Is there a foolproof way of getting advance info on military flights? I was just about to fly out in the field at the back of my house when we heard a chopper. In less than a minute it was overhead, guessing about 200’. There was nothing on NOTAM info and nothing on Flight Radar. Am I right in thinking some flights are invisible?
I used to get NOTAMs by email every day but I turned it off because I was sick of reading about pipeline inspection and new COVID rules for international carriers.
Is there one goto app that gives all flight info that is available? EVFR Basic seems quite good, any others?
Will emergency services, coastguard, air ambulance etc. always show up as a NOTAM?
Not exactly. Military helicopters can operate as low as they like whenever they like as long as they leave a 3 metre bubble around them. There’s different rules for fast jets in the Welsh training areas but the details aren’t published for security reasons with the exception of the TTA in the Highlands which is turned on by NOTAM. As a rule for fast jets, the RAF likes to take its weekends off.
I should add, there is a timetable but only have of when the TTA is active. It won’t give you specifics
No, for the simple reason that Notams take time to prepare and are sent out at a certain time on a daily basis. The emergency services react as quickly as possible to a developing emergency.
Always be aware of the possibility of aircraft (or birds) appearing suddenly and messing up your flight plans. Much the same as cycling round country lanes always be prepared for a speeding boy racer or a police car to come at you on the wrong side of the road.
I also get the NOTAM email but our own Dronescene map also features up-to-date NOTAM information from a live feed.
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That surprised me when I saw it in my A2 course. Not sure what a 3m bubble achieves. That’s less than the rotor diameter!
I believe that’s 100m height isn’t it?
I’m very glad I’m not in the TTA, it’s huuuuuge!
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I’m guessing it’s hedge high or something. It does seem very low
Military jets can fly down to 250ft outside urban areas, and helicopters down to 100ft (or to the 3m bubble when landing or conducting ground-based tasks), with no requirement for prior notification. See Regulatory Article (RA) 2330: low flying - GOV.UK.
Jets can fly even lower in the Tactical Training Areas.
If you’re close to a military air base there is merit in phoning them before flying.
There’s some very good training material on this in the UAVHub A2 CofC training.
Down to 100 feet, so well within our zone. At over 7 miles per minute!
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I always thought it was called the Mach Loop because of the speed, only recently discovered it’s Machynlleth!
Just like I was 50 before I realised why HP sauce was so called. 
I’m doing it at the moment. I love the bit where Matt’s door was blown off by a seagull!
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Down to ground level I thought.
I didn’t realise that. Does it need turning on? It’s not showing a current NOTAM.
Just checked - the map needs to be zoomed in a reasonable amount and not all NOTAMS are shown - seems to be ones that affect flight from ground level up. But I’m just an enthusiastic user of Dronescene.
Maybe one of the developers can help?
Didn’t you ever look at the bottle ?
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Yes - when I was 50.
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