Best advice to a newcomer is to avoid the London Zone unless accompanied by someone who is thoroughly familiar. The future of helicopter traffic within the London Zone hangs by a thread thanks to pressure groups and politicians seeking favour with voters. There are already more than enough excursions and transgressions by the military to keep those dwelling under the favourite routes up in arms without another lost R22 stumbling about in the airspace.
A frequentv plea to Wing Cdr(Ops) at Odiham and Benson is to ensure Puma, Chinook and Merlin crews are familiar with the standard altitudes of all the routes. A Chinook at 500 feet over Barnes/Putney sets back the `fly neighbourly` campaign immeasurably.