NATO exercise 8-10 May

[dave-mclaughlin]

News from the CSC

AIRCRAFT from around the world will take to the skies over Cumbria next month as part of a NATO training exercise.

Approximately 300 sorties will be carried out over the course of the three-day exercise involving high, medium and low-level flying.

Flights will continue until 11pm between May 8-10.

Eight NATO countries will be involved, as well as aircraft from the UK’s Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.

Exercise Wycombe Warrior is being conducted throughout UK airspace but a significant part of it will centre around the electronic warfare tactics range at RAF Spadeadam, to the north east of Brampton.

PLEASE ensure that any mid-week flying is covered by posting NOTAMs for any sites you intend to fly!!

[gordie]

Really important that people try and give at-least 24hrs notice, which then gives them a military aerial avoidance zone of 1nm radius and 1000ft vertical (from the grid reference). Military low flying reg's go up to 2000ft agl, so they could still fly over a site above 1000ft, but they only allow us to have up to 1000ft agl from the grid and cancel the avoidance zone if you ask for a height above that i.e. cloud base. I found this out the hard way after I had a dangerous infringement last year and complained, it was thrown out as I had asked for the notam to go up to 2000ft.

Also multiple NOTAMS are never a problem as it shows that the systems existence is justified, just don't ask for above 1000ft vertical if its 24hrs before you fly. Ohh yee and always ask for and avoidance zone if you want one as you have to dot every i and cross every t to get the point home with the MOD.

NOTAMS........... 'use it or lose it'!