UK Air Traffic

not_the_dj

Rather interesting (and very pretty) video of all the air traffic over the UK in 24 hours.

http://www.nats.aero/news/take-guided-tour-around-uk-airspace/

not_the_dj

Anyone able to embed Vimeo vids here?

(sorted, found the youtube version)

joneve

WTF? Mind. Blown. 

not_the_dj

I reckon we need a few more runways ;-)

Cirrus

THAT IS SO COOL THAT CAPS LOCK IS REQUIRED AND PUNCTUATION CAN JUST GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY

Phil_aka_Pip

UK = one of the world's noisiest places. Huge swathes of it are uninhabitable.

Cirrus

Phil_aka_Pip said:

UK = one of the world's noisiest places. Huge swathes of it are uninhabitable.

Wut

xSkarloey

That is very pretty. I live towards the bottom of that thick red line heading towards Heathrow. 

not_the_dj

Those RAF chaps are having a great time out there just off Wales.

stickyfiddle

Phil_aka_Pip said:

UK = one of the world's noisiest places. Huge swathes of it are uninhabitable.

But thankfully they're all in Scotland, and Ipswich

Axe_meister

Some bloody fast streaks now again.

Aliens maybe ;o)

imalone

Very cool, amazing amount of data to collect and illustrate too.

Cirrus

Axe_meister said:

Some bloody fast streaks now again.

Aliens maybe ;o)

The planes up at cruising altitude, ~35,000ft just passing over the UK will be going at a nice steady 500mph+ whereas most of the traffic in the video is in the process of taking off or landing. Below 10,000ft the speed limit is 250 knots IIRC and planes coming in to land on approach will be doing around 200.

Either that or it's spy planes. I'm not sure what the US uses instead of SR-71s now? Maybe something faster. 

:-O

holnrew

That's so cool. Also I had no idea Stanstead was there.

guitari

Very cool video

xSkarloey

Axe_meister said:

Some bloody fast streaks now again.

Aliens maybe ;o)

Wouldn't that be interesting. 

I suspect the answer is even more intriguing though...

I recall the head of UK air traffic control being interviewed on the BBC radio (I think 4) once about Russian planes entering UK air space over/ near Scotland. This'd be about a year ago. 

At the end of the interview the presenter asked what proportion of air traffic in any given month is genuinely unidentified/unidentifiable, to which he replied (IIRC) some 5% of it. 

Cue surprise from the presenters, who by that time had unfortunately run out of time to press him on this fascinating point. 

All of which begs the question, exactly what could that 5% consist of? 

VimFuego

it's probably CIA rendition flights or the illuminati transporting gold and seed stocks to their arc ships. Nothing sinister or lizard overlords, so no need to worry.

xSkarloey

VimFuego said:

it's probably CIA rendition flights or the illuminati transporting gold and seed stocks to their arc ships. Nothing sinister or lizard overlords, so no need to worry.

Whatever you're smoking can you send me a few ounces please? 

RobDavies

Skarloey said:

Axe_meister said:

Some bloody fast streaks now again.

Aliens maybe ;o)

Wouldn't that be interesting. 

I suspect the answer is even more intriguing though...

I recall the head of UK air traffic control being interviewed on the BBC radio (I think 4) once about Russian planes entering UK air space over/ near Scotland. This'd be about a year ago. 

At the end of the interview the presenter asked what proportion of air traffic in any given month is genuinely unidentified/unidentifiable, to which he replied (IIRC) some 5% of it. 

Cue surprise from the presenters, who by that time had unfortunately run out of time to press him on this fascinating point. 

All of which begs the question, exactly what could that 5% consist of? 

Microlights and the like.   Sorry to piss on your chips.

RocknRollDave

Extremely good aim if they can piss on my chips from a microlight. I'm part disgusted but part pretty damn impressed.

xSkarloey

RobDavies said:

Skarloey said:

Axe_meister said:

Some bloody fast streaks now again.

Aliens maybe ;o)

Wouldn't that be interesting. 

I suspect the answer is even more intriguing though...

I recall the head of UK air traffic control being interviewed on the BBC radio (I think 4) once about Russian planes entering UK air space over/ near Scotland. This'd be about a year ago. 

At the end of the interview the presenter asked what proportion of air traffic in any given month is genuinely unidentified/unidentifiable, to which he replied (IIRC) some 5% of it. 

Cue surprise from the presenters, who by that time had unfortunately run out of time to press him on this fascinating point. 

All of which begs the question, exactly what could that 5% consist of? 

Microlights and the like.   Sorry to piss on your chips.

Nah, not pissing on anyone's chips. It's a completely sensible explanation which I hadn't thought of. 

Does it imply though that microlight pilots have no obligation to tell the CAA who they are and where they'll be? I'm just thinking from the POV of keeping commercial flight paths clear etc. 

I guess we're talking about a whole range of things, most of which I think have a rational explanation and all of which I find interesting.  

I don't think we can discount the forces and overhead drones and the like. That's not conpiracy, that's just looking at the balance of probability. 

 

IMO opinion though saying it's things like UFO's (while it would be interesting to have confirmed either way) is probably the more banal explanation.