sunnyhat Posted September 16, 2015 #1 Share Posted September 16, 2015 (edited) Was anyone on Azura last week when the fighter jet flew past. We were in our cabin and it literally went straight past our balcony. Anyone know anything about it? Edited September 16, 2015 by sunnyhat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mysticalmother Posted September 16, 2015 #2 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Not really.....but whereabouts in the world were you at the time and what day was it? I did read something in the press about fighter jets being scrambled because some Russian jets were in the wrong place.....but can't remember which day it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyhat Posted September 16, 2015 Author #3 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Friday 11th Bay of Biscay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroline135 Posted September 19, 2015 #4 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Hi we were on the same cruise, we were sat outside the buffet right next to the outer windows to the side of Aqua bar, the bridge made an announcement just before stating they had been informed by the French navy that they were performing training exercises in the area & we may see them fly by. A few seconds later the jet flew by the window with a huge roar very close to the ship, incredible noise and speed! As you were in your cabin you wouldn't have heard the bridge info. Hope you had as good a holiday as we did, fantastic cruise! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyhat Posted September 19, 2015 Author #5 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Thanks Caroline, we didn't hear the anouncement just heard the noise and saw the jet, we had a lovely holiday, perfect weather and beautiful ship :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyo Posted September 21, 2015 #6 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I was on the prom deck and saw it coming in very low, it pulled up and went over our bow. It was not a fighter jet, but if it was from the French Navy it could have been a radar/communication style of plane. To me it just looked like a biz jet being stupid and buzzing us. I know the captain said it was the French navy and that words will be had with them. There was no possible reason for the aircraft to buzz us, in fact considering the date, it was plain stupidity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Foot Posted September 22, 2015 #7 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I was on the prom deck and saw it coming in very low, it pulled up and went over our bow. It was not a fighter jet, but if it was from the French Navy it could have been a radar/communication style of plane. To me it just looked like a biz jet being stupid and buzzing us. I know the captain said it was the French navy and that words will be had with them. There was no possible reason for the aircraft to buzz us, in fact considering the date, it was plain stupidity. The same thing happened to us on our cruise on Britannia in May, so clearly not a one off by the French Navy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron-Maiden's-No1-Fan Posted September 22, 2015 #8 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Didn't Russia come very close our our air space again sometime the other week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyo Posted September 22, 2015 #9 Share Posted September 22, 2015 The French use the Bay as a training area for military aircraft, but that is no excuse for buzzing cruise ships in international waters. The aircraft that buzzed the Azura was defiantly not a fighter or bomber aircraft. It looked like a biz jet. The fact it did not have camouflage paintwork would suggest that if it was a French navy aircraft it may have been testing some new electronic gizmo and was using Azura as a "target". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyo Posted September 22, 2015 #10 Share Posted September 22, 2015 (edited) Just had a look on the net and this is the type of aircraft that buzzed Azura. Not sure which variant. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_Falcon_20 Edited September 22, 2015 by tokyo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyhat Posted September 23, 2015 Author #11 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Thanks for the feed back guys, not being an aircraft expert I wasn't sure what type of plane it was, just knew I was loud and extremely close to our balcony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonsfan Posted September 25, 2015 #12 Share Posted September 25, 2015 The same thing happened yesterday on Britannia two French fighter jets did a low pass in the bay of biscay we were told by the officer of the watch that they just wanted to have a look at the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyo Posted September 25, 2015 #13 Share Posted September 25, 2015 It's ok for the French to say they just want to look at the ship, but while doing a low pass what happens if the aircraft malfunctions and hits the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esprit Posted September 25, 2015 #14 Share Posted September 25, 2015 It's ok for the French to say they just want to look at the ship, but while doing a low pass what happens if the aircraft malfunctions and hits the ship. That's a bit far fetched IMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyo Posted September 25, 2015 #15 Share Posted September 25, 2015 (edited) The aircraft I saw from Azura would have hit her if it failed to pull up. That's not far fetched. Men and machines are not infallible. At sea, birds follow ships, so it's not far fetched that a bird strike could cause the aircraft to mal-function. The French have no right to put a cruise ship in danger by just wanting to look at her. Edited September 25, 2015 by tokyo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esprit Posted September 25, 2015 #16 Share Posted September 25, 2015 The aircraft I saw from Azura would have hit her if it failed to pull up. That's not far fetched. Men and machines are not infallible. At sea, birds follow ships, so it's not far fetched that a bird strike could cause the aircraft to mal-function. The French have no right to put a cruise ship in danger by just wanting to look at her. A fighter even slowly cruising at 400 mph would be way beyond the ship if it suffered a bird strike by the time the pilot had to take evasive action. The pilot would only be allowed to fly past along the side of a ship. Direct fly overs are not permitted for safety reasons below a minimum height. There's more chance of a submarine surfacing underneath a cruise ship than an military aircraft hitting one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonsfan Posted September 25, 2015 #17 Share Posted September 25, 2015 I would say The one that went over Britannia yesterday was around 50 meters above deck 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyo Posted September 28, 2015 #18 Share Posted September 28, 2015 The one that buzzed Azura passed over the ship and could not have been more than 50 mtrs above her. Also the aircraft approached Auzara at low altitude and some distance from her. The point about bird strikes was that it could well happen before it reached the ship giving the pilot little time to take any action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyhat Posted September 29, 2015 Author #19 Share Posted September 29, 2015 We were in our cabin on Azura, deck 15 Lido , and the plane was level with our balcony on Starboard side, we had a good view of it but it probably looked closer than it actually was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyo Posted September 29, 2015 #20 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Whatever the reason, aircraft buzzing cruise ships are putting them in danger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonraker7 Posted September 29, 2015 #21 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Did no one take any pics or video?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyo Posted October 1, 2015 #22 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Not that I know of. Just wish I had my camera with me at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranchi Posted October 1, 2015 #23 Share Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) These were taken from the upper deck of Azura on 12th Sept. https://goo.gl/photos/pKPen9SbU8p1JHEv7 https://goo.gl/photos/Tf8tPDZ1pCMMJGKy7 Edited October 1, 2015 by Ranchi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelR Posted October 1, 2015 #24 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Ranchi, great shots, I wanted the excellent display from over Southampton Water at Hythe Marina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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