Fixed+Rotary (aircraft, not washing lines)
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Peak District, Yorkshire, UK
Age: 56
Posts: 357
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Last Sunday I flew my dual PPL QXC in preparation for the real thing this weekend - fingers crossed. Final leg was Tatenhill to Sandtoft (my home base at the moment). Draw a direct line on the chart and I'm straight through the Doncaster ATZ (but at +2000ft of course).
On the southbound outbound from Sandtoft we had used Waddington LARS but on return were handed to Doncaster from East Midlands. It was quiet but there was still a few other R/T conversations going on that made us both alert and keeping a good lookout.
As we passed abeam the runway to the south we both commented on how unbelievable it was for GA aircraft to get so close - we were perhaps 2 or 3nm at 3000ft, especially as a 737 (I think) was holding and was warned about us. The 737 in turn was holding short for an Hercules C130 inbound from the north into Doncaster.
Less than 10nm to the north east is Sandtoft, our destination, and we left Doncaster Approach to switch back to Sandtoft - and again were given notification of the C130.
During my training I've been getting familiar with LBA and the controlled airspace. It really is incredible that Doncaster doesn't have a wider Class D around it.