One For The Bristol Chaps; BAL723A

[ATCO1987]

Hello People,

Hoping for a reply from a Bristol ATCO who was on watch this morning.....

BAL723A EGGD-TBPB, routing initially EXMOR UM140 MERLY...Im intrigued as to how the airways clearance was issued to this aircraft...Reason being, EXMOR join is climbing FL150 to join the N864....UM140 is upper airspace only going to MERLY so therefore it cannot join climbing FL150.

Ive been told by a friend of mine who uses a flight tracking website that this aircraft crossed EXMOR at FL250 after being vectored down towards Southampton way then turned back, however he did say that it isn't always accurate.

If someone could provide me information on this I would be very grateful.

Thanks.

Dan.

[Standard Noise]

He was put over to Cardiff radar passing 2.5A so maybe that question should be put to Cardiff. The airways clearance was issued as normal in accordance with our procedures. Regardless of the routing after EXM N864, he still got a standard EXM join as that was his first point of entry into CAS after leaving Bristol.

[ATCO1987]

Thanks Noisy...
So would still have been "Cleared to TBPB via N864, join controlled airspace at EXM climb FL60, Climb WIBR FL150 squawk <code>" then?

[flower]

I wasn't working yesterday morning but perhaps Turn It Off was.
MERLY joins we would route direct to MERLY climbing initially FL160 when clear of N864 then we climb upto FL240 stopping against the Upper Air.
We then hand over to either London Military or direct to London.
It would be unusual for the traffic to route towards Southampton , little point in having a MERLY join if that is what happened.

[ATCO1987]

What I meant was, I was told it was vectored in that kind of direction, so just a pattern to the south of the field kind of thing, but like I said that information may be incorrect.

My main confusion really was would the clearance be issued via UM140 or via N864 and what joining level would be in the clearance, but Noisy answered the level bit <G>.

Thanks to Flower for the information though! Most interesting :). Not very often you see such routings out of Bristol, well, not to my knowledge anyway <G>.

[Turn It Off]

ATCO1987 and Flower,

I was working yesterday morning but spent an unhealthy amount of time looking out of the glass bit at the top of the stairs!

We do find that alot of operators will plan EXM N864 UM140 MERL or UM140 DVR. As previously stated Merley deps will normally get a standard EXM 150 join, I would normally get the thing through N864 westbound and get it handed off to London Mil if they will work the traffic to get the aircraft into the Upper air routes, the amount of co-ordination required with the LACC sectors creates about 5 or 6 phone calls if we retain the traffic. Another way is to speak to the aircraft on the ground and advise that their routing would take them ouitside controlled airspace for most of their spell below FL245 and suggest a re route via Amman, that normally works.( Would they UK exit point need to be STU to do this??)

Going the other way UM140 DVR, we cannot do. That needs a re- route, for CWL deps I would expect to see ALV L9 CPT DVR i believe they can do that (But not sure) and therefore I would assume that BRI deps can go WOTAN L9 CPT DVR.

Hope that helps a bit

TIO

[ATCO1987]

Hmm not sure if DVR would be much use for TBPB <G>. Thanks for your help TIO, interesting stuff! I remember the BAL799A last year went EXM N864 DAW UR8 (GAPLI Im guessing!) so its strange that they didn't file it for the 723A this year, ah well! They like to make life difficult dont they <G>.
Thanks again!
Dan.