Aircraft traffic (geek alert!)

[J333EVO]

As an Air Traffic Controller, the last week has been very different.

Although the way this has been relayed by the media is somewhat misleading.

The air space was never actually closed, in Class A airspace which is all your airways, and only SOME airfields/sectors like the airspace around London.

To fly in Class A airspace you need an IFR (instrument flight rules) clearance issued by air traffic control. ICAO the international body for air traffic directs that no clearance will be issued when volcanic ash is present. So the airspace is not closed as such, you just don't get a clearance to enter.

I know that sounds like a mute point, but a pilot could in the event of an emergency or if they decided not to speak to air traffic control, or just plain don't know where they are can/will enter controlled airspace, in fact many do, though this is normally unintentional and can cause major issues for air traffic when you have to take avoiding action on unknown contacts on radar.

Airspace is classified from A to G, G being uncontrolled airspace which there is lots of within the UK and in some parts over FL100 (roughly 10,000feet depending on atmospheric pressure). Although in the UK we only use A, B, D and G, though we may have just calssified some area C or are thinking off, UK airspace is very complex.

Most UK airports outside London, i.e. Birmingham, Bournemouth, East Midlands, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol etc etc are in fact Class D airspace where you can fly VFR (visual flight rules) and with the large aircraft being out of use, lots pilots of smaller aircraft have taken the opportunity to fly in places they would not normally be allowed due to the priority being for the larger commercial aircraft. Although conversly to that, the Channel islands are within there own Class A sector and they do not move anywhere near as many aircraft as some of the above airports.

The reason why large commercial aircraft could not depart these air fields VFR is because there flight planned route would be filed to take them into Class A airspace as they would fly airways, so it all gets complex.

As usual the media likes to spin thing out of control and next thing you know its hysteria.

Never realised there were so many geeks out there

 

[306maxi]

As an Air Traffic Controller, the last week has been very different.

Although the way this has been relayed by the media is somewhat misleading.

The air space was never actually closed, in Class A airspace which is all your airways, and only SOME airfields/sectors like the airspace around London.

To fly in Class A airspace you need an IFR (instrument flight rules) clearance issued by air traffic control. ICAO the international body for air traffic directs that no clearance will be issued when volcanic ash is present. So the airspace is not closed as such, you just don't get a clearance to enter.

I know that sounds like a mute point, but a pilot could in the event of an emergency or if they decided not to speak to air traffic control, or just plain don't know where they are can/will enter controlled airspace, in fact many do, though this is normally unintentional and can cause major issues for air traffic when you have to take avoiding action on unknown contacts on radar.

Airspace is classified from A to G, G being uncontrolled airspace which there is lots of within the UK and in some parts over FL100 (roughly 10,000feet depending on atmospheric pressure). Although in the UK we only use A, B, D and G, though we may have just calssified some area C or are thinking off, UK airspace is very complex.

Most UK airports outside London, i.e. Birmingham, Bournemouth, East Midlands, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol etc etc are in fact Class D airspace where you can fly VFR (visual flight rules) and with the large aircraft being out of use, lots pilots of smaller aircraft have taken the opportunity to fly in places they would not normally be allowed due to the priority being for the larger commercial aircraft. Although conversly to that, the Channel islands are within there own Class A sector and they do not move anywhere near as many aircraft as some of the above airports.

The reason why large commercial aircraft could not depart these air fields VFR is because there flight planned route would be filed to take them into Class A airspace as they would fly airways, so it all gets complex.

As usual the media likes to spin thing out of control and next thing you know its hysteria.

Never realised there were so many geeks out there

Argh you're reminding me of my university days

 

[Mr Wild]

VLM for example fly to Amsterdam with F27s, FlyBe use a number of Embraer twin turboprops to fly to several British and European destinations, Aurigny go to Guernsey and Manx Airlines fly to the Isle of Man.

Although turboprops are still susceptible to ash, they are not as vulnerable as jets and also fly at lower altitudes. Over the last 24 hours the ash seems to have got lower which would negate this, but it might have taken some pressure off the system.

FlyBe don't have any Embraer turboprops in their fleet, they fly Bombardier Dash 8's and Embraer jets. A turboprop is every bit as susceptible to the ash since a turboprop and a turbofan or jet all use a gas turbine powerplant, the can and the turbines are susceptible. Although their normal operational altitude is less than 30k ft the ash has been detected at 20k+

To the guy two posts above me, commercials do not fly VFR simply because it is prohibited in class A, you cannot fly into class B airspace under VFR or through cloud, air navigation above cloud would be incredibly hard.

 

[T14086]

As an Air Traffic Controller, the last week has been very different.

Although the way this has been relayed by the media is somewhat misleading.

The air space was never actually closed, in Class A airspace which is all your airways, and only SOME airfields/sectors like the airspace around London.

To fly in Class A airspace you need an IFR (instrument flight rules) clearance issued by air traffic control. ICAO the international body for air traffic directs that no clearance will be issued when volcanic ash is present. So the airspace is not closed as such, you just don't get a clearance to enter.

I know that sounds like a mute point, but a pilot could in the event of an emergency or if they decided not to speak to air traffic control, or just plain don't know where they are can/will enter controlled airspace, in fact many do, though this is normally unintentional and can cause major issues for air traffic when you have to take avoiding action on unknown contacts on radar.

Airspace is classified from A to G, G being uncontrolled airspace which there is lots of within the UK and in some parts over FL100 (roughly 10,000feet depending on atmospheric pressure). Although in the UK we only use A, B, D and G, though we may have just calssified some area C or are thinking off, UK airspace is very complex.

Most UK airports outside London, i.e. Birmingham, Bournemouth, East Midlands, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol etc etc are in fact Class D airspace where you can fly VFR (visual flight rules) and with the large aircraft being out of use, lots pilots of smaller aircraft have taken the opportunity to fly in places they would not normally be allowed due to the priority being for the larger commercial aircraft. Although conversly to that, the Channel islands are within there own Class A sector and they do not move anywhere near as many aircraft as some of the above airports.

The reason why large commercial aircraft could not depart these air fields VFR is because there flight planned route would be filed to take them into Class A airspace as they would fly airways, so it all gets complex.

I knew that.....................................

 

[J333EVO]

To the guy two posts above me, commercials do not fly VFR simply because it is prohibited in class A, you cannot fly into class B airspace under VFR or through cloud, air navigation above cloud would be incredibly hard.

I suggest you read again what I wrote. I'm trying hard not to sound like an arse, but I am a fully valid ATCO with ADP, ADI, APP, APS and OJT licenses which if you are in aviation will know what those acronyms mean.

I quote myself

"To fly in Class A airspace you need an IFR (instrument flight rules) clearance issued by air traffic control. ICAO the international body for air traffic directs that no clearance will be issued when volcanic ash is present. So the airspace is not closed as such, you just don't get a clearance to enter."

At which point did I say anything about flying VFR in Class A. Though if you want to get technical about it you can fly SVFR in Class A, and you can fly either of those in VMC, you don't need it to be IMC to fly IFR, you can fly IFR in any MC in any airspace.

You can fly VFR in Class B airspace, but as we have no Class B in UK airspace it's irrelevant, though I admit I wrote B above instead of C as airspace was reclassified in UK not so long ago, but as I am not area rated I do not work aircraft at the levels affected, though I did cover area when I trained as an ATCO many years ago. All airspace from FL 195 to FL660 is Class C in the UK with everything above FL245 being the UIR.

 

[ChrisUK]

Wow this is getting geeky .