Originally Posted by
Nubboy
Agreed Backpacker, but who are you aiming your comments at? Rich_g85 seemed to have followed ALL the protocols, in the UK, for following a UK based procedure. End of story.
I know the rant, sorry debate, has been done to death on other fora, with a very large input on do's and dont's from non UK based pilots.
My own, personal, view on it is that it's a wonderful facility which we're very lucky to have, and it should be used, appropiately, for as much training as the service can easily tolerate. If this upsets the guard police then tough. It's their rules over there, ours over here.
If nothing else ppls, from a very early stage in their flying careers, are confident in their ability to ask for help early in a deteriating situation, rather than too late.
As a personal aside I remember hearing a "really" lost ppl asking D&D for help in locating Shobdon airfield in Herefordshire. Although able to plot his position and give him a track and distance they weren't able to give a physical description of what to look for. Those that know it will appreciate it can be a real pig to spot from certain directions. Monitoring 121.5, in the cruise over northern france, I was able to give a few pointers and help a happy outcome.
Rather than shouting the UK down, perhaps it should be copied elsewhere?
what altitude were you at to enable you to communicate with the aircraft at that distance?