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21 Jun 16 All North of England RAUWG Members Copy to: AOBM Head of RAF Safety Centre SO2 STAR RECORD OF DECISIONS FROM A MEETING OF THE NORTH OF ENGLAND REGIONAL AIRSPACE USERS WORKING GROUP (RAUWG) HELD IN THE OFFICERS’ MESS RAF LEEMING ON 11 MAY 16 Annexes: A. Maps of glider waveboxes in the North Yorkshire area. B. Map of modified combined ATZ for Leeds East Airport and Sherburn-in-Elmet. C. Cumbrian Airspace Users Forum (CAUF) minutes.

Present Gp Capt David Bradshaw Wg Cdr Ian Robinson Wg Cdr Jim Lawson Sqn Ldr Rebecca Case Sqn Ldr Gareth Wiggin Flt Lt Tim Clement Flt Lt Will Drake Flt Lt Neil Heaney Flt Lt Steve Lamb Flt Lt Mark Smales Flt Lt Jon Trueman WO Jim McLean WO2 Kieran Mulkeen FS Clive Jones Sgt Jon Ollier Capt(Pol) Phil Houghton PC Mark Walley Mr Mark Badminton Mr Martin Baxter Mr Lawrence Bell Mr Graeme Bennie Mr Michael Boot Mr Richard Bowater Mr John Bowes Mr Alastair Breckon Mr Chris Denham Mr Mark Dodd Mr Steve Evans Mr Aaron Gilbraith Ms Emma Jane Gill Mrs Caroline Gough-Cooper Mrs Claire Gretton Mr Mark Griffiths Mr Matthew Heaton Ms Sara Lamb Mr Kenton Lock Mr Alastair Mackenzie Mrs Karen Maidment Mr Andy Marvin Mr Dan McAllister Mr Anthony McDermott Mr Dick Midwinter Mr Ian Mousette

RAF Leeming Stn Cdr RAF Leeming OC Ops RAF Safety Centre SO1 Comms RAF Leeming SATCO RAF Linton-on-Ouse SATCO 100 Sqn Aircrew RAF Leeming FS Cell RAF Linton-on-Ouse FSO RAF Leeming FSO RAF Leeming Glider Liaison RAF Linton-on-Ouse Glider Liaison 1 Gp Hawk CAMO QM/Yorkshire Gliding Club 9AAC Dishforth UASO RAF Spadeadam ATCO RAF Linton-on-Ouse ATCO NPAS Pilot NPAS Tactical Flight Officer Bagby Airfield CFI Dales Hang Gliding Chairman / BHPA Durham Aerosports CFI DTFT Safety and Compliance Officer Leeds East Airport Senior FISO The Northern Balloon Group Organiser Oxenhope Airfield Pilot Sherburn In Elmet Instructor/Examiner Durham Aerosports MD Sky Dive St George Chief Pilot BAE Systems Walney Airfield Tower Manager Fishburn Airfield Treasurer Croft Circuit GASCo Safety Officer DTFT Safety Officer Multiflight Chief Helicopter Pilot Oxenhope Airfield Pilot Sky Dive St George Ops Manager ATCS Ltd Training & Standards Manager Burn Airspace Group Rep DTVA ATCS Manager Rufforth West CFI Bagby Airfield Pilot Chairman Regional Soaring Airspace Gp Wolds GC DCFI Yorkshire Air Ambulance Pilot / Safety Manager

Chairman Briefer Briefer Briefer

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Mr Gary Oldfield Mr Kevin Packer Mr Andy Parish Mr Mike Poole Mr Perry Reid Mrs Patricia Ridger Mr Dale Shakeshaft Mr Alan Siddoway Mr Kyle Simpson Mr David Smith Mr Brian Spence Mr Peter Spencer Mr Simon Spurgeon Mr Christian Thirkell Mr Phil Traviss Mr David Turner Mr Paul Turner Mr Denis Walker Mr David Withington Mr Jim Wylie Flt Lt Neil Crosthwaite

Croft Circuit Pilot Carlisle Airport Manager ATS Yorkshire Gliding Club (Sutton Bank) CFI Rufforth East Airsports Training AFJ Durham Aerosports MD Wolds GC BGA Flight Examiner Sailplanes 645 VGS FSO LBA Head of Air Traffic Services Cobham DTVA Senior Base Pilot Baxby Airsports CFI DTFT Senior Instructor Director Beverley Airfield Cobham DTVA Base Manager Yorkshire Gliding Club Chairman Pennine Balloon Association Chair / Pilot NATS Prestwick Local Area Supervisor ATC Croft Circuit Pilot Derbyshire Soaring Club Chairman Cobham DTVA Pilot Newcastle Airport ATC Manager RAF Leeming ATCO

