Tue Jan 01, 2008 6:12 pm
#542510
1) Since the weather is undoable for your planned destination, decide on the morning of the flight where you're going instead, so that in spite of carefully trying not to rush the planning, you still end up feeling like you've hurried it.
2) Plan via a VRP you've never seen before and which turns out to be a smudge-in-the-grass disused airfield which you never manage to clap eyes on the whole flight.
3) Despite having an internet capable PC to hand, and despite having looked at the aerial photos for the airfield itself, fail to think of checking for pics of said VRP in order to avoid 2) even though the airspace in question is so notoriously infringed there's even a CAA guide to navigating it available online.
4) Use a borrowed GPS with which you have no more than a passing familiarity, and on which you do not not how to set said VRP as a waypoint.
5) Share the flying and navigating in such a way that neither of you is entirely sure whether or not, the other pilot knows exactly where you are.
6) Discover just as you start to get close to the more complicated airspace that the visibility is going downhill. Stare at and think about your previously selected diversion airfield but don't actually give up and go there.
7) Instead, dodge around clouds in such a way as to drift well away from your track just as you're getting even closer to the airspace. For added distraction make yourself feel well and truly queasy by staring at the GPS trying to put in a (belated) waypoint while the other pilot flies.
8) In spite of the radar controller offering a specific direction to look in to find the VRP, suggesting a heading, generally offering so much help that they clearly are worried about you becoming a bit lost, don't ask for help until you're told you've infringed.
In short, while flying with a friend, we managed to infringe Southhampton whilst talking to Bournemouth. Both units were far more sympathetic and accommodating than we probably deserved and soon had us out of there and on our way.
We phoned and apologised and hopefully nothing more will come of it but I feel well and truly chastened. Especially since, in spite of the above list I've compiled while trying to work out what went wrong, I'm still not 100% sure quite how we ended so far off track. The wind would have been using us that way, but all the way down it hadn't seemed as strong as forecast.
We did have a couple of issues with the radio -- Bournemouth were quite broken and having trouble hearing us as well. It was strange because no other unit had trouble, and no other aeroplane talking to them seemed to either. I don't think it really contributed except perhaps as extra distraction, to say otherwise would just be making excuses, but it didn't help.
About the only thing in our favour was that we were squawking Mode C so were spotted and helped from even before we actually ended up in the airspace.
Sorry sorry and thanks to Bournemouth and Solent/Southhampton and I will most sincerely try not to do it again. (That or stay away from complicated airspace until I know what I'm doing...)
Could be a new years resolution I suppose.
2) Plan via a VRP you've never seen before and which turns out to be a smudge-in-the-grass disused airfield which you never manage to clap eyes on the whole flight.
3) Despite having an internet capable PC to hand, and despite having looked at the aerial photos for the airfield itself, fail to think of checking for pics of said VRP in order to avoid 2) even though the airspace in question is so notoriously infringed there's even a CAA guide to navigating it available online.
4) Use a borrowed GPS with which you have no more than a passing familiarity, and on which you do not not how to set said VRP as a waypoint.
5) Share the flying and navigating in such a way that neither of you is entirely sure whether or not, the other pilot knows exactly where you are.
6) Discover just as you start to get close to the more complicated airspace that the visibility is going downhill. Stare at and think about your previously selected diversion airfield but don't actually give up and go there.
7) Instead, dodge around clouds in such a way as to drift well away from your track just as you're getting even closer to the airspace. For added distraction make yourself feel well and truly queasy by staring at the GPS trying to put in a (belated) waypoint while the other pilot flies.
8) In spite of the radar controller offering a specific direction to look in to find the VRP, suggesting a heading, generally offering so much help that they clearly are worried about you becoming a bit lost, don't ask for help until you're told you've infringed.
In short, while flying with a friend, we managed to infringe Southhampton whilst talking to Bournemouth. Both units were far more sympathetic and accommodating than we probably deserved and soon had us out of there and on our way.
We phoned and apologised and hopefully nothing more will come of it but I feel well and truly chastened. Especially since, in spite of the above list I've compiled while trying to work out what went wrong, I'm still not 100% sure quite how we ended so far off track. The wind would have been using us that way, but all the way down it hadn't seemed as strong as forecast.
We did have a couple of issues with the radio -- Bournemouth were quite broken and having trouble hearing us as well. It was strange because no other unit had trouble, and no other aeroplane talking to them seemed to either. I don't think it really contributed except perhaps as extra distraction, to say otherwise would just be making excuses, but it didn't help.
About the only thing in our favour was that we were squawking Mode C so were spotted and helped from even before we actually ended up in the airspace.
Sorry sorry and thanks to Bournemouth and Solent/Southhampton and I will most sincerely try not to do it again. (That or stay away from complicated airspace until I know what I'm doing...)
Could be a new years resolution I suppose.
"Let's go flying"
Scribblings of a novice PPL
Scribblings of a novice PPL