Having been posted to Mildenhall twice (6.5 years combined), and having mixed up the airspace on an MC-130H overhead Sculthorpe, and having spent countless hours turning JP8 into the sound of freedom over East Anglia through the years, I feel well qualified to speak to this topic.
I will assume these were HALO airdrops from FL100-140 (which was typical). Low-altitude para shouldn't be an issue with GR4 around Sculthorpe unless they flew right over the DZ below 1000AGL...
Originally Posted by Dominator2
So, the USAF continue to fail to understand how to operate in UK airspace. If their aircrew require protected airspace then the Mildenhall Wing Staff should show them how to book it.
On the contrary; I can assure you that Mildenhall staff and crews understand fully how to properly book UKLFS airspace and issue NOTAMs properly.
I can also assure you that Sculthorpe operations are the virtual default for para and TLZ operations being the only nearby DZ suitable for para.
So to call them proficient in E. Anglia air operations in general and Scuthorpe operations specifically, would be a bit of an understatement as they do both nearly every night.
Originally Posted by orgASMic
I am slightly confused as to why the Herc was working two ATC freqs (London Mil and Marham App). He was presumably talking to his DZ party on abother box as well. The GR4s were on Marham Dir. The two Marham controllers did pass traffic information to each other but IMHO this might have been solved by all talking to the same controller.
Confused by what? Their desire to have the most radio situational awareness? Or their desire to keep all possibly affected parties informed?
An MC-130H (the BBC picture is an MC-130J) would have been operating on all four of their boxes. 2 x VHF, 1 x UHF, and 1 x SATCOM. Typical operation over Sculthorpe would be as follows:
Electronic Warfare Officer: UHF with DZ party
Non-Flying Pilot: VHF with Marham
Non-Flying Pilot: VHF with London Mil (or for low altitude, Norwich Appch when east of Sculthorpe and Marham approaching Sculthorpe as the run-in to Sculthorpe begins out off the coast from east to west)
Electronic Warfare Officer: SATCOM with Mildenhall C2
Not certain how an MC-130J would've had their boxes set up, but it's safe to assume at least DZ (required per USAF regulations), London Mil, and Marham Appch were all at least being monitored.
Consequently, the MC-130 was monitoring all available frequencies and being CONTROLLED by London Mil, obtaining DZ clearance & winds from DZ party and additional traffic from Marham Appch. To do otherwise would be unsafe when you're dropping 200lb retarded meat bombs.
The contact with Marham was courtesy...and common sense. Marham do not control Sculthorpe airspace, especially at altitudes above FL100.
Originally Posted by parabellum
In the big scheme of things which has the priority
I think the pink bodies hanging under the chutes with extraordinarily limited maneuverability have the priority, right of way and the right to expect more maneuverable flying things to avoid those subject only to gravity.
I'm certain the airspace was NOTAMed - USAF aren't supposed to drop para w/o it for safety reasons - especially HALO/HAHO. My first question is did the GR4 read the NOTAM? Did the GR4 attempt to avoid that airspace? Or did he mistakenly believe it was just another Herc bumbling around near his field?
However, another potentially significant issue is winds. The winds may cause the release point to be outside of the NOTAM area (typically 3NM diameter centered around the DZ). In the case of a west blowing wind, the MC-130 would've offset closer to Marham. Bearing in mind that actuation altitude is typically 3000-3500MSD, drift effect isn't as large as it is with HAHO, but still may require an offset for the release point that places the aircraft outside of the NOTAM "cylinder" of "protected" airspace. I don't know the met for the day, so can't possibly speak specifically to it, only to add that it may be part of the "confusion" between what the GR4 thought they were properly avoiding and what the MC-130 pilot thought they were 'violating'. At the end of the day, it is the attitude that is troubling...
Finally, there's the not insignificant problem of two people divided by a common language. USAF do not use the term para or stores or TLZ and will say "dee-zee" instead of "dee-zed", "jumpers" instead of "paras", and use myriad other slang terms easily understandable to other USAF zipper suited sun gods, but often gobbledygook to folks from elsewhere. Right, wrong, or just different, if nothing else it can cause a delay in comprehension and getting one's message across and the 'righteous indignation' of one listening to "someone with poor R/T" often comes across as shortness, rudeness, or any number of other undesirable manifestations.
Originally Posted by BEagle
Well, I can certainly understand the MC-130 Aircraft Commander being one very pi$$ed-off teddy over this. Quite rightly. He did everything he could to alert the pointy-heads about his live para-dropping exercise, but they carried on regardless.
And what sort of a dic.khead chooses to indulge in a general handling exercise in a properly-NOTAM'd para-dropping exercise area anyway, even if it isn't a TRA?
ATC should have been more on the ball - but the GR4s were just plain stupid by my reading of this event.
Concur with all. It does come across as a bit of "this is 'my' country, I'll do as I please" - not that the USAF or us yanks would ever do anything of the sort!
Further, Sculthorpe is NOTAM for airdrop and landings virtually every night, so it's not something out of the ordinary that might be overlooked.