FIS / RIS / Lookout. Who do we talk to?

Yep!

I fly out of Spanhoe quite often at the edge of the Wittering MATZ and it’s advisable to give a call just to give them a heads up as Harriers often come flying down the valley.

Wittering will give an RIS. You stand a good chance of learning the true traffic situation.

Moggy

I fly out of Spanhoe quite often at the edge of the Wittering MATZ and it’s advisable to give a call just to give them a heads up as Harriers often come flying down the valley. In favour of talking if only to declare intentions and leave it at that. My pet hate though is people doing heads down engrosed in their GPS and not what’s in front of them!

Just wait until we all have mandatory transponders, and the controller is looking at a screen with 200 blips swirling around, and wondering what to do next.

But we can forget the looK-out, and sit back in complete confidence, because our airspace is now 100% safe, isn’t it. ISN’T IT ?

Anyone out there worked out how I can drive the mandatory transponder off my magnetos. They’re the only electrics on my aeroplane!

Also does ATC radar not cut off ‘blips’ below a certain groundspeed. I was only averaging about 35kts into the headwind last night! Bovingdon-Bicester in 45 minutes, honest!

OK.

I’ve taken a look at a chart now and I could see why Steve would be talking to Wyton. I’d have done so in his place.

BUT

I’d never expect them to provide me with anything other than the sketchiest idea of some of the traffic in that area.

Certainly were I the Cessna, and four miles was the closest I was going to pass to Wyton, I wouldn’t have called them, though I might well have monitored the frequency.

Moggy

Just wait until we all have mandatory transponders, and the controller is looking at a screen with 200 blips swirling around, and wondering what to do next.

But we can forget the looK-out, and sit back in complete confidence, because our airspace is now 100% safe, isn’t it. ISN’T IT ?

Moggy: my point exactly.

“I’m not fitting a radio. They won’t let me talk on the phone and drive, why should I have to listen to that lot while I’m flying!”

I like it!

Maybe I should get one of these mobile phone adapters for my headset and wear that on the way to work. It’d look even sillier with a bonedome!

1) Because we enjoy flying, not talking
2) Because we are non-radio
3) Because we are talking to somebody else
4) Because we are on Safety Com

VFR is see and avoid.
An FIS gives known traffic only.
Moggy

I spend a bit of my time flying non-radio (and a bit more almost non-radio!) and I was brought up to believe that its good to talk, but certainly not vital.

Another pilot I fly with has a more pronounced policy

“I’m not fitting a radio. They won’t let me talk on the phone and drive, why should I have to listen to that lot while I’m flying!”

(It’s all right, I won’t tell them your name, Arthur!)

For the trip I flew yesterday (Cambridge – St Neots o/h – Conington), I used Cambridge Tower, Cambridge Approach, Wyton, Conington.

I would have thought both Cranfield and Lakenheath would have been too far off his track for the mystery Cessna guy to have used (he was following the A1 northbound). If you follow his track north from, say, Henlow, you have Old Warden which was Notam’d, perhaps Staughton radio if they’re about, Wyton, and then Conington. I’d just come off Conington, and he hadn’t been talking to them either.

Safetycom could be a contender, but I just find it rather odd that he was so close to Wyton, which sometimes has upwards of half a dozen UAS Tutors airborne, and hadn’t spoken to them. Exercising a good look out while in VFR is all well and good, but the eyes are only one of our five sensory organs, and it just seems like good sense to me to use another one (ears) to help work out who or what is lurking out there… 🙂

Anyway, sorry for the thread hijack… 😀

it’s not always obvious who you should be talking to. Should you talk to the local airfield’s tower/info/air-ground frequency, or a bigger but further-away airfield’s approach frequency, or get a RIS from somewhere even further away?

Doubtless Steve will fill us in further as he knows the area better than I, but out towards Wyton an aircraft could be using Lakenheath’s radar-driven FIS, be working Cambridge or Cranfield, asking London Info for some info or using Safetycom to announce their arrival at a strip.

Moggy

Moggy, even as a non-pilot, I can see the point of your point 2), if you see what I mean!

Why DO people do that? Bimble around and not tell people they’re there…? :confused:

Don’t get me started!

1) Because we enjoy flying, not talking

2) Because we are non-radio

3) Because we are talking to somebody else

4) Because we are on Safety Com

VFR is see and avoid.

An FIS gives known traffic only.

Talking to a unit for an FIS (Not an RIS) in the expectation of getting comprehensive traffic information is invariably a waste of time. Far better to switch off the radio and devote your energies to improving your scan.

(Guess what Steve, you’ve hit on one of my pet hobby-horses 🙂 )

Moggy

Why DO people […] bimble around and not tell people they’re there…?

Have a read of Brian Lecomber’s article in the most recent Flyer … he makes some useful points about ground station services and lookouts.

On the talking-to-people front, personally I think there are two issues:

1) You don’t have to talk to anybody outside controlled or regulated airspace, and there will be some people who through nervousness or bravado will choose to avoid the radio if they don’t have to use it. (And some who won’t talk even if they have a radio and are required to use it, but let’s leave that for the moment.)

2) If you do want to talk to somebody, it’s not always obvious who you should be talking to. Should you talk to the local airfield’s tower/info/air-ground frequency, or a bigger but further-away airfield’s approach frequency, or get a RIS from somewhere even further away?

‘Angels coming up on your port side Red 1, Bandits 2 0 9er’ ‘Copy over Angels break right and climb!’ 😀