Late Night Helicopters

[Lordship_local]

Hi all

Has anyone else noticed that we are getting visits from huge* sounding helicopters at around midnight? They seem to be circling around Peckham Rye, so maybe you true East Dulwichers are spared the noise, but I swear they are a new addition to the small hours, and happening every few days!

Any idea what they are doing up there? I know they could be taking patents to hospitals, or perhaps the police are mucking about with new toys... what I really want to know is why they feel like doing it past midnight!

*I have no idea what a size they actually are, but I'm a dramatist so in my head I've decided they are those double blade military ones you see in war films

[KidKruger]

There's a distinct difference in volume between the smaller police/medical helicopters and the military Chinooks (twin-propped craft), so you'd probably know for sure if it was one of those big copters.

[Lordship_local]

KidKruger Wrote:

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> There's a distinct difference in volume between

> the smaller police/medical helicopters and the

> military Chinooks (twin-propped craft), so you'd

> probably know for sure if it was one of those big

> copters.

I want to believe, KK.

I want to believe that it is the special forces that are keeping me awake, not some two bit Arnie Pye...

[JohnL]

The twitter account of what used to be @mpsinthesky is now @NPASSouthEast

Seem to be looking for unlicensed music events if this nice picture is anything to go by.

[exdulwicher]

https://tar1090.adsbexchange.com/

Aircraft tracking website which, unlike FlightRader24, shows military and police/emergency services.

Air ambulance doesn't fly at night and if it was a Chinook, you'd really know about it! It's usually just police, the problem is they're providing support to ground units so they hang around for a while at about 1500ft.

If the military are doing night flights, there's a couple of areas in Wales and Dartmoor where they can go and bother the sheep without annoying anyone else.

[jimlad48]

Chinooks make a disctinctive 'wokka wokka' sound as they have two sets of rotors. They do fly over london but the route is via the Thames and they're usually in transit to Colchester where the Army has its main air assault force based.

You won't see them over ED directly - the closest you may get is the odd Apache, but again these keep to near the Thames.

Military aircraft won't exercise over London - there are other locations where this happens - they are passing through as its a convenient route to their destination.

What is circling is usually police traffic - noisy and more noticeable as its lower level.

[JohnL]

exdulwicher Wrote:

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> https://tar1090.adsbexchange.com/

>

Nice (bookmarked),The PMs plane really needs a little union flag next to it

[Lordship_local]

Thanks all for your responses. I reluctantly accept that the SAS are not practising maneuvers over the Rye Garden nursery, and that it is probably just the boring old police.

I hope at least they are scouting over Dawson Hill, so this thread can become a sub plot of the EDF shared universe we have going on at the moment.

[ianr]

> You won't see [Chinooks] over ED directly

Vey occasionally you will, in which case there's usually a mention here.

[gabys1st]

Interessting web site..there ia another that shows commercial flights - where from and where to.