Olympics: Appeal to CRIs, FIs, FEs, Newsletter writers.. etc

FlyOnTrack · Post by **FlyOnTrack** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:50 am

With a large proportion of pilots now meeting either an instructor or examiner every 2 years, it strikes me that this is a wonderful opportunity to communicate with the ones that do not follow a forum, do not read magazines, do not below to a club, do not this or that, or whatever it is that many of us think they do.

Wouldn't it be 'a good thing' if everyone who came to an instructor (examiner, etc) for anything (flight, paperwork, training, etc) starting right now, up to September 2012 were given a mention about the airspace restrictions for the Olympics and Paralympics? - both the ones there for security purposes where there is a prohibited zone tight-in to London, and a restricted zone (needing a flight plan, radio, and a transponding aircraft) further out, plus the zone around Weymouth and the ones around football stadia as far away as Newcastle, and also, the the other aspect that has been pushed a little into the background with all the focus on the restricted zone, that is that a number of airfields/airports will have Class D airspace (CTRs and CTAs) around them where it doesn't normally exist?

No matter how annoying or inconvenient (or worse) the Olympics might be to a pilot just wanting to have fun in Summer 2012 in the affected areas, they are going to happen (the only reason modern Olympics have been cancelled in the past has been a World War, so personally, I think it's better to have the Olympics), but we need to 'communicate' well with all pilots from employed Business Jet pilots whose boss simply insists on being taken there, to fun loving 'field based' pilots who generally keep themselves to themselves. It seems the instructor/examiner route to just check any pilot turning up for anything knows what is ahead is a communication route we shouldn't ignore - the basic webaddress is http://olympics.airspacesafety.com/ and of course as always, pointers to such things are on FlyOnTrack

And let's not leave it to the instructors - if you as a pilot have a mate whom you know is just in it for the flying and less into the forums and magazines, you could be doing him/her a great favour by mentioning it.

And if you have a newsletter... or e-group.... etc etc.. please start mentioning the Olympics now. We don't want some pilot getting into trouble next Summer just because we couldn't find a way of communicating with him/her.

Rod1 · Post by **Rod1** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 1:34 pm

Just out of curiosity, what effort is being made to communicate to the 1000’s of European pilots who may try to visit? Might be simpler to just say we are closed for the duration.

Rod1

FlyOnTrack · Post by **FlyOnTrack** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 3:38 pm

I don't know the detail answer but it is certainly on the list. Of course, same applies, as I mentioned above, despite there being official publicity, if you have contacts abroad, and they have contacts or forums or newsletters etc. let's start unofficial networking...

Brian Hope · Post by **Brian Hope** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 9:16 am

I agree entirely Irv, I think we all have a responsibility to make sure all pilots understand the implications of the Olympic airspace. If you operate from a strip, as I do, you will no doubt be aware of the pilots who don't keep up with the changes in rules and airspace quite as much as they should do, so just pointing them in the right direction could help prevent a major incident.
This applies particularly to those of us in the SE, news yesterday that CAA has approved Class D airspace down to the deck for Southend and Manston during the Olympics has added yet another dimension for recreational flying in the area, on top of the Restricted Zone.
Rod has a very valid point about foreign visitors, and all this new airspace and the Zone are the natural entry routes. Unless the message is being sounded far and wide on the continent I can see all sorts of problems arising.
The LAA Website is now being updated on a daily basis, all the news about Olympic airspace is posted as soon as it is received. Nearer the time we will have a special OLYMPICS section to give pilots all the information they need to operate safely and legally throughout the Olympic period.
As difficult as this all may appear at the moment, I believe we can continue to enjoy our flying next summer, indeed we must make the effort to contiinue to fly. Like most business' at the moment, GA is suffering from the economic downturn, and it really cannot afford to 'switch off' for one of its normally busiest periods next summer.

John Clarke · Post by **John Clarke** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 12:38 am

On the rare occasions that I talk to London Information I invariably hear someone ask for a Flight Information Service. This doesn't bode well for the Olympics!

Rod1 · Post by **Rod1** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 3:47 pm

Flight Information Service is the standard across the rest Europe, so that is not too surprising. EASA will get round to standardising this in a few years and we will go back to FIS.

Rod1