UKC

Merry Xmas & Happy New Year to you all.
This post was prompted by a woman on the radio today who explained how she was encouraged to climb to the top of one of the Langdale Pikes with her son.
Once they had got there, wearing hi-vis jackets by the way, an airforce jet came down the valley, below them. She was enthralled, to the extent that she waved at the pilot. That resulted in this, when the pilot had completed his run down the valley, he turned around, went back up the valley & he waggled his wings which she thinks was a return salute to herself. (Female wishes)
Now, you may all be wondering why this is on the Rocktalk site. so here is the reason. I was climbing in Glen Coe, on a pitch that was giving me problems when I was assaulted (that is the only word to describe it) by an RAF jet which caused me to lose my concentration & almost fall.
Has anyone ever fallen off the climb because of the jets?

In reply to mockerkin:

No but once watched three Hercules transports fly past below me while sat on the Napes Needle.

In reply to mockerkin:

no, but once climbing in rosyth quarry a quite large remote controlled plane crashed about 6 feet to my right as i was mid crux, this alarmed me a little. not as bad as the usual problems climbing there though- being shot/stabbed etc.

In reply to mockerkin: No, but I was once blown off a route by the down draft of a Seaking helicopter attempting to rescue a party on an adjacent climb...





...sorry bad joke. Don't worry, I'm already on my way to the donation box.

In reply to mockerkin: I was once repeatedly assaulted by a doughnut bag which was caught up in a swirling vortex at Stanage.

In reply to mockerkin: Many years ago my wife an I had been trecking in scotland for a couple of days without seeing a soul. It was a blistering day. With sore feet and parched tongues we found ourselves at a beautiful little spot with a pool and small waterfall. "Go on - nobody will see you" - I encouraged her. Soon we were enjoying an ideallic skinny dip. 10 seconds after getting out and getting clothes back on - whoosh - a visit from the RAF at 50 feet. We live eternally grateful that we did not cause loss of life!

In reply to mockerkin:

I was buzzed on the summit of Mt Earnslaw in NZ southern alps by a helicopter - turned out the pilot who was due along there anyway had been asked to check up on us by the bloke we were staying with! Could have picked us up if you ask me!

In reply to mountassguard:

>> OK, I won't advise Rosyth to anyone. But today I saw a youngster in the field behind us with a flying orange disc which he was able to control remotely. He had his dog chasing it and confused the dog when the kid's UFO did it's turns & swoops. Imagine if he becomes a climber,or a climb watcher, the chaos that he could cause! I know, have seen climbers watching rivals from below using binoculars, to see how well they did.
Is it possible that rivalry be reach the point where a climber is doing very well, only for a rival to send an orange disc around his head?
That's me gone today, her indoors calls.

In reply to mockerkin: I had just flopped over the top of Scorpion at Bowden Doors some years ago when I saw a low flying jet approaching over the moor. I had time to brace myself for the noise but my son and his pal almost wet themselves and tried to hide in the boulders as they were engulfed by the roar. A minute earlier and I would have been on the deck I suspect.

In reply to mockerkin:
Whilst soloing Hadrian's Wall on the Ben I heard a rumble that became a roar and honestly thought I was about to be taken out by an avalanche. I clung on really tightly and tried to flatten myself against the ice.
It turned out to be a raf jet. The relief was immense but it took me quite a while to regain my composure and get going again.
Jase

In reply to mockerkin: I've never been blown off on a route, we generally wait till we are back at the car

In reply to mockerkin:

An Apache helicopter once fired a Hellfire missile at me while I was climbing Green Crack at Windgather. Luckily, I was wearing my helmet. Be safe out there folks.

In reply to mockerkin: May 2007 was at Baysbrown campsite at Chapel Stile, there were two Chinooks around, closely following each other, some of the time I was watching them through binoculars, I have great respect for the skill of the pilots.

