Nimrod plane?

Question

I was wondering if anyone can help me with this one.

Not long ago when i was at Chester Zoo, i saw the most bizarre looking plane. It looked a little like a Nimrod, but the plane that i saw was all white, had no windows at all (save for the cockpit) and had very funny shaped wings that seemed to point back further than normal planes. It also seemed to have a bulbous end near the cockpit. It was a HUGE plane as well, not like a small one.

I thought it might have been a troop carrier but it wasn't one of those, although it was about the right size.

Can anyone shed any light as to what type of plane this is? And is there a military base near that area as the plane was flying extremely low, like it was landing or taking off.

(ps: no, it wasn't my imagination, or a ufo and i hadn't been drinking)

Cheers guys! xx

Answer 1

Agreed, it will have been the Beluga out of Hawarden. The airfield is owned and operated by Airbus UK, whose primary role is the manufacture of wings for the entire Airbus fleet,and the Beluga is used to transport the wings to other Airbus facilities.

A very strange machine, I believe Airbus have five of them, four for their normal business and the fifth is a spare that's also hired out to carry other "odd" loads such as satellites etc.

Answer 2

The plane you saw is locally known as the Beluga, it operates from Hawarden just outside Chester and carries aircraft wings to Europe which are made in Hawarden .

Answer 3

Could be a 'Beluga'. It is used for hauling built up wing secttions.

Answer 4

As woofie said, it could well have been the beluga. This is an airbus build transporter that is huge and bulbus as you describe.

However, the way you mention that it looked a little like a Nimrod does not tie up with the beluga.

Boeing were involed with the production of the nimrod wich leads me onto my other suggestion. It could well have been an Antonov. The Antonov is boings largest transporter plane and also operates from the same base as the beluga.

See the two links below and see what you think, the first is the Antonov, the second the Beluga.

http://www.ringwayreports.co.uk/UR-82060...

http://www.darrenclarkphotography.co.uk/...

Hope that helps!!

Answer 5

Probably the Beluga, based on an Airbus A300,  taking wings from Airbus UK in Broughton to Toulouse/ Hamburg/ China or bringing them back from China. The Beluga is also used to move aircraft sections all arong Europe ~ Bristol to Seville, Hamburg to Toulouse and Toulouse to Hamburg