Trip Report June 2023

In June I had my second military low flying trip of the year with a visit to the Lake District LFA17 for three days.

Tuesday 20th - Dunmail Raise (west side). I climbed up to my chosen vantage point and was on location by 08:00. The weather conditions looked favourable for the first hour, but soon began to deteriorate when Loughrigg Fell to the south became obscured by an approaching rainstorm. At 10:00 I made the decision to climb down and with luck arrived at my car as the light rain turned into a downpour. After an hour the weather began to clear, so I made the decision to locate to Smaithwaite Banks at the north end of Thirlmere Reservoir. Whilst driving to the location a Royal Navy Merlin helicopter passed overhead routing north to south. I stayed at Smaithwaite Banks from 13:00 to 16:15 during which time no aircraft were seen.

Wednesday 21st - I planned on visiting Silver Point, Ullswater. I was approximately at the halfway point of the forty‑minute walk to the location when i decided to abandon the idea and relocate to Smaithwaite Banks, as Kirkstone Pass to the south (the direction from which aircraft approach) was obscured by a thick blanket of cloud which didn't look like clearing. At 09:40 I arrived at Smaithwaite Banks. Looking south towards Dunmail Raise and Loughrigg Fell the visibility was a little hazy, but at least there was no sign of rain. At 12:15 I was caught off‑guard by a Eurofighter Typhoon T.3 from RAF Coningsby. I did not see the aircraft pass through the gap at Dunmail Raise due to the haze and was only aware of its approach when I heard the howl of its engines, by which time it was too late to capture any photos. Not a good start to the day, but I did capture photos of BAE Hawk T.2, ZK037 from RAF No. 25(F) Squadron, Valley, which appeared at 14:31. I left the hill at 16:50 with no further aircraft seen.

Thursday 22nd - Low Birk Fell, Ullswater. I arrived on the hill at 08:10, after struggling to find a suitable route up the hill through ferns higher than myself. I was surprised how fast and high they had grown since my last visit in May. I gave myself a thorough check for ticks which can be quite prevalent at this time of year and which thrive in such vegetation. The weather was glorious, with clear blue skies and warm temperatures which made for a pleasant day. I was soon joined by two fellow photographers and a short while later by two more.

The first indication of any aircraft in the area was a radio transmission from a pair of Hawk T.2's relaying their intention to go low level. To my surprise less than thirty seconds later at 09:04, BAE Hawk T.2, ZK023 leading ZK037 appeared catching everyone off‑guard. As a result, no keepable photos were captured. The next aircraft to appear at 09:37 were two USAF F‑15E Strike Eagles, BuNo. 97‑0220 and BuNo. 91‑0312 from the 492nd Fighter Squadron “Madhatters”, based at Lakenheath in Suffolk. They were followed at 10:20 by three more F‑15E's, BuNo. 91‑0602, BuNo. 92‑0364 (adorned with the 48th Fighter Wing heritage paint scheme) and BuNo. 01‑2002 from the 494th Fighter Squadron “Panthers”, also based at Lakenheath. Apparently it was one of the pilots fini flight (departure from a unit, or the last time they fly an aircraft).

USAF F‑15E Strike Eagle (BuNo. 92‑0364) adorned with the 48th Fighter Wing heritage paint scheme.

The afternoon turned out to be as busy as the morning, with passes by the following aircraft: BAE Systems Hawk Mk. 167, ZB131 at 15:01 from the Joint RAF & Qatar Emiri Air Force Training Squadron based at RAF Leeming, two Typhoon FGR.4's, ZJ913 and ZK331 at 15:32 and finally at 16:35 an F‑15E Strike Eagle, BuNo. 87‑0207 (in the markings of the USAF 389th Fighter Squadron “Thunderbolts”, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, USA) from Lakenheath. At 16:50 two more F‑15E's appeared but passed overhead at approximately 2000ft. I left the hill at 16:55.

Eurofighter Typhoon FGR.4 (ZK331 ‘331’) of RAF No. 12 Sqn, Coningsby.

Friday 23rd - From 08:15 to 10:45 I was located at Silver Point, Ullswater. Kirkstone Pass was obscured by low cloud, so I relocated to Smaithwaite Banks. At 12:25 I arrived on location at Smaithwaite Banks and remained there until the weather began to deteriorate. I left the hill at 14:40 with no aircraft seen.
Photographs from my trip can be be viewed at: 2023 ‑ UK Military Low Flying.