Airspace for the Olympics

[John Dean]

The airspace restrictions for next year have been published and will operate from 13th July to the 12th September. Details available here,

Looks like being a difficult summer next year to get any flying done in the South East - flight plans for every flight.

[Rod1]

I wonder if the Rally date of the 1st weekend in Sept will be changed?

Do the LAA have any plan to try to change any of the restrictions?

Rod1

[G.Dawes]

What megalomaniac drew these up, and what do they actually do?
Is it to stop a 911? or is there such a busy airspace loading of fat-cats in helicopters flying around there. The area around my area stop us going to Headcorn and affects Brenley corner to Rochester, WHY? The idea that there may be bomber on hang glider is appealing, How do models travel away from the field? It looks a lot like paranoia to me. If you wanted to cause trouble then you would not flight plan, you would just do it and not ask permission. What happens if someone crossed the line at Faversham without planning is it a missile or ten years in Parkhurst. how long does this farce go on?????

[Brian Hope]

There appears to be an opportunity for discussion and no doubt LAA will get involved. It seems at first reading that flightplans will be required for each flight, approved before departure, a transponder will be required, and the pilot must remain in radio contact. Only circuit training will not require a flightplan, but a transponder will be required even for that, with airfields being given a different discreet code each day.
We can only hope that discussion will enable non radio and non transponder aircraft to depart airfields in the restricted area to depart and leave the zone by the most direct route.
Am I being over optmistic that commonsense will prevail?

[John Dean]

This map gives some idea of the huge area involved.

[tnowak]

This is very similar to the restriction (flight plans and transponder use etc.) placed in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup.
Tony Nowak

[Nick Allen]

Looks like I'll have to launch my attack on the sailing venue at Weymouth...

[rans6andrew]

Does this huge area extend down to ground level? If it only applies to a band above a certain height it may have little effect on much of the GA traffic.

Rans6Andrew.

[David White]

Looks like I'll have to launch my attack on the sailing venue at Weymouth...

Hold on there, Bin Allen. The Weymouth venue will also have similar airspace restrictions; apparently maps were shown during the announcement meeting but they're not yet on the website.

[John Dean]

Does this huge area extend down to ground level?

Yes.

[Rod1]

So John, what are the LAA planning to do and do they need help?

Rod1

[J.C.]

Its bad enough that as taxpayers we have to subsadise an event that we do not want and will not visit.
But to give up our freedom at the height of the season ?That's a step to far .
Bin laden has achieved much more with a threat than Hitler achieved with thousands of tons of bombs.

What's happened to the spirit that England was famous for?
What about our human rights?

[Dave Hall]

The obvious answer is to buy a Northern chart and enjoy the hospitality they are renowned for 'oop North'.

We could even visit Wales and Scotland - they were also part of the 'British Bulldog' mentality. If we're talking of spirit, we definitely must include the scotch!

[G.Dawes]

Did you also notice it joins up very nicely with the danger at Shoeburyness and that very effectively stop all travel north from out side the area, and travel abroad from tup-north. to the west there is Bisley and then the Southampton no go zone.

[Nigel Ramsay]

Pain in the proverbial, but you CAN fly with a flight plan. When I lived in Spain, you had to file for any flight. They did have an arrangement for local flights, no landing out, where you simply faxed a slip containing Reg, pilot's name and estimated duration of flight. perhaps we could try for that as a concession?