Briefer Briefer Briefer Briefer Briefer Secretary

Apologies Gp Capt Ian Laing Wg Cdr Rupert Joel Sqn Ldr Baz Cross Sqn Ldr Stephen Hughes Sqn Ldr Colin Melvin Sqn Ldr Jules Sampson Flt Lt Peter Massey Flt Lt Jonny Meadows Flt Lt Suzanne Mitchell Sgt(Pol) Dave Clark Mr Angus Benson-Blair Mr Tony Eason Mr Bill Gillham Mr Jeremy Heaton Mr Nils Jamieson Mr David Stanbridge

RAF Linton-on-Ouse Stn Cdr RAF Linton-on-Ouse OC Ops 72(R) Sqn XO 645 VGS OC BM Force HQ SO2 ATM Airfields RAF Safety Centre SO2 Analysis BM YUAS Deputy OC JFACTSU Pilot Spadeadam SATCO NPAS Base Manager MD BB Stratus Ltd Warton ATC Examiner Croft Circuit Oxenhope Airfield GASCo North of England Rep Swift Technology Group Ltd Wombleton Airfield

Issues

Action

Item 1 – Welcome address 1. The Chairman welcomed attendees to RAF Leeming for the North of England RAUWG. 2. The Chairman noted the apologies of Stn Cdr Linton due to the tragic events of the previous week that resulted in the deaths of Fg Off Forster and Fg Off Sandhu. He then held a minute’s silence for them and all those who had been out on a sortie and not returned.

Item 2 – RODs from the previous meeting

3. The Chairman reviewed the actions from the previous RAUWG.

a. Topcliffe Approach moving from Leeming to Linton. It is expected the transfer of the Topcliffe Approach task will be completed by the end of June this year.

b. Listening Squawk in the Vale of York. SATCO Linton stated that the conspicuity Basic Service Squawk acts as the listening squawk in their area of

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operations.

Item 3 – Presentation: Gliding, Andy Parish (Yorkshire Gliding Club CFI) 4. Activity at Sutton bank generally starts about 10am and may continue until sunset. During their busiest launching periods it can be expected that 20-25 gliders will get airborne every hour and they can reach 2000-3000ft in 1 minute or less. 5. You can expect gliders getting airborne from Sutton Bank, and other glider sites in the local area, to be launched either by aerotow or winch launching.

6. Gliding events routes, competition and NOTAMs can be found at the following site, which is updated daily: http://www.bgaladder.co.uk/showtask.asp

7. In 2015, there were a combined 8011 glider hours flown by a combination of the pilots from YGC, Burn GC, York GC and Wolds GC.

8. While the main concentration is within 5 miles of Sutton Bank, this is not the only place you can expect to find them. Flights by YGC pilots in 2015 flew as far south as Clacton, as far north as Scotland, as far west as Penrith and also to the east coast. But, naturally, glider traffic density increases the closer you get to a gliding site. 9. All of the club fleet are FLARM equipped as well as 90% of the privately owned gliders at YGC.

10. Gliders have an exemption in North Yorkshire that they can operate above FL100 without a transponder. Therefore, non-transponding gliders can be found up to FL195.

11. There are glider “waveboxes” in North Yorkshire. These consist of two lower areas which allow flight up to FL240 and an upper area which allows flight from FL240 to unlimited height. They can be opened on weekends and bank holidays. You can find out if they are open by contacting the Scottish Watch AC Supervisor on 01292 692 763. More information can be found at UK Civ AIP ENR 1.1-8 to 1.1-10. Maps of the waveboxes, as supplied by Andy, can be found at Annex A. Further useful maps are at UK Civ AIP ENR 6-3-0-1, 6-3-0-3 and 6-3-0-5.

12. YGC, Rufforth and Burn use 129.975 for circuit traffic and general information, while Pocklington uses 130.1. Radio frequencies for gliding nationally are.

a. 129.9 - Ground Control.

b. 129.975 - A/G Control Frequency.

c. 130.1 – Competitions.

d. 130.125 - Lead and follow.

e. 130.4 - Cloud Flying.

