Wed Apr 14, 2021 2:41 pm
#1840409
OK, so here's a question. I should declare in advance that I now know the answer, having after the event had a telephone conversation with a very helpful guy at the relevant Ops. But I'd be interested to hear other people's interpretations of the issue.
It's a sunny day and you plan a VFR bimble. The route takes you through a Danger Area. So prior to walking out you call up the relevant Ops' telephone number and you ask them for the status of the DA. The helpful chap on the end of the line tells you words to the effect "the DA is NOTAM'd as active to [whatever]. But we can't tell you now whether it will actually be active when you get there. So give us a call on 123.456 when you get close." So far, so good.
Off you go. As you near the DA you call on the relevant frequency to ask if the DA is active and whether or not you can cross. The reply is "D999 is inactive (sic), but we cannot give you a crossing service." You ask whether there is another callsign/freq that can give you a crossing and you are told that there is not.
So, the exam question of the day is: are you OK to cross the DA without further reference? Or, if you do so, are you infringing a DA?
It's a sunny day and you plan a VFR bimble. The route takes you through a Danger Area. So prior to walking out you call up the relevant Ops' telephone number and you ask them for the status of the DA. The helpful chap on the end of the line tells you words to the effect "the DA is NOTAM'd as active to [whatever]. But we can't tell you now whether it will actually be active when you get there. So give us a call on 123.456 when you get close." So far, so good.
Off you go. As you near the DA you call on the relevant frequency to ask if the DA is active and whether or not you can cross. The reply is "D999 is inactive (sic), but we cannot give you a crossing service." You ask whether there is another callsign/freq that can give you a crossing and you are told that there is not.
So, the exam question of the day is: are you OK to cross the DA without further reference? Or, if you do so, are you infringing a DA?
Last edited by David Wood on Wed Apr 14, 2021 2:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.