Winter Update
Welcome to our Winter Update. Ordinarily we would try to hold residents meetings - but as these aren't possible at the moment, we have tried to update you all with this newsletter. The topics include:
Christmas Opening Hours
De-Icing Availability
Customs & Excise impacts post-Brexit
Farnborough Airspace:
Progress on “Autonomous SVFR”
Update on discussions surrounding a larger LFA
Update on NHS Drive-Through Flu Vaccinations.
CHRISTMAS OPENING HOURS
We have published our information surrounding Christmas opening. In summary we will be open for most of the period, with early closing on Christmas Eve, and late opening on Boxing Day and New Years Day. We will be closed on Christmas Day. However, please note the PPR requirements, and check your booking has been accepted before coming to the airport. Last year, one pilot was found by security starting his engines intending to fly when the airport was closed because he hadn’t read the information or booked out.
| Christmas Opening Hours 2020/21 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Thur 24 Dec | 0700-1700 | Aerodrome will close after last planned movement. Please PPR by 12:00 on 23/12/2020. |
| Fri 25 Dec | CLOSED | STRICTLY NO FLYING |
| Sat 26 Dec | 1200-1800 | Aerodrome will remain closed if no planned movements. Please PPR by 12:00 on 23/12/2020. |
| Sun 27 Dec | 0700-1800 | Times may be varied if no movements. Check NOTAMs on the day, PPR in advance, and don't come to the airport unless your booking is confirmed. |
| Mon 28 Dec | 0700-1800 | |
| Tue 29 Dec | 0700-1800 | |
| Wed 30 Dec | 0700-1800 | |
| Thur 31 Dec | 0700-1800 | Aerodrome will close after last planned movement. Please PPR by 12:00 on 30/12/2020. |
| Fri 1 Jan 2021 | 0900-1800 | |
De-Icing Availability
We have Killfrost RDF available once again for light de-icing. This is charged at £10 including VAT for a 1 litre sprayer (50/50mix of RDF and hot water) for self application, or £60 for 10 litres including application by RFFS (for larger aircraft). If you require de-icing, call the Fire Station on 01252 471 300 (Option 3) and they will provide the equipment and fluid.
CUSTOMS & EXCISE IMPACT POST-BREXIT
We have been advised by HMRC that airports that operate with a Border Force Certificate of Agreement (which we do), will be unable to accept flights carrying cargo to/from the EU. Such flights will need to use a Customs & Excise airport to import / export their cargo officially.
On the conference call, several aerodromes raised the situation where a club aircraft developed a technical issue abroad, and asked if they were permitted to fly spare parts out to it, to enable it to be flown home. The answer from HMRC was that these would need to go through a Customs & Excise airport for export, and then import in the EU country. It was apparent that HMRC had not contemplated this situation, and so they may come up with a solution to it.
However, we want to make all our pilots aware of the law regarding the carriage of cargo. It is our understanding that the GAR process will continue to work for travel of people, but Border Force may turn up to screen more flights, and in particular to check whether aircraft are carrying cargo illegally.
FARNBOROUGH AIRSPACE
PROGRESS ON “AUTONOMOUS SVFR”
Since December 2019 we’ve been working on an exemption to SERA 8005(b) to allow multiple aircraft to operate under Special VFR rules simultaneously. At present Farnborough Radar are required to separate SVFR aircraft within our LFA, which they cannot do when those aircraft are talking to Blackbushe Information. This has effectively limited us to one at a time.
Fortunately with the weather and the COVID related lockdowns this year we have only had two situations where multiple aircraft wanted to operate, and the pilots were always able to complete their intended flying.
The process for getting an exemption has also triggered a level 0 airspace change proposal (ACP). At each hurdle the processes go for safety review, and unfortunately we keep finding more issues we must address.
As I write this section we think we are there with it, but there is quite a bit of paperwork to be submitted and approved. The CAA, NATS Farnborough, and ourselves are targeting this to be complete by 24th December with an implementation date in mid February. We will keep you updated once we have something confirmed, and there will be some revised procedures to become familiar with.
UPDATE ON DISCUSSIONS SURROUNDING A LARGER LFA
The implementation of the airspace surrounding Blackbushe has required circuit traffic to remain wholly within the ATZ, because extending downwind results in an airspace infringement. Initially we saw a number of infringements, but these have largely dropped off in recent months. I think the Blackbushe pilots have proven their skill in flying disciplined circuits, something which I know was often a point of contention between pilots historically.
Unfortunately this has resulted in undesired (although not unforeseen) consequences within the ATZ. Increased go-arounds, go-arounds from base leg, aircraft positioning back to the deadside etc are all making life more difficult for aircraft operating within the Blackbushe ATZ.
Following the infringements, ourselves and NATS Farnborough were challenged by the CAA to review the LFA with the possibility of making it larger to the east. This has been evaluated at length, and the consensus view between all parties is that such a change would require a separate Airspace Change Proposal, and would most likely result in public consultation with both aviation stakeholders, as well as residents, as it would change aircraft tracks over the ground. Neither Farnborough nor ourselves have the resources to drive such a project, and we are not convinced that doing so would actually result in a successful outcome.
We have suggested some “outside the box” solutions to the problem. They aren’t without their own problems, but it has been indicated that these can be considered within the Farnborough ACP Post Implementation Review (PIR). This was due to start in autumn this year, but due to COVID and a lack of representative traffic, this has been delayed to January 2021.
We will continue to push to improve the safety for users of Blackbushe, and once the PIR starts, it may be worth our users taking an active role in feeding their own experiences into the process.
NHS DRIVE-FLU VACCINATIONS
As you’ll no doubt have seen, the NHS Drive-Flu setup is still onsite, albeit on reduced days. They will continue to be administering vaccinations through to Christmas when it is expected to be removed. Thank you all for cooperating with some of the traffic management measures and we hope it hasn’t been too disruptive.
We have had very early discussions around the provision of a similar facility for a possible COVID vaccination programme in 2021, and we will evaluate the suitability of that once their plans have developed.
From all of us at Blackbushe Airport we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and we look forward to a packed 2021 of flying.