Air Force pilots graze Welsh countryside in spectacular training runs
By Victoria Leoni
Military aircraft enthusiasts watch as a United States Air Force F-15E fighter jet travels at low altitude through the 'Mach Loop' series of valleys near Dolgellau in northern Wales on June 26. (Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images)
U.S. Air Force fighter pilots put on quite the show in the Welsh countryside this week.
A United States Air Force (USAF) F-15 fighter jet travels at low altitude through the 'Mach Loop' series of valleys near Dolgellau, north Wales on June 26, 2018. - The Mach Loop valleys, situated between Dolgellau and Machynlleth, are regularly used by the military for operational low flying training which can take place as low as 76 metres from the nearest terrain. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) (Photo credit should read OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)
A group of F-15E Strike Eagles out of RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, were caught on camera twisting and turning through the mountains near the town of Dolgellau at altitudes as low as 500 feet, WalesOnline reported. Pilots learn to use the terrain to help avoid being tracked by radar, a sometimes crucial skill in a combat zone.
A United States Air Force (USAF) F-15 fighter jet travels at low altitude through the 'Mach Loop' series of valleys near Dolgellau, north Wales on June 26, 2018. - The Mach Loop valleys, situated between Dolgellau and Machynlleth, are regularly used by the military for operational low flying training which can take place as low as 76 metres from the nearest terrain. (Photo by OLI SCARFF / AFP) (Photo credit should read OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)
The Mach Loop is a quiet, one-way route often used by NATO countries for low-level flight training. In this case, the Air Force pilots were so low that hillside onlookers could see directly into the cockpits.
A United States Air Force (USAF) F-15 fighter jet travels at low altitude through the 'Mach Loop' series of valleys near Dolgellau, north Wales on June 26, 2018. - The Mach Loop valleys, situated between Dolgellau and Machynlleth, are regularly used by the military for operational low flying training which can take place as low as 76 metres from the nearest terrain. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) (Photo credit should read OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)
The Royal Air Force is known to use the loop in training, and the Red Arrows aerobatic display team has practiced there in the past.
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