Landing on UK beaches

[TheFlyingSquirrel]

Is landing and shutting down on UK beaches allowed? At what point to beaches cease to require local authority ( landowner ) permission? I have done it before, but never shut down. I was told that your biggest problem will be customs. Does anyone ever do it in the UK in the summer months on a regular basis without obtaining permission at more remote locations?

[Floppy Link]

Wasn't there something about the foreshore between high and low tide being the property of the Crown?
Write to the Queen for permission :ok:

[muffin]

I don't think I would chance landing and shutting down below high water mark. It would be most inconvenient if the engine would not restart before next high tide.

[Vfrpilotpb]

Up here in theNW ofthe UK we have a very large area of very flat open beach that is always revealed when the tide goes out called Pilling Sands, an awful lot of my initial training was carried out there simply because of the total lack of inhabitants who may complain of noise and intrusion.

I was allowed many times to practice landing and landings on targets(pick a spot) but it was drummed into me "If you land on sand below high water mark, do not Shut Down, and keep power pretty much at the point of lift off", two reasons were given,
1. Engine may not re-light,
2. Sand is not known for the ability to hold vibrating skids, which under certain conditions could sink very quickly due to Liquifaction( or water forced up to the surface) therby removing the load bearing property/capacity of the bit your skid's are on!

Sofar I have not landed and shut down on any beach side area!

PeterR-B

Vfr

[helicopter-redeye]

Need to watch out for SSSI's that are on beaches down to the MLWM. English Nature will complain if you breach the boundary.

I understand from Chris Gurney at Cromer International that it is common to land on Norfolk Beaches, where there is a lot of sand.

[boomerangben]

I would avoid landing on beaches at almost all costs. The reason is simple. Blown sand is bad for both blade and engine life.

Vfrpilotpb,

I also learnt to fly in that part of the world but iirc they had problems with sand erosion on TR blades.

[Telstar]

There were a few detailed threads on this before, I suggest you look up beach landings in the search engine, Genghis is another person on the forums who seems to know a bit about it.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Genghis is another person on the forums who seems to know a bit about it
Only a little, by virtue of doing a few beach landings and failing to land myself in trouble.

The legal position w.r.t. landing between the high and low tide marks is ambiguous; that land is legally crown property, but I've never heard of anybody asking for permission, nor of anybody getting in trouble for failing to. Sand and salt do get in everywhere, and if you are in a wheeled aircraft do make absolutely sure that you hose out thoroughly the wheel and brake assemblies with clean water afterwards.

I'd personally avoid landing above the high tide mark - dry sand gets in everywhere and has considerable potential to do damage - probably more so in a helicopter than a fixed wing due to the inevitable effects of rotor downwash.

Like Vfrpilotpb I've landed at Pilling sands a couple of times, nice site - absolutely huge, but worth talking to one of the local airfields that use it for training so that you know the local practices and don't upset anybody. I've also landed at Barra (outer Hebrides) which is tremendous fun, but not as dry as Pilling. Other beaches, I've always walked first on the same day, so that I can identify an area of dry sand (ideally surrounded by really smelly rotting seaweed, since that tends to reduce the risk of finding any humans there when you arrive).

G


N.B. I made the mistake of mentioning to a FW instructor some years ago whilst overhead Pilling Sands that it must be a great place for PFLs. He agreed, and without further discussion switched the engine off! I'm glad to say that my landing was excellent, and the engine restarted first time :D

N.B.B. I filed an Airprox once after flying non-radio off a beach on the West Coast of Scotland. I put my altitude on the form as 900ft QNH. The Airprox investigator phoned me up later and asked what setting I had...

"I don't know, I didn't note it"
"Then how do you know it was QNH?"
"Because it read zero sat halfway between the high and low tide points on the beach I took off from".
(pause)
"Not sure about that, I'll get back to you" (he didn't!).

[Thomas coupling]

Don't land in soft sand - head for the hard (wet) patches!

Treat it like snow and do a zero/zero landing (one option).

Don't shut down below the high water mark in case your engine doesnt want to start again :ok:

[PoorPongo]

Anyone got any thoughts as to UK locations I might find a nice dry, deserted sandy beach? In my line of work right now the ability to deliver a good zero-speed in real brown out is becoming very popular. I was thinking that finding a sandy deserted UK beach might be a cheap, accessible way of getting some practice in. Thoughts?

PP

[Genghis the Engineer]

A few, where do you fly from?

G

[Hummingfrog]

When landing on a beach always do a zero speed as TC says. You will get very little blown sand that way. Be aware that any slight padding may liquefy the sand to such an extent that a skid or wheel will start to sink in.

In my previous life I used beach landings as a method of finding lost children. I would get HMCG to stand the parents on the bonnet of their landrover then land the mighty Wessex next to the 'rover. 9 times out of 10 the missing child would join the rush to see the helicopter and its dashing crew:) and therefore be spotted by worried Mum and Dad:ok:

HF

[6Z3]

Back in '79, airlifted a stranded 660 Sqn Scout from 6 inches of water. The dear Major had shut down below the HWM (for breakfast with the Ghurkas) and couldn't re-start. When he and his ac were safely back at Sek Kong, he donated our detachment (RN) a crate of beer, later confessing that that particular scout was a notoriously bad starter!