[updated:LAST EDITED ON 29-09-02 AT 05:37 PM (GMT)]Got quite scared today. Was out in my Garden, and for the whole time I was out there, there was this light aircraft flying around {roughly for about 2 1/2 hours.} Its was getting closer and closer to flying over the top of my house, I though it was a weird thing for this type of plane to be flying in my area, as we hardly ever get them, because of other aircraft coming into LHR.
About 2:15pm, A BA A319, flew over, as it did the light plane flew straight into its path, an almighty raw from the BA as it banked to the right and a loud noise came from the light aircraft as it began to pull upwards, to avoid contact.
After this incident the aircraft disappeared for about 5 minutes, but came back and carried on circling over the area in which I live in.
I got the number of the light aircraft, because after this incident it was flying at a lower altitude… I think it was G-BLKO. Plane type was a Cessna 152 aircraft.
I wonder if anything will ever come on the news about it, they usually take a few years to be made public.
Has anyone else on the Forum ever seen anything like this? Quite exciting, but frightening also 🙁 .
By: wysiwyg - 2nd October 2002 at 07:18
RE: Near Miss!
Showbiz Shaz, what a great name!!!!!!!!
Looks like traffic reporting is moving with the times, getting a larger budget a going rotary! My pal left traffic a few years back, went to air taxi for a while and now works at the same place as me.
By: Bhoy - 1st October 2002 at 21:37
RE: Near Miss!
I’m pretty sure Clyde1 use the IRN-BRU liveried Bell ranger for their reports…
In fact, I’m sure. Showbiz Shaz was in FHM’s local radio lovelies (or something… it was a while ago) and said she was up in the chopper most mornings for the Bowie Boy’s breakfast show…
By: wysiwyg - 1st October 2002 at 17:47
RE: Near Miss!
There is/was a company at Stapleford called Metro Aviation (I think) who use Senecas to provide radio traffic reports for most of the London radio stations. They have a small group of reporters who play different ‘characters’ for different stations, e.g. Heart 106.2’s Jeff Stryker is ficticious and the real version was actually a 70’s/80’s porn star! Capital Radio use a Grumman Cougar (which is actually owned by and flown by people from CabAir) from Elstree. Clyde FM in Glasgow used to use a pal of mine who not only flew the light twin but did the reports as well! I don’t know of anyone using helicopters for traffic reporting in the UK but they are very popular in the US.
By: Bhoy - 30th September 2002 at 23:33
RE: Near Miss!
ok, if London wants to be the exception that proves the rule… anyway, if it was checking traffic, it wouldn’t circle for 2 1/2 hours, and anyway, it wouldn’t be up that early… not till the rush hour started, anyway… But, as you say, this was over the weekend…
By: A330Crazy - 30th September 2002 at 23:08
RE: Near Miss!
The flying eye in London is a light aircraft, but I wouldn’t have though that it would have been this, as the flying eye does not operate on a Sunday!
By: Bhoy - 30th September 2002 at 22:43
RE: Near Miss!
eyes in the sky are almost always helicopters, though…
anyway, if it was checking traffic, it wouldn’t be circling around one area for that long…
By: A330Crazy - 30th September 2002 at 22:20
RE: Near Miss!
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 30-09-02 AT 10:32 PM (GMT)]Andrew the flying eye, is a traffic service for a local london radio station.
Buy the way this cessna was flying, which was farely irraticaly, I though it either may have been a flying lesson or the pilot was experiancing some trouble?
By: andrewm - 30th September 2002 at 19:27
RE: Near Miss!
Whats this of a Flying Eye!!! Perhaps a traffic thing radio companies do for traffic alerts?
mmm i suppose a Cessna dont have TCAS or do they. If they dont well its lucky the planes turn opostie directions!
By: wysiwyg - 30th September 2002 at 17:11
RE: Near Miss!
Traffic reporting aircraft need to be twins in the London area in order to be allowed to penetrate the Heathrow zone.
By: dcfly - 30th September 2002 at 14:34
RE: Near Miss!
Andrew
Yes I saw the cessna flying around as well although I didnt see the near miss with A319, I found it strange, as the nearest airfield is Biggin Hill, a friend suggested it might’ve been the Flying Eye
mines a large scotch
Dave
By: coanda - 30th September 2002 at 10:36
RE: Near Miss!
and how close, vertically, do we think the aircraft, in the picture, are?
what a pain in the arse, mis informed, un-informed or bad intentioned people are.
As for the light aircraft. Its likley that the guy was a fool, or he was doing aerial mapping surveys.
A number of different companies operate aerial mapping surveys(and some GA flying clubs).
There was a serious incident when a tornado hit a c152 doing aerial surveying, without filing a proper flight plan. The tornado pilot had the mis-fortune to be doing his head down checks, didnt see the cessna and thus went straight through it, to plow into the ground some miles away, having elected to stay with the aircraft to avoid civvy areas.
This illustrious C152 may have been on a similar mission.
I obviously dont know the routings or the extent of heathrows airspace off the top of my head, but this aircraft may well have been operating UNDER heathrows CTA, as, with most CTA’s as they come down, the radius of the controlled airspace reduces in blocks.
there is no real excuse for him not to have filed a proper flight plan, or to have been doing a proper lookout(same goes for the airliner).
I’m sure this will make airprox, and you’ll be able to find it in a few months time.
coanda
By: EGNM - 29th September 2002 at 20:09
RE: Near Miss!
Give it 3 months until the annocouncment of the results of an enquiry from the AAIB Airprox report board – it takes a couple to go thru
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September 29, 2002 at 4:48 pm