PROPOSED AIRSPACE CHANGES between D201 & D203 - Aberporth UAV Centre

[Nick Roberts]

The deadline for responses to this new Airspace Proposal is July 28th.  I urge all members that haven't already responded by post or email to have a look at reply 5 of this thread.  You will see the link to the proposal which shows 3 different options that have been put forward.  The least worst option to us and other leisure based air users has to be Option 1 as it contains the smallest area  of exclusion that reaches all the way down to the ground(proposed to be activated by notam up to 100 days per year).  The ground level areas relating to Options 2 and 3 are much larger and extend all the way down to Crymych near the Preseli Hills.  Although the areas do not encompass the northerly and easterly Hg and Pg flying sites in the Preseli Hills, they do cover the lesser known flying site of Frenni Fawr(SN 203 348) which is a nice looking southwesterly facing hill situated just to the northeast of Crymych.  I have not flown there myself but I know a few pilots who have flown there and can testify as to its soarability.

With this in mind, I urge members to respond using the online response form which can also be found using the link in reply 5 of this thread.


Thankyou

[Nick Roberts]

Hi Jon

I didn't make it myself but Sites Officer Steve Jones went along as did a number of Mid Wales Club members including Steve Walsh.  Having spoken to a few of them over the weekend, they seem to think that the proposals are not as bad as initially feared and as far as freeflying is concerned, it will barely have any affect at all and it is therefore difficult to mount a case against it.  However, from your point of view as a Powered Pilot, it may well impede your regular routes.

I have some response forms for pilots to fill in and return which I will distribute to as many people as I can.

[Jon Moore]

Any feedback from club members who attended the recent 'drop in event' for the Aberporth UAV consultation?

Jon

[Jon Moore]

Hi Steve & Nick

I'll be interested to hear what you all make of the 'consultation'! I'm tentatively planning to go to the last event in Lampeter Mon 29 June.

Jon

[SteveJ]

Hi Jon,
Nick, Myself and a few others are hoping to attend the 'info day' at Aberaeron on Tuesday.

[Jon Moore]

I have consulted with Steve Walsh (Mid Wales Club and BHPA Sites) ref this topic and he has agreed that his email to me can be published here in full. My initial enquiry addressed to Steve Walsh and Tom Hardie (BHPA Airspace) is also included for the full picture.

Steve has asked that I make it clear these are his personal views and not of the BHPA Executive Members or Officers.

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Hi Jon,

Thanks for the email. A direct link for everybody to see the consultation is
http://new.wales.gov.uk/consultations/business/090505uas/?lang=en

I agree with your strategy but it does beg the question about how we achieve
it. There are several factors to consider.
Do we try and safeguard  flying sites, unpowered cross county routes or
general flying activity for tow and motor pilots? Is it worth coordinating
with other flying interests (gliders, light aircraft, ballooning etc)  to
give a united front in the consultation processes?

If we want to achieve anything from this process then we must be fairly
united on our response as a sea of  random replies to the rather constrained
consultation exercise may have limited effect.

I would suggest that as many people as possible attend the information days
(publicised on the link) and show some concern for their sport and get it
clear in their own minds the effects of each proposal. We can then agree  a
common (ish) approach to try and achieve the best we can from the process.

Things to consider and or discuss at the info days;

I hope it is only blocks 1 and 2 that will effect BHPA members but we must
make certain that we understand the operation of lower height limits and the
possibility of flying under (or not) the Danger areas. I am guessing that as
this isn't an exclusively Military Danger Area then there will be no
bye-laws making entry illegal  (just very inadvisable especially as we may
well be invisible to their RADAR)

The document makes it clear that with no transponder and no radio we can not
gain crossing permissions (A pre flight  telephone system was promised at
the first round of stakeholder consultations).

How do we get an input to  the design and operation of the  block of
temporary Danger Area next to the Sennybridge Range? This has a significant
effect on XC flights from one of our best Mid Wales sites. I think it also
has an effect on glider pilots using the area (wave box etc) From our point
of view moving it to the east of Sennybridge would solve all the problems
but that might have an effect on other air users.

