Flying over London in a MEP

[VFR Transit]

Afternoon,

I am just about to start my MEP rating and am trying to find some reference to what is required for me to fly over London, I have always known the whole land clear thing and SEP with London is a NO NO but can't find a reference to anything on the MEP side of flying.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to some reading material on this??

Thanks
VFR

[sammypilot]

Not a problem in a twin provided you observe the normal rules of the air. I have done it a couple of times being co-ordinated by Air Traffic to avoid IFR traffic. A very pleasant experience.

On the subject of singles over London I have always wondered how the RAF get away with it, flying as they regularly do, geriatric Spitfires and Hurricanes at fly pasts. They will make as big a hole, if not bigger, than a Cessna or a Piper.

[24Carrot]

I know no more than what I saw on telly once, but I believe the Spitfires, etc are able to 'land clear' of housing (I recall an RAF officer marking scraps of greenery on a chart for exactly this purpose). Obviously they could not glide clear all the way into the suburbs, so I imagine some 'fine points' of Air Law were being considered.

However, I believe Harriers (worse glide ratio?) could not take part in fly pasts, as some of the greenery was too far apart.

I am happy to be corrected.

[Hamish 123]

This SEP over London thing has always confused me. I live in Finchley, North London. A couple of weeks ago, a Cessna flew over my house heading east, at less than 1,000' (at least it looked clearly lower than the height at which I routinely see aeroplanes flying 1,000' circuits at Elstree). There's plenty of green spaces nearby, but nothing which would allow a "land clear" option.

So, an SEP in controlled airspace, over a built up area, no land clear option, at less than 1,500 feet. What was going on?

[ShyTorque]

On the subject of singles over London I have always wondered how the RAF get away with it, flying as they regularly do, geriatric Spitfires and Hurricanes at fly pasts. They will make as big a hole, if not bigger, than a Cessna or a Piper.

"Get away with it"? You should be very grateful that they did, especially between 1939-1945.

[FlyingKiwi_73]

isn't "London" All class A to SFC any way? as in from heathrow to london City.
Which means you'd have to have an IFR flight plan? not saying that SEP pilots don't have an IR, it can't be common though.

Not sure on UK Air Law?

I do like ST's post,... i'm sure in them days it was bits of 109's He111's and JU87's you had to worry about :-) Put Dowding up in T Square right next to Park!!!!

[John R81]

Special VFR
Coordiated and controlled by Heathrow Special 125.62

[asyncio]

isn't "London" All class A to SFC any way? as in from heathrow to london City.No, it's only the 12nm 'radius' around Heathrow.
The City zone is class D up to 2500' and only 15nm by 10nm. The dividing line where it meets the class A is pretty much over the top of Buckingham Palace.

[FlyingForFun]

To get back to the original question: regardless of how many engines you have, if you fly over a built up area, you must not fly below such a height as would enable you to land clear of that built up area in the event of a power unit failure.

It might well be that, following an engine failure in a twin, you'd be able to use the other engine to fly clear of, and then land clear of, the built up area. I had an engine failure only a few weeks ago, and was able to use the other engine to get me to an airfield without any major drama. But this may not always be the case. Depending on the aircraft type, its weight, OAT, elevation, etc, it may be that you are unable to maintain altitude on one engine - and if this is the case, Rule 5 says that you must still be able to land clear.

(Granted that, at UK temperatures and elevations, this is unlikely to be a factor.... but as an MEP pilot, it should be in the back of your mind regardless.)

FFF
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