13. Questions and Comments.

a. Q. Is it true that pilots often turn off FLARM during competitions to stop other competitors following their routes? A. It is possible to turn FLARM into stealth mode which restricts the data transmitted but still gives collision avoidance capability and will still be visible on FLARM radar. b. The Chairman asked ATC Linton for an update on the FLARM trial. Sgt Jon Ollier replied that it is useful for showing concentrations of gliders but due to the slow update rate it is difficult to use for traffic information. He was unaware of an end date for the trial.

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c. The Chairman requested the RAF Safety Centre to provide a more complete update on the status, trends and length of the FLARM trials to Stn Cdr Linton to be briefed at the next RAUWG. d. Q. Flt Lt Clement, 100 Sqn In the non-SSR boxes up to FL195 are glider pilots required to be in contact with an ATC agency? A. No.

RAF Safety Centre

Item 4 – Presentation: VGS Gliding at Topcliffe, Dale Shakeshaft (645 VGS Flight Safety Cell) 14. Nationally, there are 82 Vikings and 65 Vigilants that make up the VGS fleet. 15. After the current refurbishment is complete there will be less than 10 Vigilants remaining in service. 16. The Vigilant is expected to leave the service at the end of 2019, at which point they will be replaced by Vikings at Topcliffe.

17. 645 VGS has 3 Part Task Trainers (PTT) where it is expected cadets will spend a number of hours completing synthetic training to save costs.

18. When operations are restarted 645 VGS will have up to 10 airframes, probably 7 after basing is decided, that will fly for a maximum of 300 hours per year per airframe.

19. All sorties will be on Saturday or Sunday. During these times a FISO will be available on frequency 125.0. If you call, you will get a simple response of ‘Topcliffe approach is closed, no service is available. We are active with x motor gliders. Runway in use is................’

20. 645 VGS expect to have 1, possibly 2, airframes by Christmas.

21. The plan is to run one 10 day course over Easter 2017 and another in August 2017, although this is subject to change.

22. Unless flying to Syerston for servicing, maximum distance from Topcliffe will be 25nm with a maximum soaring height of 8000ft QFE.

23. Questions and Comments.

a. The Chairman stated that the move of phasing out the Vigilant to be replaced with the Viking shows that increasingly air-worthiness and air safety are paramount in the modern era.

Item 5 – Presentation: RAF Leeming Exercise Traffic and Types, Flt Lt Mark Smales (RAF Leeming ATCO)

24. Station based aircraft at RAF Leeming are the Hawk TMk1 and Grob Tutor. 25. In the last 12 months there has been 20+ weeks of Exercises where RAF Leeming have been hosting visiting aircraft encompassing UK and overseas aircraft and a combination of rotary, fast jet and multi-engine aircraft.

26. Paradropping, language barriers, pilots unfamiliar with local airspace, more requests for Deconfliction Service and more aircraft mean the workload for RAF Leeming ATC is increased, often with no extra manning.

27. This can impact the GA community due to more co-ordination being required, more requests for rerouting or to restrict heights but it was stressed that these requests are only made when absolutely necessary and an appeal was made for understanding.

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28. Exercises are often NOTAM’d or announced via press release. Notifications of extra flying can now be sent out via email. If you would like to receive information in this format, please send your details including email address to: LEE-BSW-MCO@mod.uk 29. Questions and Comments.

a. The Chairman added that during Exercise periods there is often periods of night-flying and flying during the weekend so anybody who wants transit the MATZ is recommended to always call up on frequency, even outside published hours. b. Karen Maidment, DTVA commented on the excellent relationship between the 2 ATC units.

c. Kevin Packer, Carlisle Airport commented that during Exercise periods at RAF Spadeadam the language barrier with foreign pilots causes the most problems.

d. Dave Turner, NATS Prestwick commented on the possibility of introducing a further brief on Swanwick Mil and the Upper Airspace, particularly for any foreign air forces where a trend becomes apparent.

e. The Chairman stressed that the preference is always to request and negotiate rather than instruct and restrict. f. Q. Would it not be preferable for military MATZ’ to have Class D status?

A. The CAA is currently conducting a review into the status of a MATZ but there is not any progress expected in the near future.

Item 6 – Presentation: Leeds East Airport Update, Michael Boot (Senior FISO) 30. The CAA inspection of the airfield is planned for 21-23 Jun 16. 31. They will have 2 fully trained FISOs (3 A/G to supplement) by the time they have their licence, planned for early Aug 16.

32. For radio calls they will retain the Fenton moniker to avoid confusion with LBA and will be contactable on frequency 126.5. 33. They expect their ATZ to be activated on 18 Aug 16. When it is activated it will be a modified combined ATZ with Sherburn-in-Elmet. A map of how the combined ATZ will look, and how they are separated, can be found at Annex B.

