Originally Posted by
ZeBedie
I don't think a NATS controller would clear an aircraft for a run and break if the runway was occupied and I can very much sympathise with the Spitfire pilots idea that 'the runway was his'.
The idea of a Spitfire being cleared for a run and break and staying above 500' just seems rather unlikely.
Really? A VRIAB requires a 'clear runway'? Where do you get that idea from? It's not a clearance for a beat-up, it's a joining procedure!
NATS Controller, are you? Or what? Oh, Commercial ... OK, out of your comfort zone.
No Military Controller would
ever consider that perspective. But then the Military Controller in this case didn't look out at what was happening anyway! A VRIAB should be above 500', not 50'. Simples!