Saw them close to Harrison Stickle - then they disappeared behind before coming tight over the top of Pavey Ark, coming straight down the face so in the bottom of the valley I could see the whole tops of the helicopters, disappear from view, followed by silence as they must have been going close of Stickle Tarn, then reappearing hugging the ground alongside Stickle Ghyll, then along Great Langdale as low as they could go before pulling up a lot to clear the trees next to the campsite at Chapel Stile.

I was glad I wasn't on Pavey |Ark as they came down/over.

I don't think the military does low flying on the weekends unless it is a rescue helicopter.

In reply to mockerkin:
I got buzzed by a lot of gnats at the Roaches this summer

In reply to mockerkin: For those feeling like they are missing out, the Wainstones is a great crag for plane spotting. Always see a few there.

In reply to mockerkin:

Thankfully i've always seen them before you feel the blast enabling me to stop get a good grip and brace myself,very off putting though especially on delicate climbs many pitches off the ground.

In reply to mockerkin:
Jealous now, we've got no little men painted on the side of our Helicopters. Time to start hovering over Anglezarke and increase that body count

In reply to mockerkin: I nearly got suprised off a route on Gimmer in the late 90's. How the Ministry of Offence get away with this I don't know as in the Lakes you need planning permission for a shed bigger than 3' x 4' in case it spoils the landscape. Bloody hooligans.

BW

Go on.....sue them....

Sx

In reply to jhw:

The F18s come from the airfield at Sion, and can't go very far before having to turn to avoid entering Italian or French airspace, so it looks like continuous dogfights.

CB

In reply to mockerkin:

Not exactly climbing, but at Blair Athol scout camp this summer, RAF hercules planes would fly over the site every couple of days, getting lower and lower each time. When out on an activity in the nearby hills, one did a fly by and we were higher than it, and we were only a few hundred feet up.

We suspect they were using the site as practice for aiming cargo drops out the back but still quite impressive to watch. The lowest pass, there was a guy hanging out the door taking photos and could wave at individual people. an impressive sight anyways

In reply to mockerkin:

Once when I was on a delicate thin slab climb (F6c) in Switzerland, a Mirage fighter came low and very fast over the ridge. The noise and the surprise made it feel like an explosion and I guess(ed) that had I been in a difficult section of the route, I would have fallen. Did not happen though, fortunately I was on a good stance with reasonable handholds at that moment.

In reply to captainH:
I haven't, the Crabs stream their pilots, so the worst fly big helicopters and the best single seat fighters. I have been in a similar position on the Ben and on Aonach Mor when coming up to a cornice having the life scared out of me by some overpaid boy racer, who given the fact that the RAF have a fricking mountain rescue team, should know better.

In reply to mockerkin: I fly for the 'crabs' & also climb, so you can't blame some of us checking out the condition of potential routes when given the chance!

In reply to mockerkin: Beat this...an army Chinook landed on one of my fields, just a few hundred yards from my kitchen window, a couple of years ago. No-one got out, it just stayed there for a couple of minutes then took off, banked sharp left and disappeared over the hill. A rare site, uninvited but very welcome, especially to my son who was just 2 at the time.

In reply to AndyP:

Army don't fly Chinook, it is the wannabes from the RAF.

In reply to mockerkin:

Was climbing in avon gorge in the summer and had a spitfire doing loops above the gorge. Awesome sound. I did fall off ... lots actually... and ... yeah....was totally the plane's fault not my feebly girly arms. no sir.

In reply to billy no-mates:

I thought the fixed-wing big aircraft were the easy option, rather than rotary death machines?

In reply to mockeSrkin: Seen hundreds over the years and always say thank God theyare ours.Iremember when they had swastikas on them.

In reply to mockerkin:

I was once buildering in New York with a girl I'd picked up and kept on being buzzed by bi-planes until I fell off.

In reply to chris wyatt:

That's what you think - the video is on 619 squadron website :O)

In reply to Bulls Crack: Mr Kong, welcome to UKC