North Atlantic Traffic

[BOAC]

(Sad spotter that I am......) If anyone wants to see how busy the NAT tracks can get, FR24 right now shows a flock of westbound a/c starting around Wales out to about 10W. I guess Shanwick will be looking for a rest period after this and that levels on the tracks are a bit tight.

I'm taking the 'anti-spotter' pills:)

[Lightning Mate]

I'm taking the 'anti-spotter' pills

I used to take those, but there is now no need to after my operation.

Shame on you!!

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Bored out my skull on night duties at West Drayton Open Prison I'd sometimes select the Clee Hill radar, which has good coverage out to the west, and watch the traffic coming off the ocean in the early hours..... then I'd put my hands together and thank the Good Lord that I was Heathrow controller and not an Area controller!

[The SSK]

Spotter, moi?

I retired my Civil Aircraft Markings at the end of the 60s but you never quite let go. My back garden sits under an aerial crossroads at so many different flight levels. I am directly overflown by departures from Brussels turning Southwards towards Spain/Portugal. I can also watch, from a distance, transatlantic departures and some Southern UK flights – Southamptons, for example. Then rather higher are the BRU inbounds from the west, flying past the airport before they turn 180° onto finals.

Then higher still are Southbounds into Paris (SAS red nacelles easily visible) and Northbounds into AMS (ditto KLM blue). Then over the top of all, on a SE/NW axis are the transatlantics to/from FRA/MUC/ZRH/ROM etc, mixed in with leisure flights between Northern UK and the Eastern Med.

Oh – and just 100m up the road is the crossing point for helo traffic to/from BRU as well as some GA and before it pranged, the Sabena-restored Lysander. And the windows get regularly rattled by Belgian AF C-130s, which like to roar around at extremely low level.

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

" ... (Callsign), Shanwick, we have your oceanic clearance, and it's a reroute."

Oh Gawd!

:*

[treadigraph]

Several times I've awoken at perhaps 3am or 4am and, having given up sleep as a bad job, turned on the laptop and had a squizz at FR24 (before PPRune!) - queues of North Atlantic inbounds are already knocking on Ireland's door, there are quite a few freighters zipping about UK skies, and a couple of weeks ago I noted an Air India 787 on delivery passing overhead - far too cloudy to see the nav lights out of my window tho!

[pasir]

Brings back memories as a schoolboy back in the late 40's and 50's
I would tune in with an ordinary Derwent valve radio and on long wave would hear Croydon tower booming through on 900 metres. Then at night while others were fast asleep would switch to short waves and monitor airline and ground station controllers passing position reports and other info on transatlantic Oceanic - Receiving clearly controllers from afar as Rio Idlewild New Foundland Prestwick and Rome etc - Later I took delivery from my employers - SAS LAP - of a surplus ex RAF R1132 vhf receiver (a magnificant construction that almost fitted into a wardrobe)
and could then monitor a/c from Heathrow tower to their far
destinations. Probably filed under anorak today - but for me is filed under nostalgia .

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