Longbow Apache's just flown over

Pneumonic · 5 Dec 2007 at 14:45

^^Gord^^ said:
They are all based in Wattisham now but they do (and have been this week) use the Mountain Training Area in Wales; operating out of RAF Valley. I expect they are coming back from there, which means there is likely to be another 4 along soon.

Yup live only a few miles from wattisham and see them a lot very nice pieces of kit

Azagoth · 5 Dec 2007 at 14:45

jdickerson said:
Wow. Even more jealous now!

Are there any army air corps bases near by?

Actually, I think there may be a AAC base in between Telford and Shrewsbury or in that direction anyway. Which would put them heading that way.

Ciba · 5 Dec 2007 at 14:52

Not in the same league, but get to see Chinooks flying over Portsmouth every now and then.

philio16 · 5 Dec 2007 at 14:59

I get Greater Manchester polices helicopter over a few times a day....it's base is only 5 minutes down the road!

Squark · 5 Dec 2007 at 15:06

Pneumonic said:
Yup live only a few miles from wattisham and see them a lot very nice pieces of kit

Me too, oooh scary
Apaches flying over the house, and where I used to work is a very regular occurrence, great fun to watch. We have chinooks, Hercs and other stuff fly over from time to time

Azagoth said:
Actually, I think there may be a AAC base in between Telford and Shrewsbury or in that direction anyway. Which would put them heading that way.

At RAF Shrewbury, the helicopter training base, there is the Westland Hanger, where the Apaches are delivered to and tested, I visited there on a cadet camp a few years ago. I got to sit in an Apache

jdickerson said:
Doubt it was a Longbow, very much. Maybe a Westland WAH-64 Apache

Right you are my man, and they are much better than the ones the yanks fly.

B@Th*nG · 5 Dec 2007 at 15:06

saw an apache on the drive between eidenhoven and rotterdam on friday just before 12. that was pretty good

B@Th*nG

^^Gord^^ · 5 Dec 2007 at 15:58

Squark said:
At RAF Shrewbury, the helicopter training base, there is the Westland Hanger, where the Apaches are delivered to and tested, I visited there on a cadet camp a few years ago. I got to sit in an Apache

You mean RAF Shawbury (it's a common mistake).

Afaik, the Westlands hanger is now empty at Shawbury. I saw the last three being made ready for transport by low loader to Wattisham earlier this year....

Vix · 5 Dec 2007 at 16:38

We get quite a few Apaches, Chinooks and Pumas over here, there is some kind of tactical training area nearby.

Couples with the F15s from the nearby USAF base and the C130s and KC135s from the other nearby USAF base it's a plane enthusiasts dream

(I love living here!)

Spunj99 · 5 Dec 2007 at 17:24

Azagoth said:
How cool, two AH-64D Longbow Apaches have just flown over at no more than 250ft. Bloody awesome sounding things, nearly shook the windows out of the house and I had to turn the car alarm off.

Never seen them that close up before as at the airshows they're "at a safe distance"!

Anyone to the South of Stoke, keep your ears and eyes open as they were on a heading of 180.

I saw 'em! At about 11.30am / 12 noon?

It was awesome, literally straight over my house, caught sight of the tail of one at the front of the house so quickly ran to my bedroom to see them both flying over the field behind my house.

We had a Chinook fly over not too long ago too, although this obviously wasn't as low as these pair of Apache's but almost as loud from 3 times the distance!

Weeeeeeeeee.

Squark · 5 Dec 2007 at 17:28

^^Gord^^ said:
You mean RAF Shawbury (it's a common mistake).

You're right, I do seem to get those two mixed up for some silly reason.

I kinda sucks that I'm no longer part of the Air Training Corps, I was at 1287 Wattisham Sqn. for 5½ years, which was great as the Sqn building is on the base itself.

Doohickey · 5 Dec 2007 at 17:33

ScarySquirrel said:
FOr some reason reminds me of Alan Partridge.

LOL

qwerty · 5 Dec 2007 at 17:43

I read it as Strongbow Apaches and thought, ooh, that's a nice marketing campaign

cuppy tea · 5 Dec 2007 at 17:44

The exact same thing happened to me last week, but i didn't really see the big deal

lolwtfbbq · 5 Dec 2007 at 17:48

Ciba said:
Not in the same league, but get to see Chinooks flying over Portsmouth every now and then.

I agree.

iamdjdz · 5 Dec 2007 at 18:06

I fell asleep about 2 this afternoon and had a pleasant dream about an apache flying alongside my bus and it was in arctic camoflage?

Squark · 5 Dec 2007 at 18:11

Nice dream!

dinger44 · 5 Dec 2007 at 18:17

[/QUOTE]

Thats the Longbow. Its the dome like fire control radar above the main rotor thats makes it the Longbow.

Squark · 5 Dec 2007 at 18:29

dinger44 said:
Thats the Longbow. Its the dome like fire control radar above the main rotor thats makes it the Longbow.

The Westland WAH-64 has the same 'longbow' radar unit, but its not the Longbow

The AH-64D is the Longbow, I think

meghatronic · 5 Dec 2007 at 18:36

Squark said:
The Westland WAH-64 has the same 'longbow' radar unit, but its not the Longbow

The AH-64D is the Longbow, I think

Main differences are engine, folding blade mechanism and better armanents (and weaker laser).

Squark · 5 Dec 2007 at 18:38

jdickerson said:
Main differences are engine, folding blade mechanism and better armanents (and weaker laser).

And increased defensive aids.

The new Rolls-Royce engines are a great improvement over the original powerplant