I would be very pleased to receive any more views and comments so that they
can be added to the response where possible. I will get an email sent out to
the Mid Wales membership; perhaps something similar could be done with the
SW Wales club?

Contrary to the impression given at earlier meetings the whole consultation
document seems to have ignored BHPA interests and there appears to have been
no attempt to make allowances to our flying needs.  I think we have some
time to get a comment in the July Skywings asking people for some support
but we would need to be clear about what we would ask the BHPA membership to
do. i.e. support one particular option or complain about the loss of flying
opportunities for recreational flyers in general?

Excuse my rather random thoughts I will now have a liaise with the other
flying interests and let you know if we can develop a common approach from
all the flying interests affected.

Steve

British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Limited.
A company limited by guarantee and registered in England no 2618166
Registered office: 340 Melton Road, Leicester, LE4 7SL
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Jon Moore" <jdmoore@talktalk.net>
To: "Tom Hardie" <tom@primarysolutions.co.uk>; "Steve Walsh"
<steve-walsh@bhpa.co.uk>
Cc: "Patrick Laverty" <patrick@vac-rac.eclipse.co.uk>; "Nick Roberts"
<nicorobs@hotmail.com>
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 12:30 PM
Subject: West Wales Airport - WAG Airspace Change Proposals


The consultation document has now been published for this proposal for
additional Danger Areas to link D201 and D203 for UAV test and development
missions. The closing date for responses is 28 July.

http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/business/?lang=en

Do you have a recommended strategy that should be followed when responding
to these proposals? The overall aim must be to ensure that the BHPA
membership in the affected area suffers the absolute minimum of curtailment
of their flying activities.

Regards,

Jon Moore

[Nick Roberts]

I am hoping to get to one of the remaining 'drop-in'  events.  If anyone is interested in coming along then please let me know.

[Jon Moore]

Hi,

Yes, precisely that - to create 4 new Danger Areas linking D201 to D203. There have been rumours for a long time - even in the West Wales local press! For the past year or so there's been a RA(T) established around the West Wales Airport to facilitate the demonstration events and other UAV testing. This 'new' airspace proposal is all detailed in the WAG proposal document (link below), including an interim RA(T) that the MOD will use for WatchKeeper trials. This is interm RA(T) likely to be implemented from mid-2009 pending completion of the consultation by WAG and CAA assessment of the responses.

Study the document at http://wales.gov.uk/docs/det/consultation/090507aberporthconsen.pdf

Jon

[danglyn]

I did hear an "off the cuff" comment several years ago at a WAG conference that there were plans to create a UAV corridor between Aberporth and Sennybridge (on the grounds that it was one of the least populated areas of the UK!!).  Is that on the plans discussed or is it just to extend the current D201 and D203 areas?

[Jon Moore]

Copy of email sent to Tom Hardie and Steve Walsh - Representing BHPA on Aviation Legislation and Sites

The consultation document has now been published for this proposal for additional Danger Areas to link D201 and D203 for UAV test and development missions. The closing date for responses is 28 July.
 
http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/business/?lang=en
 
Do you have a recommended strategy that should be followed when responding to these proposals? The overall aim must be to ensure that the BHPA membership in the affected area suffers the absolute minimum of curtailment of their flying activities.
 
Regards,
 
Jon Moore

[Jon Moore]

Yes Nick, It would definitely be worthwhile if more free-flyers could attend one of these events.

Jon 

[Nick Roberts]

Sorry I didn't make it over to Aberporth Jon but maybe some of us will get to one of the other scheduled 'drop in' days.

[Jon Moore]

I attended a 'drop in' event at Aberporth Village Hall organised by WAG to provide information on this proposed airspace change for UAV testing. Full details are available at http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/business/?lang=en

Response deadline is 28 July 2009

Jon Moore