Sounds like another "UFO".................Unidentified Flying Observer.

You weren't on ATS..............were you? (Smile)

Honestly, more reports of these are coming out. I could only offer an opinion.

I have had dreams of long lines of these black helicopters, and war planes, taking off ........................in the hundreds, one right after the other. These dreams were 10+ years ago.

Later...................

[edit on 17-1-2010 by Air Force Ron]

Mate I'm not too sure how to post images here, but google commanche helicopter and see if it looks like that

Look at both the Eurocopter Dauphin and the Agusta/Westland AW109. Both of these are used by 8 (SF) Flight, AAC. I doubt it, but should there have been a 'high value task' being carried out then they have been brought into play. Helicopters are used in these type of tasks, in much the same way as they were in Northern Ireland (Op Banner) to observe static and mobile targets in conjunction which ground assets.

The chances are it was something quite innocent, but food for though on an ATS thread.

Out of interest, which area of Mancunia do you reside?

Do you live far from a TV Transmitter? There are two near me and late last year there was a dark blue helicopter with no visible markings which spent a few days in the area.It had some odd looking lumps and antenna on it and would hover (below 500ft) in the same location for up to 10 mins. before moving of to another in the immediate area.

The locals went nuts because of the noise. The Met. were inundated with calls of complaint but it wasn't their helicopter. It turned out that it belonged to a company contracted by one of the nearby TV Transmitters. The helicopter is full of test equipment and it was assessing test signals in preparation for the Digital Switch over.

Just a thought.

really sounds like your describing a eurocopter EC120

bit like a gazelle but squarer, more modern, bit sleeker maybe, large rear exhaust above the boom but smaller than a gazelles, with a proper canopy style windshield rather than "windows" and a fenestron

and probably relatively quiet due to it being a civilian helicopter, and the fenestron helps

you do know you just described blue thunder

You are not alone in seeing that copter. I too saw it in the south east and know exactly what you mean by it being more square at the front. It was hovering no more than 50ft (i kid you not) above the factory units. Someone even commented that they thought it was going to hit the building.
Not too long ago i also saw 2 chinooks along with 4 police helicopters working TOGETHER flying INCREDIBLY low over housing estates. The sound was like the world was ending. I believe it's illegal for chinooks to fly that low, but they did'nt seem too bothered by that. Could it be training for future events? and what events are they preparing for?

Thanks all!

In answer to the pics, definitely not anything like the Bell 222B (Airwolf). man, that's a gorgeous looking craft, if I do say so.

If anything, yes, it bears the most resemblance to Blue Thunder (the poor man's Airwolf, lol) but the canopy was not quite as bulky as that, it was more flush with the general hull shape.

Interesting note about seeing one down south over buildings. Even if it is a private craft, I still don't see why someone would be hovering over suburbia like that. And again, wouldn't it be legally required to have a registration or markings on it on the boom (that was the techincal term I was looking for, thaks!) for identification? Wouldn't that be like driving a car without a licence plate (i.e. utterly illegal)?

To the comment about the transmitter, I do live near Winter Hill (when I say 'near' I mean, maybe within 50 miles or something) but Winter Hill isn't used anymore, and that still wouldn't explain why it was over houses so low...I can't the TV Licensing Authority spending that much money to find individual houses!

I'm not sure I will find out what it really was. I'm not sold on civilian due to the lack of markings, and I can't see a civilian craft getting permission to tly that low over houses. I'm not sold on military as you would expect some kind of markings or even basic armament, and I'm not even sure we have black or very dark 'official' military helicopters (and again, can't see why they would be doing what they were). Not sold on police because GMP have one chopper, and it was not that. Can't have been an air-ambulance as, again, no markings, and they don't tend to be dark colors. I'm sure it can't have been local media, as again, no markings - and I would suspect our media are more likely to hire craft out rather than actually buy them.

So...I have no idea. Very odd, very weird. I will add it to my catalog of awe inspiring and bizarre aircraft that have flown over my house. So far, alongside this helicopter, we have had VERY low fly-bys by a Vulcan, a Lancaster bomber, a Spitfire, a Mustang, and even a Messerschmitt ME109 (which was actually play-dogfighting with the Spitfire!). I kid you not. The best was the Spitfire - it sounded beautiful, that big old roaring Rolls-Royce - and the most awe-inspiring that brought a lump to my throat was the Lancaster (My grandfather was a bomb-aimer in top-secret WWII 'flying cigar' missions over Germany). That was just the loudest prop aircraft I have ever heard - made the windows rattle. Gorgeous.

Anyway, I digress at a tangent, and I must away to bed! G'night all!