Planes every 2½ minutes at night from Heathrow…? Mystery needs solving…

[Gaia]

I live about 12 miles from Heathrow and, for about the past 3 weeks or so, I've watched planes fly past my window from, roughly, due south, flying towards due west (I'm autistic, my sense of direction and geography is shite), because they're so frequent, I'm almost wondering if it's not just the one plane (I know the time because I've sat here and timed them). There are hardly any during the day (I think I see about 2 an hour, maybe). Four have gone past as I've been typing this - now five.

They have very bright lights and, often, they seem to have some kind of a searchlight - could they be military (I'm also 6 miles from RAF Northolt). Make that six. Seven.

Has the government given permission for airports to increase night flights…? I'm assuming they are commercial, but it's the frequency. They've usually stopped by about 00:15.

Eight now.

 

[8ball]

I live about 12 miles from Heathrow and, for about the past 3 weeks or so, I've watched planes fly past my window from, roughly, due south, flying towards due west (I'm autistic, my sense of direction and geography is shite), because they're so frequent, I'm almost wondering if it's not just the one plane (I know the time because I've sat here and timed them). There are hardly any during the day (I think I see about 2 an hour, maybe). Four have gone past as I've been typing this - now five.

They have very bright lights and, often, they seem to have some kind of a searchlight - could they be military (I'm also 6 miles from RAF Northolt). Make that six. Seven.

Has the government given permission for airports to increase night flights…? I'm assuming they are commercial, but it's the frequency. They've usually stopped by about 00:15.

Eight now.

Amazon deliveries. Heading back empty.

 

[Wookey]

Sounds very weird to me, could be people escaping before Halloween?

 

[MrSki]

It depends on the wind direction for the flight path of the planes approach. The will stop soon & probably start again about 5.30am.

 

[editor]

Dr Jazzz's holographic planes dropping off invisible bombs to the Talking Terrier.

 

[MrSki]

If you use flight tracker you can find out where they are going.

 

[skyscraper101]

I think it slows down the later it gets. They’re noisy as hell past my house in Barnes about 8 miles away in the early eve but I haven’t heard one for around 20 minutes now (just past 11pm).

I use FlightRadar24 app and point my phone at the planes to get real-time AR stats on where the planes have come from and where they’re going. It’s nifty AF.

 

[FabricLiveBaby!]

If you use flight tracker you can find out where they are going.

Props for you to even mentioning this app. I have it on my phone, sometimes I just lie on my sofa watching people fly around the word for curiosity.


Great little thing, that.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I can't remember the last time I heard a plane flying overhead. I'm at least ten miles from the airport but guess the flight paths don't cross over near where I live. I remember the Leeds-Bradford airport paying to double-glaze the windows back in the 90s as part of the requirement for being allowed to run night flights.