Just heard what sounded like supersonic aircraft fly overhead but too high above the clouds to be seen. Heard the same thing this afternoon. Not like the usual aircraft that usually flies overhead. Presumably this is something to do with a test run for either the Jubilee or the Olympics?
A pair of the supersonic Eurofighter Typhoon jets flew over us repeatedly at heights of approx 1,500 to 2,500ft this afternoon before the FA Cup final kick-off and possibly again this evening.
Despite the BBC showing loops of filmed landing, only two aircraft and not a full squadron have been deployed to RAF Northolt.
Exaggerated reports that Flight Control Officers were seen to be frantically waving them off from attempting to land on HMS Ocean are probably just anti-Olympic propaganda nonsense.
At least Im not imagining it then! But the significance of the FA Cup?
I speculated that they did a fly past over Wembley before kick off.
But then I was in Catford not Wembley.
Possible ?
I heard them this evening - I jumped up to see if I could spot them but no luck. Really loud!
Loud, yes. Supersonic, no. It's all part of the Olympics' preparation.
I once spent a week in a lovely cottage in the Lake District 'enjoying' sound of low flying fighter jets on manoeuvres. The first few times I jumped out of my skin.
Could this aircrew have been caught in an inopportune moment whilst training for this weekends exercise.
They've been at it for a while:
http://www.se23.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=6177
Now fairly sure that what we heard was sonic boom. They're not supposed to do it over built up areas. Tut!
But I remember the days when Concorde used to fly over Forest Hill twice daily - loud, but not supersonic.
I agree, I thought Id heard an explosion or thunder. It was a similar noise to Concorde but slightly noisier. Not sure what qualitifes as supersonic or not but anyway, we've sorted what it was.
I saw two of them from my window after hearing an unusual rumble. Disappeared quite quickly into clouds. Window faces south and they seemed to be heading southwest.
Sonic boom sounds like a loud, sharp, very close clap of thunder. It's over in a second and you don't hear it fade into the distance.
Non-supersonic flight sounds like ordinary aeroplane noise, just louder.