Hey Woot - welcome aboard - glad this has been of use for you!
Some very good questions there, and a few concerns which I can relate to also. I flew in and out of Blackpool a few times, including on my QXC and the things you mention are typical of the area. The key to dealing with Warton, is to be prepared. After take-off, I woulnd't just call them up with "G-LFSA" I would actually give them a few more details as quick as possible so they knew exactly what I was doing:
"Wharton Radar, GLFSA, out of Blackpool for Liverpool climbing 1500".
You may not see it in CAP413 like that, but IMHO it makes perfect sense, especially as you have to say goodbye to Blackpool, change frequency etc etc. You will also find you get a quicker, more informative response - the controller knows that you know what you are doing...
Your worries of a radio failure are perfectly normal and we all share them, however here is my 2 pence worth. If you have a radio failure around Blackpool, then the first thing to do is remian CLEAR of controlled airspace. Blackpool has a lot of heavy commercial traffic, so you don't wanna be hanging around there with no radio. If it was me, I would quickly SQK 7600 and head over to Woodvale (you know where that is without a map don't you!!) circle overhead at 3000 ft (to keep out of there airspace - dont wanna hit any of those kids in a Tutor (I can say that, I used to be one
) in theory, Blackpool, or whoever you were in touch with last
should by now get the idea that you want to land there, and give them a quick call to let them know. Wait a few minutes and see if there are any green lights - if so your ok if not, then its purely your discretion. If it was me, I can imagine I would wait to see if there was any traffic, and if not I would plonk it on the runway.
Wat I have said above is open to LOTS of discussion and opinion, but make sure you check out CAP413 here:
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP413.PDF because it is laid out in stone there. If you read this, you may feel a little more relaxed (and that's not cos of the half a bottle of scotch you need to get through it
).
Some people say it's a bad idea to go up with another PPL before the ticketis issued, but if you ever wanna go over anything just get in touch - and thats not forgetting your instructor of course, who is always your first port of call if possible..
Finally make sure you know your Air Law (sqk codes, airfield signals, procedures etc) - this is the stuff that helps you in the air when you get up sh*ts creek without a paddle - however boring at first - you need it
What is your QXC route?
Best wishes
Lee