34. When they start operations, their anticipated opening hours are 0800-1800hrs 7 days a week.

35. They expect to be operating the Lear Jet 45, Honda Jets and, subject to investment, possibly an Augusta 109.

36. In collaboration with LBA they have drawn up plans GNSS approaches to a number of their runways. All IFR inbounds and outbounds will be controlled by Leeds Radar.

37. There will be up to 4000 Renault cars parked on RW 16 threshold and taxiway “c” abeam this area, leaving around 1000m of usable runway on Runway 16/34.

38. There is a possibility of taxi or circuit adjustments subject to filming by Mammoth Productions, who are based in Hangar 1.

39. Leeds East Airport are to host The Great Yorkshire Airfest on 2 Jul 16 that will

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feature Falcons, Spitfires and Vampires, amongst others. Note. This event has since been cancelled.

40. Contact details Mike Boot 01937 534194, option 2 Hangar Management or option 3 ATC, michael.boot@leedseastairport.co.uk. Item 7 – Presentation: Hang gliders, Paragliders and CANP, Martin Baxter (Chairman Dales Hang gliding and Paragliding Club [DHPC] and Sites Officer British Hang gliding and Paragliding Association [BHPA]) 41. Ideal conditions for hang gliding and paragliding are clear of cloud; no precipitation (VMC), light winds, a hill/ridge facing into wind. When they are soaring they are often below 2,000ft AGL. 42. Although they fly VFR, in practice, minimum separation distances from cloud are often exceeded. They often fly right up to cloudbase.

43. The CAA has de-regulated foot launched aircraft. The BHPA has an effective training and rating system for its members, but pilots are not obliged to join and do not require a licence. Pilots are therefore encouraged to comply with best practice but the CAA can only take action against pilots who fail to comply with the Air Navigation Order, Rules of the Air Regulations and the UK AIP.

44. There are 100s of sites scattered throughout the UK and dozens could be active on any given day. If a site is active you can expect to find people above the site and on cross country flights; normally downwind.

45. Many of the sites are in military Low Flying Areas.

46. There are probably only around 20 days per year where conditions are ideal. On those days you can expect a considerable number of cross country flights and generally increased hang gliding/paragliding activity.

47. They do not carry transponders or radios, so interaction with ATC units is not possible.

48. Rules of the air state powered aircraft should give way to gliders, but jets are too fast and paragliders are too slow to make this easy. Best practice suggests that hang gliders/paragliders who hear/see an approaching aircraft should conduct a steep turn to try and catch the eye of the approaching pilot.

49. It isn’t clear which sites are/should be marked on charts. 50. Hang gliders and paragliders are encouraged to notify active sites via the Civil Aircraft Notification Procedure (CANP). They do this by phone or email to the Low Flying Operations Sqn (LFOS). Whilst the procedure is under review, it is currently subject to the following constraints.

a. If they contact LFOS before 2000hrs then they will set up an avoid of 1nm/1000ft AGL.

b. With 4 hours’ notice there will be a warning at radius of 2nm. Martin expressed his belief that a warning should be issued in either case as it is simpler and would reduce choke points. c. Bookings will only be accepted if five gliders or more are expected. This is a problem as it can be difficult to predict and discourages some pilots from making a booking.

d. Pilots don’t know exactly where they are going the night before, and often even when they leave the house, so acceptance of multiple bookings is

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essential. Cancellations are not recommended if details have been published on social media. e. No provision for cross country flights, although application of the wind direction to a booking provides a very good clue.

f. There is a certain degree of apathy within the community, probably due to a different perception of the danger.

51. A survey of members in 2014 found that the top 3 reasons people didn’t use CANP were that they were going cross country, they couldn’t guarantee more than 5 gliders, or they couldn’t be sure where they were going until past the deadlines for submission. 52. The same survey found that the top 3 ways in which people believed the procedure could be improved were through better education and publicity, the introduction of an online booking method and clarification of the site code system.

53. The survey found the top 2 good things about CANP were that it provides some warning to military aircraft that might be operating in the area and that it is the only system available.

