c172
Matz= lots of traffic (often fast and pointy) climbing/descending.
Matz + C172 (C150, C152, PA28 (delete as appropriate)) bimbling along 3 miles away from mil airfield sub 3K' not talking to anyone = accident waiting to happen & big artcile in local newspapers.
You're the professional, you do the maths.
You don't have to ask, but common courtesy and AIRMANSHIP will go a long way to survivingl longer. You ask, we can co-ordinate our own traffic against you. If we can't we will ask you to climb/descend or take a small change in track so that we can. This saves the MOD millions in the mantanance hours inflicted in scraping off small pieces of puddle jumper from our aircraft.
You ask for a RAS, you will get turned from a/c you can't see. If the conditions allow you to see em, or you are desperate to stay on track, don't ask for a RAS.
Right, now that you have got me on a rant.
In my opinion, I think mil airfields should be applying for class A airspace around them like every regional civvy airport seems hell bent on doing. About 5 miles radius up to 3000' with little stubby bits out to 10 miles on selected final approach paths ought to do it. Then you would have to call us! Or would that infringe on GATs god given rights to plan routes over busy airfields without any thought to the consequences?
Sorry if our airfields and aircraft are in your way.
And, by the way, just how much do the GAT world pay to the Lars units (mil & civil) for providing an ATS? Shall we start charging by the mile? I can feel our tea boat growing! Can you attach chip and pin to your squawk and callsign?
Rant over.
PS C172, I see you are from leicester. Do you fly out of there? And if so, who do you get a radar service from when you go North, east or south (and don't tell me east midlands, cos I know they have got enough to deal with from the traffic inside their ever expanding zone to give too much thought to what is happening outside of it!