Low Level Corridor and low flying

[aces low]

The low level corridor bewteen Manchester and Liverpool's zones has a max altitude of 1250'. It goes straight over the top of Warrington town centre...where presumably one would normally need to maintain a minimum height of 1500' (built up area and all that). So how do I explain this to my students?


p.s. one of my ATCO friends has offered that the minimum for transit over built up areas is 500' and that 1500'is just advisory?
News to me.

[homeguard]

You are exempt the 1500' when SVFR in accordance with ATC instructions BUT NOT if unable to clear the congested area in the event of a power failure!

The same exemption applies on 'routes notified for the purpose' of the Low flying Regulations (Rule 5)

[Global Pilot]

You are exempt the 1500' when SVFR in accordance with ATC instructions BUT NOT if unable to clear the congested area in the event of a power failure!

In total agreement with this but has anybody been unable to clear the congested area in the event of a power failure? Over Warrington at 1250, engine has had enough and goes to sleep an fails to restart. The rules and regs are there to enhance safety but when it happens for real, getting your machine on the ground is more important and you can address the regs later.

[jsf]

aces low

I've flown the low level corridor a few times and from memory (but you know how unreliable that can be) you can glide clear to a "safe" site if the engine fails.

However, I see your point in that you will be creating confusion in the students mind. You spend time banging one fact into them, only to have them say "but thats a contradiction of what you said yesterday"!

Can't say I know the answer other than to say that you will have sufficient height to glide clear and as that is the maximum height allowed because you are below busy class D, then thats the height you must fly, keeping a good lookout at all times for other aircraft and for a suitable landing site, because of your altitude limitation, in case the donk goes into early retirement !

Hope you solve the problem satisfactorily

jsf

[FlyingForFun]

Forgive me for butting in, I'm not a regular in that area so I don't know it at all. But I seem to recall that it's Class G airspace underneath a Class D CTA? In which case, you are not SVFR. In fact, I'm sure I read a memo from ATC somewhere suggesting that pilots listen out on a frequency (Manchester App?) rather than calling for FIS, which would seem to confirm that you're not SVFR?

I've just had a quick look through the AIP to see if there is an exemption in there, but I couldn't find anything....

The 1500' rule is not advisory, it is mandatory, but there is a rumour that it's going to be decreased to 1000' some time soon, in which case this isn't an issue. The glide clear rule (and the obvious safety implications) are not changing, though.

FFF
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[homeguard]

The same exemption applies on 'routes notified for the purpose' of the Low flying Regulations (Rule 5)

[RodgerF]

FFF

The low level corridor is Class D airspace. The route is notified for the purposes of rule 5(2)(a)(i). This says that the SVFR exemptions are allowed on this route.

Also unrated PPLs are allowed to fly in a flight visibility of 4km rather than the 10km allowed under SVFR.

AIP AD 2.22 Manchester refers.

R

[FlyingForFun]

Rodger, I don't suppose you'd happen to have a link to that section of the AIP? I've had a look through the Manchester section, and can't find it. :confused: AD 2-EGCC-4-1 confirms what you say about it being Class D, but doesn't mention the SVFR rules and exemptions. I think I must be loosing it (some would say I lost it long ago!), I don't normally have trouble finding things in the AIP on-line....

Thanks!

FFF
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[RodgerF]

No problem.

Its here.

http://www.ais.org.uk/aes/pubs/aip/pdf/aerodromes/302CC01.PDF

Look on page 19 AD-2-EGCC-1-19

Picture of the corridor is here with Airspace Classification

http://www.ais.org.uk/aes/pubs/aip/pdf/aerodromes/32CC0401.PDF


R

Edit: Sorry, reread your post and saw you had found the second link.

[aces low]

LLC is Class D airspace! Yet you can transit non radio! Is this unique? I had always assumed it was class G. I stand corrected and in awe.

[FlyingForFun]

Rodger - thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for!

Aces Low - glad to know I wasn't the only one who thought that, but Rodger's links make it quite clear that we are both wrong!!!

Interestingly, I don't see any reference to clearances through the LLR being SVFR, as Global Pilot says. It seems to me that a flight through the LLR would be VFR. Your clearance for the flight is given in the AIP (note that ATC are not required to offer any traffic separation for VFR flights in Class D in any case) - and also note that the route is notified for the purpose of Rule 5(2)(a)(i) which answer Aces Low's original question.

All very educational!

FFF
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