Originally Posted by
treadigraph
A few years ago I was a Duxford display and noticed a glider cross the eastern end of the approach at, I'd estimate, half a mile or so and perhaps 2000'. Pretty much the point where a lot of the display aircraft perform tear drops or half cubans. There was no conflicting display at he time and he may have been talking to Duxford and been cleared to cross, I did think he might have been very lucky though.
Many of us flying in this area have real concerns about the risk of collisions with gliders as well as other traffic. There is invariably no radar cover outside of controlled airspace and apart from Duxford traffic and local GA from 6 local but uncontrolled airfields/strips (Lt Gransden, Top Farm, Audley End, Wyton, Bourn, and Main Hall Farm) there is a significent mixture of aircraft (from light to very heavy) at Cambridge. Cambridge ATC are working hard with the Cambridge Gliding Club to mitigate the risk, but there is no substitute for a really good lookout! Thread drift I know, but alas too many pilots ignore NOTAMed areas, and that today includes the drone test area south of Cambridge!