Advice on circuit procedures just published for Blackbushe.
The airspace design around here is a complete dogs breakfast, guaranteed to produce plenty of fodder for the Gasco courses.
If aircraft ahead are establishing a wider circuit, do not follow, but reposition deadside or orbit as appropriate, and in communication with ATSU.
I thought that it was now considered bad practice to have aeroplanes do orbits in the circuit. Not impressed.
@skydriller
I was sent for a half dozen orbits (+/-) at EDDS just before civil twilight…
I thought for sure they were delaying me to get the $$$ for a night landing, but I landed 1 minute before twilight, so I guess not.
Gorgeous time to orbit though… watching the sun go down, just beautiful. I enjoyed the whole bit of it.
LFHNflightstudent wrote:
Cancelling your IFR
You mean that ATC cancels your IFR w/o your consent? really? Don’t think there is a legal basis for that…
It happens all the time in the UK 
You have to know the system…
They change the phraseology periodically, to try keep a lid on the number of foreign pilots infringing airspace.
It is wholly political, to do with ATC funding, etc.
Blackbushe looks particularly bad: the airspace design is terrible – are Farnborough really going to route aircraft in that bit of class D overlapping Blackbushe ATZ? Of course not! So therefore it shouldn’t be CAS down to the surface there – the Farnborough class D should simply not exist there and should not overlap Blackbushe ATZ. It also causes a safety issue at Blackbushe as now pilots in the circuit on that side are now not keeping as good a lookout, because they are having to spend time looking for airspace boundaries while in the circuit.
It sounds dramatic, but down sauth in the UK, I can see this having a dramatic effect on GA over time. The airspace is now getting so exclusive to non GA interests and so problematical to navigate that GA is effectively being side lined.
SO much for Shapp’s joined up transport – it has become them and us.
I thought that it was now considered bad practice to have aeroplanes do orbits in the circuit. Not impressed.
If I’m given ATC orbits in the circuit, they are always against the circuit direction in order to avoid aircraft being routed towards the approach or overhead where they may conflict with other traffic.
In the Blackbushe case they require the opposite direction.
Hey ho….
Malibuflyer wrote:
You mean that ATC cancels your IFR w/o your consent? really? Don’t think there is a legal basis for that…
that is exactly what they do. As I fly a G-REG aircraft I’m assuming they probably thought I would be “ok with it” but I rarely fly within the UK and do most of my flying outside of the UK. From what I understand there is some backwards system whereby they cancel your IFR clearance when they hand you over to the next frequency – who are despite the fact you are on an IFR flight plan have no handover etc. whatsoever… All very strange.
Biggin Hill ATC asks VFR on the circuit for orbits on base leg, 1st time I did it it was not pretty, the 2nd time they heard “unable” and I call them when established on upwind leg before turning downwibd, told the guy I am not very skilled to do that safely unlike most students who fly there and I will get some instruction one day on how to do orbits
