AIRSPACE THE TUTORS
Michael Benson is GASCo’s Regional Safety Officer West. He gained his PPL in 1968 and has continued to fly mostly SEPs ever since. Having started training in Terriers, seen the arrival of Pipers and Cessnas, and the emergence of microlights, his favourite aircraft is the Tiger Moth and he flies a Robin out of Exeter.
Seeing airspace like this makes you think
isn’t an infringement as such, but a pilot could still be prosecuted for ‘endangering the safety of an aircraft’ which can carry a heavy penalty. While it’s tempting to think that to some
a ‘minor’ incursion on the edge of, say, Heathrow’s CTR might be thought of as ‘no real harm, no real foul’, it’s shown in a revealing video interview with a controller just what even a minor incursion there actually means. Because an unknown infringing aircraft’s
intentions are unknown and it could make unpredictable manoeuvers, the second it crosses into the zone NATS’ computers automatically highlight it with a purple ‘bubble’ and controllers have to manoeuvre other aircraft to avoid the bubble laterally by 5nm or vertically by 5,000ft, making a large portion of controlled airspace effectively unusable. This means aircraft having to make
avoidance manoeuvers and airports possibly ceasing operations while the infringement is sorted out. Not only that, the knock-on effects can be massive; some aircraft might not have much fuel remaining before they are into their reserves which means diverting “because they can’t afford to hang around hoping for the situation to be resolved”. On top of that, “What,” asks Michael, “would happen then if a passenger fell ill or had a heart attack while in an unscheduled hold caused by an infringement?” It’s a sobering thought. Another airspace infringement surprise
comes in the form of Hawarden (near Chester). It was infringed 71 times in three months since the beginning of April last year when it became the UK’s first permanent RMZ (Radio Mandatory Zone)
34 CLUED UP Summer 2018
but many pilots still don’t know about it which, it’s pointed out, could be down to them flying with old charts. As the day progresses multi-choice questions go up on the screen at various times covering different topics, either to establish people’s knowledge (what they don’t know…) or to see what they’ve absorbed through the day. It’s all done with good humour using an anonymous Ombea electronic voting system that puts up the results onscreen so that everyone can see how much others in the group know, or don’t know, without any finger-pointing. Asked what the causes of infringements
are produces an interesting response from the group: first comes distraction, followed by kit malfunction, traffic/ airspace knowledge, misunderstanding and finally not keeping on top of up- to-date information. One attendee, for example, didn’t know that there’s an AIS (Aeronautical Information Service) phone line (08085 354802) to get the latest information on specific NOTAM, including RA(T)s (Restricted Areas Temporary), airspace upgrades and emergency restrictions of flying). Another interesting point that comes out
is transponders outputting incorrect height info, so it’s well worth checking them. You’d think that flying 400ft below controlled airspace would be safe enough, but one pilot (not in this group) was thought to have infringed vertically because his transponder had a 450ft error which placed him in controlled airspace, and he didn’t even know it. By lunchtime tensions had eased
considerably and people talked much more freely, perhaps because they were surprised
Keith Thomas is GASCo’s Regional Safety Officer Eastern England. He first learnt to fly in gliders then completed Basic Flying Training at RAFC Cranwell on the JP3 & 5 before volunteering for rotary advanced training on Sioux and Whirlwind helicopters. This was followed by the Wessex OCU at RAF Shawbury and posting to 72 Sqn on the Wessex. This was followed by 10 more tours of duty and then a career with the CAA. He has held an ATPL(H) with Instructor, Examiner & Display pilot ratings, a CPL(A) with Instructor rating, a PPL Balloons & a FAA Seaplane rating.
to learn there really were things they didn’t know or had, perhaps, simply forgotten over their years in the air. During the afternoon there’s much
more of a ‘workshop feel’ to the day with quizzes and exercises (planning a flight and having it critiqued by their peers was interesting to watch…) and some humour, too — to underline distraction, one of the main causes of airspace busts, a video The Monkey Business Illusion was shown which surprised a number of people — if you’ve never seen it, you can find it on YouTube. Finally as the day draws to a close, it’s clear that most, if not all, have gained an understanding of some things they didn’t know and the knowledge to help fill those gaps — the atmosphere is a more relaxed as completion certificates are handed out. There’s no doubt that few pilots want
to be ‘invited’ to attend these courses, but the reality certainly on this day was far better and more enjoyable for most than expected. If you’ve got to be pulled up for something, there are worse ways to spend a day.
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