A Chinook on a training exercise has been sparking hundreds of queries this week after spending several hours circling Bournemouth, North Dorset and the New Forest..

The Echo is continuing to be inundated with messages from readers who want to know what the low-flying aircraft has been up to over the past three days.

One reported on Tuesday that his son came in from the garden shouting “the Chinook is going to shoot me!” while several said they felt their like house was being buzzed.

A spokesperson for Bournemouth Airport said: “The Chinook was carrying out a mix of military training and testing instruments. It had to follow normal approach procedures at Bournemouth Airport.”

A spokesperson for RAF Odiham said: "The RAF Chinook Force have been conducting normal training sorties in and around the Bournemouth/Poole area.

"The MOD takes the issue of safe low flying extremely seriously and understands that military low flying can be noisy and unpopular but it is an essential part of operational training.

"The MOD is constantly striving to ensure that such disturbance is kept to an absolute minimum and that the burden of noise pollution is as evenly distributed as possible throughout the UK Low Flying System as a whole.

Footage by Louise Worthington

"All flying complaints are treated seriously, while we have a responsibility to ensure that military aircrews are fully trained and prepared for operational duty, we continue to do all we can to minimise disturbance to the public.

"In order to ensure that military low flying is as accountable to the public as possible the MOD provides the Low Flying Complaints Enquiry Unit, located at RAF Wittering, which allows the public to report low flying incidents which have raised concern.

"All LF Complaints should be formally logged and will get a response from the LF complaints cell https://www.gov.uk/low-flying-in-your-area/complaints."

The MOD is allowed to carrying out low flying training - down to 100 feet from the ground - across the UK, but  low flying isn’t usually allowed in areas around airports, or towns and cities with populations of more than 10,000.

In the last published figures – for 2012 -2013 - the MOD carried out  802 low flying training hours along the south coast, 597 of them in helicopters. There were 77 complaints, giving an average of 10 flying hours per complaint, the second lowest in the country.

You can call the MOD Low Level Advisory Service, on 0800 51 55 44, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm (November to March) for information about flying. If you want to complain, you can go to www.gov.uk/low-flying-in-your-area/complaints.
 

 


 

 

 

 

 

The Chinook is a support helicopter used for moving troops, weapons and ammunition in the battlefield.

It is also used for search and rescue operations in emergency situations and is characterised by its tandem rotor blades.