54. Questions and Comments.

a. Flt Lt Heaney of RAF Linton-on-Ouse commented that there is currently no liaison concerning common low-level routes.

b. Q. SATCO Leeming Could Martin write an article for Air clues magazine? A. This has been done in the past but unfortunately only seems to last as long in the memory as the issue itself. Q. SATCO Leeming In that case, could an article be written about the low-flying system for distribution in a BHPA publication? A. This has also been done in the past, with the same issue as above. c. Q. OC Ops Leeming Would fitting a strobe to the helmet be viable to make the gliders more visible? A. Due to the close proximity of groups, Martin believed the distraction would actually compromise safety.

d. Q. Kevin Packer, Carlisle Airport Would having more brightly coloured wings improve visibility? A. Manufacturers tend to make them in bright colours already.

e. Q. Simon Spurgeon, Cobham DTVA Is the CAA looking at licencing activities any time soon due to the obvious flight risks? A. Recent noises out of the CAA appear to indicate a move away from regulation and licencing.

f. Q. Claire Gratton, DTFT Is it possible to get shorter notice warnings out to Sqns when there is a submission via CANP when weather conditions and therefore active sites have changed? A. These are the deadlines they have currently been given so are the ones they are working within, although there are clear shortcomings with the system. g. Q. Flt Lt Tim Clement, 100 Sqn As some civilian organisations, such as YAA have access to CADS, would it be possible for the BHPA to also be given access? A. The Chairman placed an action on the RAF Leeming Flight Safety Cell to investigate this further.

h. Q. Due to the low weight of a FLARM receiver (around 42g), would this be a viable option to be carried? A. It’s more a question of providing a lightweight power source. Whilst technology is bringing a solution closer, it hasn’t arrived yet. Pilots can be tracked by their smartphones using a PC, but can we accept the time delay? Do we want aircraft to aircraft alerts? Will it work

LEE Safety Cell

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at low level and what about clutter? We need to decide what we want and what is achievable in order to come up with a mutually beneficial solution. i. Andy Marvin, Rufforth West commented that due to FLARM being reliant on ground stations it may not be suitable for this purpose. Flt Lt Neil Heaney replied saying that as FLARM is proprietary the base stations can be built by anybody who has the land and willingness to build it.

j. Q. FS Clive Jones, RAF Spadeadam Seems a lot of the presentation centred on the relationship between the military and the BHPA, how much work has been done with regards to liaison with the GA community? A. The military aspect of fast jets and low flying routes is currently Martin’s main concern, so while there is also work to be done with the GA community, that is not his primary focus at the moment.

k. Q. Mike Poole, Rufforth East Rather than carrying heavy transponders and radios, would it be possible to take something else out that could remain on the hillside and warn people of their presence? A. A good idea in principle, but if pilots choose not to use the simple CANP it is unlikely that they would make the effort to purchase, store, deliver, transport, set-up and recover this kind of device. Permission would also be required from the landowner and the risk of vandalism and theft warrants consideration.

l. Martin explained that, although he would be happy to participate in a working group, most of the issues are probably best dealt with at the CAA/MAA level where the BHPA is already represented. He thanked everybody for their time and ideas.

Item 8 – Presentation: Airspace Change at LBA, Alan Siddoway (Head of Air Traffic Services)

55. The Gamston VOR has now been removed. 56. Consultation process with local shareholders will begin in around 4 weeks’ time.

57. All Leeds East Airport PAR and Nav Approaches will be controlled by Leeds Radar.

58. As traffic at LBA increases they will have 2 radar controllers working instead of one during their surge periods of 1300-1800 Thu-Sun.

59. They expect to make the formal application for the airspace change in winter next year and that process should then take 12 weeks, during which any formal objections can be made. The airspace is expected to be activated at some point during winter 17/spring 18.

60. Before this, Alan hopes to conduct a number of liaison visits to shareholders in the local area to discuss how it will affect them. He also hopes to possibly hold an open day at LBA. He hopes this will curtail the necessity for any formal objections when the application is made.

61. Questions.

a. Q. Anthony McDermott, Regional Soaring Airspace Group Is the application likely to look similar to the proposals released in the past? A. Yes, it will be very similar. Alan expressed that he believed the proposals are likely to upset some aviators in the area and he hopes his consultation process will be able to avert some of the concerns and he wants to work with everyone to ensure everybody gets the maximum use of the airspace that they can.

b. Q. Do you know anything about the potential reduction in

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Doncaster’s airspace? A. Kenton Lock, Air Traffic Services Ltd replied that DAP have put an application in for Doncaster’s airspace to be reduced and that is currently going through the court process.

