[NDB_hold]

Full marks to the ATCO who was doing what should have been three jobs today but still managed to fit me in for an ILS.

Is the short manning because they can’t recruit, or are people still furloughed? Given the traffic level today they really needed at least one more person on duty...

[johnm]

There'll be one on tower and one on approach usually, but currency and holidays might be an issue

[NDB_hold]

It was a glorious day, too, which tempted a lot of people out. TBH I’d been expecting them to decline the approach but the Brize controller rang him up for me and clearly persuaded him.

Brize by contrast was incredibly quiet, with us the only aircraft on the CTR frequency and given 'any route, no altitude restriction' clearance through the zone.

[adamkpplir]

They are always very accommodating and professional in my experience. All the time I’ve been based there I don’t think they’ve ever declined my request for an instrument approach. I just hope at some point they will get the radar back up and running.

[PA28]

They were really busy yesterday too. Again really good at integrating instrument traffic into a busy circuit.

[kanga]

.. the Brize controller rang him up for me and clearly persuaded him.

Brize by contrast was incredibly quiet, .. 'any route, no altitude restriction' clearance through the zone.

Idly wondering whether you had contemplated asking Brize for a 'training approach'

[ISTR these used to be commonly requested by civil GA IR students at larger military airfields, and commonly granted, especially at weekends]

[NDB_hold]

I’d no doubt have got one but I’d set my heart on coffee at the Aviator and anyway rather fancied the direct arrival DME arc for practice. Brize would probably have wanted to vector me - boring...