Avigation in England, 1950

[Tim Zukas]

I just picked up the 1950 WAC (1:1,000,000) for 48N-to-52N, 02W-to-07E. In that chunk of England there was one radio range (at Bovingdon) and 14 NDBs; Heathrow and Northolt had ILS and GCA, and Lyneham, Tangmere and Manston had GCA.

So if you hopped into your trusty Miles to fly from Blackbushe to Lympne, how did you go about finding it, assuming you couldn't just follow the railway?

[scroggs]

Dead-reckoning and a good map (considerably larger than one mil scale!). And don't fly when you can't see the railway.

[VnV2178B]

Perhaps one of our 'senior' members could tell us when the technique of 'flying by Bradshaw' died out. I recall one of my colleagues using the updated version (flying by M5!) to get to Staverton in the '80s. I wonder if he did ever get his seat in the office !
Oh, and is it true that VFR along the M1 keeps northbound on one side and southbound on the other just like the cars and lorries ?

VnV...

[Captain Cessna]

VnV,

Is it not true that when following ANY line feature, u should keep to the right, to avoid others doing the same in the opposite direction??

CC

[Checkboard]

How about people flying Northbound keep to the left, and people flying Southbound keep to the right? :)

[VnV2178B]

CC,

Yes, out of prudence it would seem sensible, but I really wanted to know if it was mandated in this particular case.
I lived in Cranfield for a while and there was a rumour that my landlord had lost his licence over this. I never got around to asking him.

VnV

[Captain Cessna]

VnV,

Do you mean he lost his licence for flying on the wrong side/wrong direction?? I have never heard of that before http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/confused.gif

CC

[VnV2178B]

CC,

As I posted, it was only a rumour. The gist was he had been on the LHS going North and had met traffic coming his way. I have never been able to confirm this, in fact, I had forgotten about it until we were discussing VFR navigation over lunch and just wondered if anyone else had heard of it ! Ye Gods, it was thirty (30) years ago the poor chap's probably got real wings now :)

VnV...
Sorry, Tim we are digressing.

(edit to apologise to Tim)

[This message has been edited by VnV2178B (edited 22 November 2000).]

[Londoner]

Really? I should keep the road or whatever to my left? I suppose that makes sense if you're sitting in the left seat.
Was that ever a formal requirement or an "unwritten rule of the road/air"?

[avoman]

C'mon pilot's it's the law!
Rules of the air No. 19 (I think).
Right hand traffic rule. An aircraft which is flying within the United Kingdom in sight of the ground and following a road railway canal or coastline or any other line of landmarks shall keep such line of landmarks on its left:
Provided that this rule shall not apply to an aircraft flying within controlled airspace in accordance with instructions given by the appropriate air traffic control unit.

At Bristol the visual approach and departure routing is along the A38 so far as I remember. There's probably lots of others.

[VnV2178B]

Thanks Avoman, that's all I really needed to know !

Can we get back to Tim's qusetion now ?

VnV...