An RAF plane caused a stir on Friday afternoon as it was spotted flying over Teesside and North Yorkshire.
The air force subsequently issued a statement confirming that the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III had travelled up from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to conduct training exercises, as reported by TeessideLive. It was pictured over the Whale Hill area of Eston between the Yorkshire towns of Redcar and Cleveland and the drills also reportedly involved practice landings at Teesside Airport.
Providing an explanation for the aircraft's movements, a spokesperson from the RAF said: “An RAF Globemaster C-17 from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire was completing routine training in the Yorkshire and Teesside region. The RAF use a variety of locations around the UK for training as they provide complex airspace and differing challenges for our pilots to ensure we remain ready and able to deploy on global operations.”
The Globemaster C17 is a long range, heavy-lift strategic transport plane which can operate near to potential area of operations for combat, peacekeeping or humanitarian missions across the world. It can also transport up to 45,360kg of freight while flying at altitudes up to 35,000 feet.
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