News · Stoke-on-Trent
Mystery Bioflight aircraft spotted over Stoke-on-Trent
A specialist aircraft operated by Bioflight was spotted flying over Stoke-on-Trent this evening, prompting questions about what exactly it was doing above the city.
The aircraft, operating as BIO05/BIO5, was identified as OY-VPE, a Vulcanair P.68 Observer 2 operated by Danish aerial-survey company Bioflight.
Flight tracking information showed the aircraft operating in the Stoke-on-Trent area before its tracking information listed Chester as its destination. The aircraft is not an ordinary passenger plane, Bioflight's P.68 aircraft are specifically used for specialist aerial survey missions.
The company's fleet is designed for both onshore and offshore survey work, with aircraft equipped for collecting data from the air.
So what was it doing over Stoke?
At this stage, the exact purpose of Monday evening's flight has not been confirmed.
The discovery is particularly interesting because the Civil Aviation Authority currently lists an aerial-survey operation covering Stoke-on-Trent, although that notice names Bluesky rather than Bioflight as the operator.
That means it would be wrong to say that the Bioflight aircraft was definitely carrying out that particular survey.
Bioflight has previously undertaken aerial-survey work elsewhere in the UK, including operations around Blackpool, Manchester and Newcastle, demonstrating that its aircraft are regularly deployed for detailed data-collection missions.
The P.68 Observer 2 is particularly suited to this kind of work, allowing specialist equipment to be carried while the aircraft flies relatively slowly over an area.
For people watching from the ground, this can make the aircraft appear to spend an unusually long time over the same area, sometimes making repeated passes rather than simply travelling from one airport to another.
More questions than answers
There is currently no indication that the flight was connected to an emergency, police operation or anything sinister.
Instead, the aircraft's identity and operator point towards specialist aviation work.
One possibility is that Bioflight could be carrying out survey work connected to the Bluesky operation, but this has not been confirmed.
Six Towns Daily has been unable to establish exactly what data was being collected over Stoke-on-Trent during this evening's flight, and Bioflight has not publicly identified the specific purpose of this particular operation.
For now, the mystery remains: what exactly was BIO05 looking for over Stoke-on-Trent?
We'll keep an eye on the aircraft's movements and any further information about the operation.
