I thought that I would post this to help any further pilots wanting to go into Manchester. When I was looking for info, I found some but nothing really substantial. It was probably just that I was looking with my eyes closed!
Anyway, I decided that I wanted to get Manchester airport in my log book. I’m going off to do my ATPL’s in Feb and it was something that I wanted to do before I went.
I decided to take an instructor from my local flying school at Blackpool, he goes but the name of Flyingforfun. So, I read in the VFR flight guide that you need a handling agent. I phoned the number and was put through to “Manchester School of Flying.” They were very helpful and within a 3min phone call I had my slots booked in a C172 for Friday the 20th at 12:15. Really nice people, if you are planning on going in, give them a call. (0161 432 2222.) But you need to ring in plenty of time, I phoned them on the Wednesday before. Rite, that’s that bit sorted out.
So Friday comes, I get up to Blackpool and find out that we are going in a different a/c. No problem, still a C172 but G-BJWW (old faithful!) So I phone Manchester school of flying again just to make sure that everything is ok (don’t want to turn up and them say “Errr?? Golf Bravo who??”) and, sure enough it all is. Now, it is quite expensive, £52.88, but if its just a one off, its worth it. The nice lady on the end of the phone tells me that I have to ask for the “light aircraft hold” when I get down and a car will be there to pick us up and the fact that they are using 24R. So I get a bit of a plan together for the low level route, get a few frequencies and photocopy the map from the VFR guide. The AFE flight guide has a good map of all the taxiways which is essential for when you get down. It’s worse than the centre of Manchester at rush-hour!
We get airborne a little late but that’s no problem because we have a good tale wind and will make good time, hopefully! We leave Blackpool tower frequency and get a MATZ crossing form Warton, straight over Southport and before we knew it we are over sunny sunny Wigan. We thank and leave Warton and have a good listen into the Mcr arrival ATIS. (Two different frequencies, one for departures and one for arrivals.) Once we have got the jist of what was going on we give Mcr App a call (on their new frequency) 135.00. Pass all the details on as usual but make it known that we are inbound to them for a VFR arrival. The controller was very nice and told us to report approaching Congleton VRP, just to the south of the CTR. I wont bore you with the specifics of the entry/exit procedures but if you are going in then just make sure that you know what to do. All the info can be found in the VFR flight guide. We get to Congleton, are given a clearance to enter the zone and to hold at Hilltop, a VRP just to the side of Woodford. We orbit there for a few minutes and then our told that we are number 3 to a Lufthansa A320. (Cool! Big grin on my face!
) We see him pop out of the clouds at about 8miles out and just to make sure that it’s the correct a/c we check with the controller. Sure enough, it is, and we start quite a big left base for 24R trying to keep the 5mile separation limit because of his wake vortices. We realise that we are a little close so we get the flaps down and set old faithful up for the standard decent. 70Kts, turn and call finals and given a clearance to land. (cool, I’m actually going to land at Manchester!) We get to about 2miles out and hear another a/c (cant remember what type) on an 8mile final. Then at 6miles. It felt like we had only moved a couple of yards so we decide to get the flaps up and speed up a bit. However no such luck, we are told to break off and return to Hilltop and orbit for a bit longer. Oh well, at least it was a good Photo opportunity.
We get back to Hilltop and carry on orbiting. We are told that we where now Number 4 to a 146 which was about 10 miles away. We complete another orbit and see him, tell the controller that we have him on visual and will remain 5miles away because of the vortices. So, we start our base leg again, bugger the flaps this time, and turn and report finals. This time, we know the deal, as fast as old faithful will go, she gives us. We did the decent to the numbers at around 100Kts and passed the numbers at around 90Kts, letting the speed bleed away in the longest flare that I have ever done! Beauty! Down she is! What a smile I had on my face!
It was soon wiped off with the controller telling us to exit via KC then left down taxiway B and first left into the a/c Hold.
“****! Which exit was that? Rite that was F, get the map out, we have just passed D, it’s the next one!” a quick speedy right and we our on KC. We can see the a/c hold and make our way there. We are marshalled in by one of the chaps from MSF, (I need to re-learn those marshalling signals!
) park up, shut down and put the chocks in. Step out of the a/c and see a 757 land, how good is that?!
We are greeted by 3 chaps from the MSF and are driven to the school to pay.
It was only a short trip because FFF needed to get back for his lesson at 14:00 so not even time for a brew!
Oh well! We get back into the car and are driven back to old faithful where its time to get a few good photos to prove to my mates that I have been!
We get in, start up, and give Mcr Del a call. They pass us on to Mcr Gnd and we are given clearance via B, K, to K1 to do our power checks. Its pretty good taxiing in and around bigger stuff, makes you realise just how small you actually are! We get our checks done and are told to hold abeam stand 46 (I think.) A DeHavilland Dash 8 started in front of us and we followed it to hold a JA1. We had heard the horror stories of waiting to get away for hours so as soon as the dash8 had gone we let the controller know we were ready for an immediate departure, so we are told to line up and wait after the landing light a/c. There is something a bit funny sat on 24R at Manchester in old faithful waiting for a clearance to take off. A good feeling though!
Finally we start the roll and are airborne and turning south over the threshold of 24L. We head back towards Macclesfield and our told that we can make an early turn to the west to get back into the low level route to head back to home. We get a few good photos of Jodrell Bank on the way past and are back in Blackpool 15mins late for FFF’s lesson. Oh well, sorry!
I have to say that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. To anyone out there who is thinking about going in to Manchester, give it a go, it is very good! The ATC are fantastic and will get you in at anyplace that they can. I really take my hat off to them! Don’t mess them about, do as your told and don’t hold them up and they will do anything for you. I don’t think that they would like a surge of light a/c in there but they sure did make me feel a lot more relaxed. Thank you very much!
For a trip in there you need to do everything very though and be very prepared for what to expect, like frequency changes. Have them all on your knee board and know which one you will be going to next, App to Twr to Gnd etc. Put the next frequency in stand by position in you radio if you can. I was glad that I took an instructor in there for the first time but I would feel perfectly happy about going in there on my own now. Make sure that you know the deal with the entry and exit procedures into the CTR, they are in the flight guides. But most of all, enjoy it. Its not everyday that you will fly into a place like that as a PPL.
Just want to say a big thank you to all who dealt with me on Friday!
Cheers!
Stu