Chinooks At EGCF Sandtoft Saturday 07/05/2011

[7of9]

We had TWO Chinooks visit Sandtoft today & landed for a couple of minutes then took off to depart North.
I missed the first one & managed to capture the second one, unfortunately i didn't get the serial numbers as they used call signs which haven't been logged on our daily logs.

These are the photo's of the second one that visited at 11.44am.

If the crew look in on here would appreciate the Serials & Call signs please.

Provided links as my photo's are edited at 1024 & management don't allow photo's of this size on here yet. :E

Chinook Visitors 7th May 2011 pictures by Sandtoft-Flying-Club - Photobucket (http://s1087.photobucket.com/albums/j468/Sandtoft-Flying-Club/Chinook%20Visitors%207th%20May%202011/)

Chinook Visitors 07/05/2011 EGCF Sandtoft (http://forums.airshows.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=32906)

I was the guy in the red high Viz near the hangar, don't worry we weren't out to collect the landing fee. BUT had you stopped if you could we would have made you all cuppa's for a look around the Chinooks.:ok:



Thanks Trev:D

[7of9]

I removed this post as i didn't expect this to descend to Bashing the visitors.
My original post was supposed to be a gentle humour but it seems to have backfired.

Apologies.


Trev

[BEagle]

I don't quite understand this....

The UK AIP http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/eadbasic/pamslight-D6B9B03542074ED6FB3D7591D5F55F01/7FE5QZZF3FXUS/EN/AIP/AD/EG_AD_2_EGCF_en_2011-01-13.pdf quite clearly states that:

1. Sandtoft is PPR only.
2. There is no designated helicopter landing area.
3. 1144L is within the published hours of Sandtoft Radio (130.425 MHz).
4. The aerodrome has an ATZ.
5. The aerodrome is on the boundary of the Doncaster Sheffield CTR and beneath Class D CTAs (bases 1500 ft amsl and 2000 ft amsl).
6. All Sandtoft arrivals and departures are required to contact Doncaster Radar on 126.225 MHz for clearance through the Doncaster Sheffield CTR/CTA.

Surely these aircraft movements were known about in advance? I cannot believe that a pair of Chinooks would simply enter an active ATZ, squat on the grass for a couple of minutes and then poke off without anyone having been notified in advance....? Or without talking to anyone??

The hazard to small aircraft posed by large helicopters is well known; there was a fatal accident at Kidlington some years ago which was the result of a heavy civilian helicopter's downwash causing a PA28 instructor to lose control...

[StAn gelo]

That's 'indecent' exposure to downwash :E

[7of9]

They Did call Doncaster Radar & get Approval to transit the Zone, I heard them Myself as i was flying when the first one came in.

They did call Sandtoft on the Sandtoft Frequency & request a touch & go which was ok by us & they were notified of Traffic in circuit which was one PA28 Landing & they waited then came in after it Landed.

i removed the earlier comment as i didn't want offence or negativity to be caused. My Bad. It was meant in humour. I didn't want it to descend to bashing out lads who are in training.

Apologies.

[BEagle]

Well, that's OK then. Your post read as though these chaps appeared without warning and no-one knew who they were.... Which sounded very odd and highly unlikely in this day and age.

Your aerodrome radio log will have recorded their call-signs, so it shouldn't be too difficult for you to find the address of the unit to which you can send your appreciation.

But the hazards of heavy helicopters operating close to light aircraft should never be underestimated.

[dctyke]

They flew over the A64 just outside York about 1220 today, I was driving in from Malton. I figured they had come from the direction of Strensall Army Camp. I figured it might have been an exercise with the Field Hospital Training folks there!

[7of9]

But the hazards of heavy helicopters operating close to light aircraft should never be underestimated.


Once the Chinook Landed, The aircraft Back track away to park, then the Chinook lifted after it was well away, the loadmaster at the back door came out to watch the aircraft move away & when it was deemed safe they lifted & departed. I watched this myself.

We heard him hovering away from the airfield waiting for the aircraft to land then he came in.


Apologies if my original post mislead you.

We have Helicopters in & out of Sandtoft on a Daily basis Just not seen anything this big here in a while & it was great to see.

They are always welcome following protocol of course.

:)

[BEagle]

Perhaps the AIP entry for Sandtoft should be amended if you now have helicopters 'in and out of Sandtoft on a daily basis'?

Currently it states under 2.16 Helicopter Landing Area 'Not applicable' and under 2.20 para 5 Helicopter Operations 'Not applicable'....

:bored:

[zetec2]

Nothing unusual there, was on SAR at Finningley back in the early 80's & also worked for Sandtoft Air Services at weekends, often visited Sandtoft with both Wessex & Sea King, a lot of the local area was used for "impromptu" landings, even Doncaster airport on occasions, seemed quite the norm at the time, PH.

[Evalu8ter]

Taking a military helicopter to a small civillian airfield is one of the few pleasures left; I've always received a friendly welcome and more often than not a free cuppa in exchange for a quick look around. The folk that inhabit such airfileds are tax payers and grass-roots aviation enthusiasts - as both they should be given a chance to see military hardware close up - who knows, that "hangar rat" pumping gas to pay for lessons might be motivated to join up?

However, I do agree with Beagle. You need to be sensible and balance where you go and how you get there. Arriving at Shoreham once, for the show, we managed to rotate a C152 through 90 degrees as we tried to land on. I learnt about downwash from that....Flying light ac again after so many years flying heavy helos refreshed the concept of wake turbulance.

[chinook240]

For us Sandtoft is simply a field in Lincolnshire, we have lots of them all over the country where we put down in to simulate LSs, although the east coast route has less. In this case its a target the studes can plan to navigate to and actually be allowed to land at, then replan th next leg.

I diverted in there u/s a couple of years ago and spent the night, everyone was very hospitable and accomodating, especially the rockapes from Waddington who had to guard it!

[MG]

Evalu8ter- Yep, remember that! To be fair, it was the airshow and we weren't given an option of where to park or how to get there. We did spend ages contemplating how to get in.

[7of9]

I am At Sandtoft now & after asking around found that the OC telephoned some time ago & asked if it would be ok to land as part of their exercise training.
So in effect they did PPR.

There is plenty of grass to the left of runway 23 for choppers to land on away from the clubs aircraft, which is where they landed yesterday.

Not checked the said document Beagle is quoting, but we do get visiting helicopters, we have no based helicopters at the moment.

Trev

[Big Cat Handler]

Surely "Not Applicable" is not the same as "Not Allowed" - there just aren't any different landing areas or operating procedures for helicopters. So normal circuits, to and from the runway. Simple!

[Rakshasa]

Its been awhile since I flew into sandtoft, I noticed the B-25 and Lanc parts have gone though. Anyone know where? Not the scrappy, I hope!

~Nevermind, googled it.