London LARS (F'boro N,E,W) 'Infringement-Warnings' report

FlyOnTrack · Post by **FlyOnTrack** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:57 pm

You only have to be an occasional user of London LARS, (that may be known to you as Farnborough LARS in various forms, North, East, West) to hear a pilot being warned of an airspace boundary about to be infringed unless the pilot takes rapid action such as an immediate descent or major change of course.
For a year (April 2008 to March 2009), brief details have been logged whenever a controller has become concerned enough to issue such a warning. Not only totals, but which sort of aircraft, for which destinations and departure fields, and 'positon' of aircraft.
Whilst a small number of pilots would no doubt insist that they were about to take appropriate action anyway, there must be quite a number of grateful pilots out there who are glad they used the LARS service. Obviously it helps if you have a transponder with Mode Charlie in use, but a basic service is available without a transponder. To see the data collected, see the hot news item on http://www.flyontrack.co.uk

Mike Jackson · Post by **Mike Jackson** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 11:37 am

Irv,
You are doing an excellent job on this most important subject, but I feel that I must question the basis for stating that only a small number of warnings were not needed. I do not see how the number can be discovered.
I fly from Fairaoks frequently, always with Farnborough LARS, and can recall over the last couple of years receiving 3 such warnings. In all cases I was in full control of the situation, and in no case was my track taking me into CAS. One case I understood why I was warned, I was intentionally flying close but parallel to CAS boudary, and I took it as friendly advice from the ATCO to ensure that I was aware of this. In the other two cases my track was using one of the E and W fillets to the local flying area, but even so, 3 weeks ago, I was asked to turn south when departing via the west fillet. I gave assurance that I would not be infringing the CTR, and only altered course slightly to give them comfort.

However, I learned yesterday that the Farnborough screens do not show the local area fillets. I am aware that there have been infringements by pilots departing westwards direct to Bagshot, and this of course is a serious matter. But I wonder if the lack of the boundaries of the Fairoaks local area on the LARS screens has contributed to other unecessary warnings? For example the one aired on Pprune some while ago by one warned when approaching Fairoaks on base leg for 24 allegedly over West Byfleet Station, which is a clear landmark, comfortable for the East fillet, but very marginal without it.

Mike.

Frank Parker · Post by **Frank Parker** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:31 pm

Traffic patterns at Fairoaks must have changed in the quarter century since I used to operate out of there. Base leg over West Byfleet station! Wing/Co Arthur would have been rather critical of that!

FlyOnTrack · Post by **FlyOnTrack** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:08 am

Hi Mike - I'll make sure F'boro read your comments, thanks.