Under it, round it or throughit?

[wheelyman]

Ok, so you plan a (VFR) flight between Sherburn and Leicester. The track takes you through D class airspace to the east of Castle Donnington, (sorry, EMA, sorry, Nottingham East Midlands) airport.

Do you fly under it (<1500'), round it, or get those ATC boys working and plough on through it?

[Fuji Abound]

For me there would be two factors.

1. The weather.

2. Whether or not I wanted to avoid any delays.

Class D clearances are usually readily forthcoming. However, if you end up holding, or are refused a clearance, it will have been quicker to route round - often considerably so.

Routing under may be unattractive in poor weather - do you want to be in a small corridor with everyone else or skirting the zone in the same conditions. In these circumstances a clearance through, under the protection of a radar service, provides some light relief from worrying as much about who you might run into.

(Edited to say that my comments apply generally to class D, with some class D controllers you can almost guarantee a clearance).

[S-Works]

Always through it. It is just as much our airspace as the chav transporters and East Midlands are amongst the most helpfull guys out there.

[almost professional]

Provided that you are willing to be a bit flexible if needed then no reason that you would be refused transit, I cannot remember the last time I could not get someone through the eastern stub unless the R/T was almost unreadable!
if we have inbounds ie on 27 then normally vfr not above 2000 will be OK routing wymeswold or just east I will run the ILS traffic across the top and descend clear with traffic info-if WX is less than good then down the M1 just east of the field is another way through-the point being that you may have to accept a height limitation or restrictive route(hopefully not both!)
plent of people at sherburn do it on a regular basis

[scooter boy]

I often fly Plymouth to Humberside to visit the rellies (5.5 hrs each way in the car becomes a more tolerable 1.4 hrs in the air).
Brm and E.Mids are usually very accomodating.
East Mids may ask you to route E of the motorway or Shepshed-Long Eaton so be aware of VRPs.
Sounding slick on the radio may also ease your transit.;)
SB

[waldopepper42]

Flying from Netherthorpe, I have traversed EMA on quite a few occasions, and yes I find then to be most accommodating, provided I had a transponder. In my earlier Jodelling days (OK it's a few years ago, now) I was usually requested to go around/under their airspace.

Especially on PFA rally Sunday evening - fair enough - the sky was thick with non transponder traffic heading home northwards!!

[tmmorris]

Agreed EMA are very helpful. Though I had an uncomfortable 5 minutes in IMC when Brize had dumped me but EMA couldn't hear my radio transmissions. As soon as they could, they gave me RIS and a zone transit (IFR) in no time; but I was without a radar service for a bit, which is against our club rules.

And they were fine (VFR much lower) on the way back. The only thing they asked for was a change of level each time - not exactly taxing.

Tim

[S-Works]

Agreed EMA are very helpful. Though I had an uncomfortable 5 minutes in IMC when Brize had dumped me but EMA couldn't hear my radio transmissions. As soon as they could, they gave me RIS and a zone transit (IFR) in no time; but I was without a radar service for a bit, which is against our club rules.
And they were fine (VFR much lower) on the way back. The only thing they asked for was a change of level each time - not exactly taxing.
Tim

Blimey, your club must have very strict rules on where you go when flying if you require a radar service all the time. how limiting and dull.

[tmmorris]

Radar service required at all times while IMC. Not, of course, always feasible.

Does the title of this thread make anyone else think 'We're going on a bear hunt...' or is it just me?

Tim