full opposite rudder said
Parachute drop sites are a real problem for every airspace user. The circles on the map do not constitute the extent of the drop zone.
and Legalapproach replied
As the circle around a dropzone has a diameter of 5nm it is extremely unlikely that you would encounter a freefalling jumper outside the zone.
Unfortunately you seem to be talking about different circles. The circles around FFPSs on the UK half-mil charts are just 3 nm in diameter, not 5 nm.
I disagree that constantly avoiding FFPSs isn't a major inconvenience. If I look at a flight from Cambridge to Bristol for example, there are 6 FFPSs (and at least 4 gliding sites) that are potential issues. Throw in a little weather avoidance and it's a nightmare.
Considering that FFPSs are 'hot' for only a tiny fraction of the time, the burden on other airspace users is, IMHO, a greater burden than most controlled airspace, taking into account the utility that the primary users of the airspace get.
The best thing that happened to this interaction was the arrangement described in
AIC 28/1999 and the requirement for DZ operators to inform a local ATSU of the activity of the DZ. Now, by talking to Luton and Brize, which I probably would have done anyway, I can be assured that I will be able to find out the activity status easily.