Item 9 – Any Other Business

62. The Chairman passed on a message from David Stanbridge who works for Swift Technology Group from Wombleton airfield. Going forward the amount of traffic from Wombleton will steadily start to increase. They intend to perform test flying of a new two seat trainer from there early in 2017. He hopes to provide more details in the form of a presentation at a future RAUWG. 63. Kevin Packer, Carlisle Airport shared some salient points from the Cumbrian Airspace Users Forum (CAUF). Full minutes can be found at Annex C.

a. Paragliders in the area find their main problem is military and civil helicopters flying low and appearing over ridges at various sites in the Lake District. Military fixed wing aircraft are never normally an issue as they tend to waggle their wings to confirm they have been seen

b. Professional and commercial drone users usually comply with the rules but the “off the shelf” drone flown by the uninformed is the real concern. There was anecdotal evidence that the computer savvy public have been deselecting altitude or speed restrictions. The BAE Systems Press Office at Barrow will be working with local newspapers to publish an article with the intention of informing local amateur Drone operators what is required and to establish contact with the airfield.

c. Chris Field, Cumbria Soaring Club Safety Officer (Paragliders) reported that some paragliders had been buzzed by a Drone in the past and at one particular event in the Lake District where there was successive paragliders landing, one drone operator tried to film them. He was quickly informed that he was most unwelcome and moved on

d. Eden Valley Model Aircraft Club stated they have had very few problems recently but they are still getting the odd helicopter and fast jets transiting directly over the strip. The Tucanos’ seem to avoid them since the issue was addressed with them.

64. Martin Baxter, DHPC suggested that Model Gliding and Model Aircraft clubs should be invited to future RAUWGs. The Chairman stressed that maximum attendance of all aviation stakeholders in the area is encouraged and if anybody knows of anybody who is not being invited to make it known to the Secretary or future RAUWG points of contact. 65. Alan Siddoway, LBA commented that although drones are not supposed to fly above 400ft AGL they have received a lot of reports of aircraft encountering drones in the region of 3500-5000ft. He added LBA would be more than happy to share any reports they receive regarding positions and heights of drones with RAF Leeming and Linton-on-Ouse.

66. Presentation: COBHAM, David Withington.

a. COBHAM holds the UK contract for Warfare Training with the UK MoD to conduct Electronic Warfare Training, Threat Simulation and Target Tow for the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

b. They provide around 4000 hrs per year for the RN and 3000 hrs per year for the RAF.

c. All their aircraft are adapted Falcon 20s. They have 5 aircraft based at

All RAF Leeming SATCO and RAF Linton-on-Ouse SATCO

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DTVA and 5 based in Bournemouth. A problem they have with adapting this aircraft is that they tend to suffer from poor peripheral vision due to the setup of the cockpit.

d. They operate at speeds of 140-350kts and altitudes of 25000-35000 feet.

e. They tend to work with the military in Operational Training Areas and

known ranges. They minimise low-level flying as much as possible.

f. The highest risk COBHAM hold on their risk register is air-to-air collision and all their aircraft are fitted with TCAS so Mr Withington appealed to all airspace users in the area to use transponders where they can and expressed his surprise at the non-SSR boxes up to FL195 that were referenced in Item 3, as he was completely unaware of them. They will also be looking into FLARM going forward as a barrier to air-to-air collision thanks to the discussions conducted today.

67. Flt Lt Neil Heaney, RAF Linton-on-Ouse announced that he will soon be moving on from the area but thanked all those he had been involved with during his time and he hoped that his good work will be continued with liaison between the GA community and the Linton and Leeming Safety Cells. The Chairman thanked him for his efforts wished him luck in the future. 68. The Chairman expressed his gratitude to all the Dishforth staff for their work ahead of the departure of 9AAC from the airfield.

69. Karen Maidment, DTVA said that they will be hosting an air show on Sat 28 May between 1200-1800hrs.

70. Peter Spencer, Beverley airfield heralded the excellent relationship he has with RAF Linton-on-Ouse and the better understanding he has recently gained with King Airs from RAF Cranwell and C130s from RAF Brize Norton. He expressed hope that in the near future he will be able to speak to somebody from RAF Coningsby with regards to Typhoons overflying Beverley airfield. He also said he expects an ATZ to be activated at some point in the future.

71. During the post-meeting visits to ATC some members of the group expressed disappointment that the idea of a “listening squawk” that could be used in the Vale of York had not been followed through and instead the option of the Linton Basic Service conspicuity had been offered. It was also suggested that they had seen similar things implemented to good effect in other areas of the country. SATCO Leeming has agreed to reinvestigate this possibility if there is enough appetite for it. She requested anybody who has seen a successful system in place elsewhere, or who has reservations about the idea, to contact Flt Lt Crosthwaite on 01677 457210 or LEE-OPS-ATC-ATCO02@mod.uk with further details.

