[Crash one]

Can GA help?

Ignoring the self-defeatist comments ( ), yes. Some applications include:
- Transfer of people and organs for medical use
- Delivery of small goods via drones or small aircraft where delivery services are not available
- Transfer of key workers
- Police/security surveillance to maintain law and order
- Scientific research to monitor virus particles, atmosphere, etc

As for private/personal use, if you are *really* allowed to get out the house and travel by road, and you *need* to get there faster, then one *should* be able to get there by air also.

There are no restrictions on the normal scientific and road transport based methods of any of that.
People who believe that their niche hobby can be used to save the planet and turn them into super heroes are living in cloud cuckoo land.

[PeteSpencer]

It's the close season for coarse fishing until June 15th.

Marks the end of the 'Twelfth week'

Peter

[JAFO]

And the start of my annual leave - who knows how that will go? I am ever hopeful that we may have returned to normality by then but I know how optimistic that is.

[Miscellaneous]

I think assuming you'll have an employer to return to is demonstrating significant optimism.

[tomtytom]

If you really wanna help here is the link
https://www.goodsamapp.org/NHSvolunteerresponders

[James Chan]

and road transport based methods of any of that.

Unless perhaps one needs to hop to offshore islands?

People who believe that their niche hobby can be used to save the planet and turn them into super heroes are living in cloud cuckoo land.

That is also true - so they should get a job at an approved organisation to keep flying, if there's a hiring demand. It's more likely that (furloughed?) commercial licensed and/or instrument-rated pilots would get them first.

[Dave W]

and road transport based methods of any of that.

Unless perhaps one needs to hop to offshore islands?

There's going to have to be water transport (or CAT) already available in those instances for normal circumstances. It's the same logic as existing road transport for mainland delivery.

[James Chan]

Well, we're in extraordinary circumstances anyway and people are losing their lives daily.

Indeed CAT-cargo flights will help with rapid deliveries of supplies to the NHS, and other e-commerce orders. Other CAT will struggle to maintain solvency if the huge planes they have aren't full.

Outside CAT, there are roles for non-private GA where the aircraft types are smaller.

[G-SLOT]

Well, lots of different views here but all I can say is that this experienced, current, instrument rated commercial pilot with a fast, capable (FIKI) aircraft at his disposal is happy to help, at short notice, without any expectation of remuneration or contribution to expenses, as and when needed. I suspect others feel similarly and need only be asked to step up.

[Lefty]

I’d love to think that we could be useful, but the sad reality is that the authorities are very unlikely to ever put their trust in an amateur pilot with an aircraft of unknown status. It is all perceived as risky and undependable.

In the US, there is a far greater acceptance and use of GA, and organisations such as Angel Flight have sprung up to coordinate and provide a level of assurance. There are also many more airports, most with an instrument approach (which greatly increases the probability of a successful flight.

My own aircraft has space to carry a stretcher patient with two medics In the back, and in the US, the type is often used as an air ambulance. But the UK and Europe don’t see us as being useful.

The one area that I think we could be useful in the UK, is in looking for missing people or boats around our coastline. For example if the RNLI get a call out, then it would be easy for aircraft from nearby coastal airfield to be asked to help find the missing vessel.

[kanga]

..

The one area that I think we could be useful in the UK, is in looking for missing people or boats around our coastline. For example if the RNLI get a call out, then it would be easy for aircraft from nearby coastal airfield to be asked to help find the missing vessel.

It's one of the things Skywatch has long done, and did for several of the more rural Constabulary areas of Scotland until their merger. In parts of England and Northern Ireland, and possibly Wales, Skywatch is on the local Coastguard list in case their own helicopters are not available, or the details of the missing person are not quite up to their callout criteria.

[Tom L]

As others have pointed out, this is a ridiculous discussion, for a whole bunch of reasons. If you want to help, call your older neighbours and relatives to check they’re ok, stay at home, and if you have the time, register with the goodsamapp.org

[James Chan]

But the UK and Europe don’t see us as being useful

It is sad but it is also probably only GA who can primarily drive changes to perceptions and claim to “add value” for others in the community.

It’ll be of course a different challenge with many smaller countries with many different languages operating in a close space.

AngelFlight exists in the EU too but I don’t know how large or small it is.

[avtur3]

..... My wife is shopping for the old folk (which includes me ) and at Waitrose they reserved early opening at 8.00 am for oldies. .......

I'd heard that Waitrose was only admitting people who lived in detached houses and were willing to pay a 20% premium for any product bought in their store....

[Jonzarno]

This has just been posted on the EASA forum:

Hello to all.

In these extraordinary times, extraordinary measures emerge.

Aviation without border a french NGO, AOPA, Dassault, JetFly, Michelin, Air Affaires, Wingly, and many other GA companies have put together a free service for medical personnel to be ferried where they are needed or to transport emergency supplies where they need to go.

Benefiting from the multitude of airports and airfields accessible to GA, aircraft owners and operators have volunteered the usage of their aircraft, for free, to allow this effort.

The rules are simple, a registered medical facility registers on the platform to request a flight, emits a mission letter demonstrating the necessity of the mission.

Aviation without borders then matches the plane and the crew best suited for the mission.

There are no fees or costs.

The French DGAC coordinates ATC and airport or airfield employees volunteer to open the facilities where and when needed.

Total Aviation has volunteered to sponsor the fuel used for these missions.

This service is available in France.



This might give ideas to other countries to put in motion the same type of effort...

www.asf-fr.org