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31
Aug 2024
Why have there been more low-flying jets in our area recently?
It may not happen often, but when it does, it almost makes you duck. Residents of parts of our district have been frequently “treated” to the incredible sight and ear-splitting sound of low-flying military jets over the summer, and the effect can be dramatic.
One resident of Sawley told the Stray Ferret:
There’s no warning – they just go whoosh! – and the shock goes through your whole body. It’s like a thunderclap that comes out of nowhere and is gone in a few seconds.
They fly so low you can actually see their missiles. Sometimes it feels as if they’re skimming the top of the house.
Aircraft in Harrogate district airspace could include this F35 based at RAF Marham in Norfolk.
So, what’s going on? Where are these planes coming from, and why are they flying so low?
The Stray Ferret’s initial enquiries suggested that they might be flying out of RAF Leeming, which is just 24 miles up the road, but it turns out they could be from much further afield.
RAF spokesman Wing Commander Martin Tinworth told us:
What you are seeing in your area will be routine low-flying training from any of our fast jet stations, i.e. Coningsby [in Lincolnshire], Lossiemouth (Typhoon), Marham [in Norfolk] (F-35), or your local station RAF Leeming (Hawk), or United States Air Force assets from Lakenheath.
Some of those places may seem far away, but with a cruising speed of around 500mph, an RAF Typhoon from Lossiemouth, which is near Inverness, could be over Sawley within half an hour, and an American F35 could be up here from Lakenheath in Suffolk within just 20 minutes.
Residents of the Harrogate district and beyond will have seen more instances of low flying over the summer because the RAF likes to make the most of the good weather to carry out training flights, making late spring and summer a busy time.
Wing Commander Tinworth said:
We generally fly where the weather is best or where we are meeting other assets to train, thus, Yorkshire being in the middle of the country is a useful location for training, but we fly all over the UK and a lot over the North Sea to spread the noise so no one area would ever be prioritised.
Jets flying in our area include the RAF's Typhoon.
For fixed-wing aircraft such as fast jets, ‘low flying’ means descending to as little as 250 feet above the ground, although that can be reduced to 100 feet in the three Tactical Training Areas (TTAs) of the UK, none of which include our district. For helicopters, the limit is 100 feet.
For reference, the war memorial in Harrogate town centre is 75 feet tall.
This is what 300 feet in altitude looks like from the air...
...and 200 feet...
...and this is 100 feet.
Any sightings between August 21 and September 18 of aircraft other than fast jets, such as helicopters or military transport planes, may not be due to routine RAF training. Rather, they could be part of Exercise Chameleon, a Special Forces exercise held every two years, which involves the Special Air Service (SAS), the Special Boat Service (SBS), and other supporting units.
Low flying can cause problems for animals. Some farmers have blamed the shock caused by passing jets for the loss of lambs spontaneously aborted before term, and dogs and horses can be spooked by the sudden loud noise.
To mitigate the problem, the RAF has teamed up with the British Horse Society to produce a leaflet with advice for horse-owners to help avert such problems, and organisers of agricultural and horse shows can request a temporary stop to low flying to avoid potential chaos.
But low-flying aircraft are not unpopular with everyone. In fact, crowds of ‘spotters’ gather on some fellsides in the Lake District to photograph jets passing through the valley below.
Our Sawley contact said:
I don’t object to it at all. In fact, it makes me feel extremely safe, knowing that they’re training. If you were elderly, it might come as a shock and absolutely terrify you, but I love it – it's really exciting!
The Ministry of Defence’s website has more information about low flying locally, as well as weekly notice of UK military low-flying exercises.
A forecast of daily activities is available for most areas of the UK by calling free on 0800 515544.
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