop.

 

The long dashed line, actual flight line or proposed flight line ?

 

Mach loop is some distance away from peny.

 

If dashed line was proposed flight line, it was way off line !!!!

 

Waiting in caernarfon bus stop, saw American helo, about ten mins ago now...

[leccyflyer]

The USAF C-130J has six blades propellers, not rotors.

[Outrunner]

I live near Cambridge and quite often see  Hercules flying in and out of Marshalls who maintain and update Hercules for many air arms. Also US air force fly out of nearby air bases.

[Rich Griff]

Hi outrunner,

 

Do they seem quieter than h ercs of old ?

 

If you can see the propellors, are they an odd shape compared to props of the old RAF fleet ?

Edited May 11, 2024 by Rich Griff

[Outrunner]

17 minutes ago, Rich Griff said:

Hi outrunner,

 

Do they seem quieter than h ercs of old ?

 

If you can see the propellors, are they an odd shape compared to props of the old RAF fleet ?

They are too high to tell if they sound different when they pass over my way. I can't see the shape of the props as they are going round!

But a quick look at flight radar tells me who it belongs to.

[Rich Griff]

Cool, so you must live some distance from the airfield.

 

It's a lovely day here again today, all ready hot.

 

Aurora hunting with the lad tonight...he has a good camera and he's on annual leave...

 

Have s great day chaps and chapeses...

[Rich Griff]

Google shows some with 8 blades even...

👍

[Wihtgar]

The C130J was the UK variant with the multibladed prop. Marshalls used one as a test bed for the A400m engine.