Merlin heli over mid Beds

[NDT]

Very strange last night - a Merlin (I think) flew over at low level then did three or four low, slow circles (like it was searching for something) over the fields at the back of our house.
Anyone know what they might have been doing?
The only base we're near to is Chicksands, so we do get the occasional Merlin, Chinook or Apache going over, but normally at higher altitude and in a straight line.

[Ledaig]

NDT said:

The only base we're near to is Chicksands........

That also puts you close to RAF Henlow if it was mooching in the right direction.

[ditchvisitor]

Might well be doing a night field recce or CA, not sure what it would be doing up that way, could find out but am on leave!

[anonymous-user]

we saw it from the M5 northbound. it was flying in circles for a while then went down very low to the right of the motorway hovering around 50ft off the ground...

[NDT]

Ledaig said:

NDT said:

The only base we're near to is Chicksands........

That also puts you close to RAF Henlow if it was mooching in the right direction.

Yes, we're slightly closer to Chicksands but not far from Henlow.

[norby1]

We are close to Henlow, and often get Lynx and Apache flights over the house ( we are on the northen edge of Letchworth).

Isn't Henlow an RAF training school for helos?

[anonymous-user]

norby1 said:

We are close to Henlow, and often get Lynx and Apache flights over the house ( we are on the northen edge of Letchworth).

Isn't Henlow an RAF training school for helos?

Nope, nothing of the sort.
Chances are they were just doing an out-of-area field recce/landing for which there are fields and locations usually offered up by land owners all over the UK, not just near military bases.

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 20th October 22:01

[Ledaig]

norby1 said:

We are close to Henlow, and often get Lynx and Apache flights over the house ( we are on the northen edge of Letchworth).

Isn't Henlow an RAF training school for helos?

Only a base for gliders (self launch) for a long time now....

MOD Linky

[ditchvisitor]

Henlow is where we do all our aviation medicine courses, (and where the rozzers live!) I do believe they have a helipad though!

[anonymous-user]

ditchvisitor said:

Henlow is where we do all our aviation medicine courses, (and where the rozzers live!) I do believe they have a helipad though!

You mean a white "H" painted on the sports pitch?

[markmullen]

Crossflow Kid said:

ditchvisitor said:

Henlow is where we do all our aviation medicine courses, (and where the rozzers live!) I do believe they have a helipad though!

You mean a white "H" painted on the sports pitch?

On occasions when I have clients visiting by helicopter I paint a big H on the cricket pitch (the greenkeeper is a friend) with Porsche Arctic Silver paint (it is what we've got a lot of).

A Sikorsky 76 filled it nicely recently!