>>>>http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/02/us/us-spy-plane/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
>>>>
>>>>So an US spy plane gets highlighted and then hightailed (or is "tailgated" the proper expression) and flees over the territory of a neutral country, without permission. Then five days later it happens again. Ouch.
>>>>
>>>>The funny thing is this happened just one day after MH17 was taken down... and everybody stayed silent until the Swedes published it.
>>>
>>>I don't see why they needed to divert into Swedish airspace.
>>>The RAF have been tracking Russian planes over the North Sea for years
>>
>>Seems odd that the US plane deemed itself sufficiently threatened to be chased out of international airspace.
>>Come to that how did it get to Sweden without crossing either Finland or Norway ?
>>
>>That said, you're right about it not being that unusual.
>>
>>FWIW, I was flying a small twin up to Inverness some years ago. In and out of cloud. Got a cryptic 'Maintain course, speed and altitude' from ATC and then, minutes later, had a Tornado from Leuchars cross my nose at about 100yds. I'm sure they were just using me for intercept practice. Guess I should have filed a 'near miss' report but .........
>
>I used to live in a big house on a hilltop in Wiltshire and quite often the hercules out of Lyneham would fly straight over it very low. Probably my imagination but maybe it was a handy thing to look at for them. I remember being up a ladder once looking round through some tress and seeing one looking like it was flying straight at me. But I guess in Wales you get a fair bit of low flying practise going on.

See C-130's around here fairly often. My place is about halfway up a 1500' hill. They come over the top very low and descend into the valley below - by which time I'm looking down on them. Get low fast jets and/or SAS choppers nearly every day. And the occasional Sea King from Valley lifting someone off the mountain :-{