72. The next meeting will be held at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in November. The point of contact will be Flt Lt Emma Roberts who is contactable on 01347 847511 or LIN-OpsATC-OF06@mod.uk. She will be in touch in the near future with an exact date.

SATCO Leeming Flt Lt Crosthwaite All

N J Crosthwaite Flt Lt RAF Leeming Mil: 95851 Ext 7210 Civ: 01677 457210

A-1

Annex A to Record of decisions from a meeting of the North of England Regional Airspace Users Working Group (RAUWG) held in the Officers’ Mess RAF Leeming on 11 May 16

Dated 21 Jun 16

MAPS OF GLIDER WAVEBOXES IN NORTH YORKSHIRE AREA

B-1

Annex B to Record of decisions from a meeting of the North of England Regional Airspace Users Working Group (RAUWG) held in the Officers’ Mess RAF Leeming on 11 May 16

Dated 21 Jun 16 MAP OF COMBINED ATZ FOR LEEDS EAST AIRPORT AND SHERBURN-IN-ELMET

The red line shows how they will be separated internally.

C-1

Annex C to Record of decisions from a meeting of the North of England Regional Airspace Users Working Group (RAUWG) held in the Officers’ Mess RAF Leeming on 11 May 16

Dated 21 Jun 16 CUMBRIAN AIRSPACE USER FORUM (CAUF) MINUTES

Wednesday 20th April 2016 @ 19:30

Venue: Carlisle Airport

Attendees

Kevin Packer Facilitator, Manager Air Traffic Services, Carlisle Airport

Steven Ferguson Minute Secretary, Operations, Carlisle Airport

Clive Jones ATC, RAF Spadeadam

John Linford Aircraft Owners Pilot Association (AOPA)

Steve Evans Tower Manager, BAE Systems, Walney

Darren Brough Airfield Manager, BAE Systems, Walney

Chris Field Safety Officer, Cumbria Soaring Club (Paragliders)

Tony James Paraglider Pilot, Cumbria Soaring Club

Apologies

Alan Rayson Carlisle Flight Training

Andrew Lysser Cumbria Gyroplanes

Carole Barnes Border Air Training

David Lawson Raven Air

Paul Aspin FISO, Scottish FIR, NATS Prestwick

Tony Summers Manager Safety & Improvement, NATS Prestwick

John Castle Eden Soaring / Skelling Farm Gliding

Chris Oxby Virgin Balloon

Clive Farrar Eden Valley Model Aircraft Club (EVMAC)

John Stacey Eden Valley Model Aircraft Club (EVMAC)

Ivan Dootson Sellafield

Steve O’Brien Heli Centre

Dougie MacDonald Head of Aviation Operations, MCA

Kevin Packer

Opened the meeting by welcoming new members Chris Field and Tony James from the Cumbria Soaring

Club, Steve Evans from BAe Walney Island who has replaced John Ismay following his retirement, and Clive

Jones who has taken over as RAF Spadeadam Safety Officer replacing Gary Scott.

Kevin explained that the concept of the forum was to provide a facility for the various diverse airspace

users in Cumbria to be aware of each other’s requirements and concerns. To resolve concern where

possible or to feed into the Northern Regional Airspace Working Group at RAF Leeming which has

representation from the MoD and the CAA.

C-2

John Linford

Said it had been event free since the last meeting probably due to the winter weather.

John stated that the meeting was very useful as it’s good to have a general awareness of what’s flying in

the county and to share each other’s flying experiences.

John said that when flying his light aircraft he often sees paragliders but doesn’t see them as too much of a

problem as they mostly fly in large groups and are quite visible. On the other hand although quite rare it’s

difficult to spot a lone paraglider at height and he often wonders whether they actually see him. John

welcomed the presence of the paragliding members to the forum.

Chris Field stated that paragliders have no issues with light aircraft as they tend to be much higher and are

usually very good at knowing the presence of paragliders.

The problems paragliders have are usually with military and civil helicopters flying low and appearing over

ridges at various sites in the Lake District. Military fixed wing aircraft are never normally an issue as they

tend to waggle their wings to confirm they have been seen.

Steven asked whether the problems with helicopters still occur when paragliding activity has been

published via NOTAM. Chris confirmed that this has only happened when the paragliding activity has not

been promulgated by NOTAM.

The various paragliding associations and manufacturers were discussing what the best colours of

paraglider’s canopies would be.

One idea to improve visibility which has been tried by some paragliders is to attach a bright flashing bicycle

style light beneath the pilot.

Chris stated that in order for as many paragliders as possible to take up an initiative it had to be a cheap

and simple solution.

Chris told the forum that on a nice day as many as 20-30 paragliders could be operating from a hill such as

Blencathra or any other windward slope. On some occasions paragliders operate as high as 5000-7000 ft.

Chris stated paragliders are generally quite familiar with the military low flying routes and they encourage

any weekday flying activity to be published via the CANP system.

It was agreed that Chris would feedback any ideas relating to improved visibility (i.e. strobes, flashing lights

etc.) to other paragliders on the groups forum.

Steve Evans

Steve stated that things had been fairly quiet since the last meeting however Drones are an ongoing

concern especially after the Heathrow Drone strike recently.

Steve informed the group that the best method is to have a good relationship with the local operators,

explain to them what can and can’t be done as well as the notification process when they are flying near to

an Airfield.

C-3

Steve stated that they generally have a good working relationship with their regular local users.

The professional user usually complies with the rules but the “off the shelf” drone flown by the uninformed

is the real concern. There was anecdotal evidence that the computer savvy public have been deselecting

altitude or speed restrictions.

Steve informed those present that the BAE Systems Press Office at Barrow will be working with local

newspapers to publish article with the intention of informing local amateur Drone operators what is

required and to establish contact with the Airfield.

The CAA are now becoming more proactive with Drones. Many forum members considered that training

and a form of licence should have been required from day one. Model aircraft did not seem to be such a

problem, probably due to flying from specific sites and the operator’s greater responsibility to preserve the

machine they have built.

Chris Field reported that some paragliders had been buzzed by a Drone in the past and at one particular

event in the Lake District where there was successive paragliders landing, one drone operator thought it

would be a good idea to film them! He was quickly informed that he was most unwelcome and moved on.

Action - It was suggested amongst those present that a drone operator or club should be contacted and

invited onto the forum. Steven and Kevin will investigate this.

Darren Brough.

Darren had no general concerns since the last meeting but took the opportunity to make the forum aware

of the latest developments at BAe Barrow Walney Island. The Airfield is currently finalising the paperwork

for the GPS instrument approaches which have been fully approved. The airspace change procedure took a

couple of years to complete fully. They are still awaiting final publication of plates.

Their intention is to start training with their own company aircraft first preferably in good weather before

allowing them to be used in anger. There may be scope for GA pilots to fly training approaches in the

future. Steve Evans will be in contact with John Linford on this matter.

Steven Ferguson (on behalf of Clive Farrar)

Unfortunately a representative of the Eden Valley Model Aircraft Club (EVMAC) was unable to attend the

meeting however an email had been sent prior to the meeting giving an update.

Clive Farrar stated in his email that they have had very few problems recently but they are still getting the

odd helicopter and fast jets directly over the stip. The Tucano's seem to have got the message and go down

over the river.

Clive Jones requested further information on the helicopter types, colours and markings etc. so that it could

be looked into further and potentially raised at the next Northern Regional Airspace Working Group

meeting. Steven to obtain this information from Clive.

Clive Jones

Clive reported that there was a Danger Area incursion at Spadeadam a few weeks ago. The aircraft was

flying from Carlisle to Gloucestershire and working was working Carlisle ATC.

There was no traffic to affect at the time.

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Aircraft information was passed to Kevin Packer for investigation.

The various differences between military and civil occurrence reporting was discussed by the forum

including The Confidential Human factors Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP) which could be used by

paragliders if they aren’t wanting to pursue the CAA reporting system.

Action - Steven Ferguson to send some information on CHIRP to Chris Field.

Clive asked if we had many laser v aircraft incidents in the area. Carlisle Airport aircraft have had four in the

last three years. Cumbria Police warned off the perpetrators in three of the instances.

Clive said it was reported that some anglers use lasers to scare away ducks, but become bored and laser

aircraft. Had Carlisle had any instances like this?

Kevin stated that the Carlisle events were patrons of a local pub who were foolishly shining a laser at a

military helicopter which was very well equipped with surveillance equipment which instantly recorded

video evidence. The other instances involved youths on a housing estate in Carlisle.

BAE Plans at Barrow Walney Island

Darren reported that Barrow has established plans for a new combined control tower, hangar, fire and

operations building. The plans were circulated to those present.

Barrow operates Monday to Friday and GA is welcome on weekdays. Gliding takes place at weekends.

Next Meeting

Likely to be September / October 2016 at RAF Spadeadam.