Spadeadam

[andyhelo]

Can anyone please confirm to me whether Spadeadam is active or not during the weekend, and whether the AIAA around that are is active too? Cheers.

Andyhelo

[Speedtape]

I live on the very southern edge of the DA and yes it is often active at weekends with helicopters mostly (Apaches and Chinooks and the odd Lynx and Puma) I suspect they are something to do with the T/A. Makes it quite interesting when some @rse decides to circle about at low level taking aerial photos:*

[Barshifter]

andyhelo

Easiest way is contact Carlisle Tower 01228 573629 or on 123.6 if in the air.They usually have the latest Info.

Cheers

Barshifter

[PPRuNe Radar]

According to the AIP, EGD510 is only open Mon-Fri or when NOTAM'ed. See exact weekday times in the AIP.

The Spadeadam AIAA has similar times (as you would expect).

[andyhelo]

Thanks all for your help!

andyhelo

[Maude Charlee]

Spadeadam isn't always NOTAMed as active. Any of the local ATC units, or Scottish Info, will confirm its status. It is usually cold at the weekend, but not always.

Worth a bimble through it when it is cold though. They have a mock airfield and assorted mock SAM sites and other military hardware scattered around. Makes for an entertaining few minutes making a low level strafing run on the 'airfield'. :D

Speedtape

Hope the '@rse' you refer to isn't me. ;) If it is, you won't have to worry about it for much longer.

[Speedtape]

Dunno Maude mate, hope it's not you. I'll be able to tell if you knock on my door and try to sell me some aerial photos. If you do, make sure you are wearing a gumshield
Got yourself a proper job then?:ok:

[rogerpenney]

Aren't there some big launch silos in the range from the days when we, (the British tax payer) were still in the space race?

[skyviews]

Just a note on above comment with regards to active DA. There is a freq for spade DA on chart. i would advise always calling them first before new or Carlisle. Why?


This friday transiting from york to scotland cleared by NEW after they had spoken to spade to cross at fl45. then passed to carlisle for FIS, half way through DA saw to jets 1/2 mile to right heading my way, a little un-nerving, then came the call to contact spade

"G-xxxx, any reason your in the middle of my DA ?"

" Yes sir you cleared me on trk, passed via NEW RAD"

"Standby"

2 mins later

" Seems NEW got wrong end of the stick, you werent cleared"

"Well sir can't do much about that"

" G-xxxx two tornados left 2 o'clock , cleared on route"

My point it was all very polite and friendly, but could have been potentially dangerous, mis-understanding on NEWs side sent me bimbling into active DA, yes I know they are active week days, but very often if nothing to affect you get a range crossing.

The lesson learnt always talk to the range controller, they are the only one to really know if its Hot or Cold.


Speedtape why an arse? Another expert pilot in the field of which he obviously has no concept of or the balls to do!

A proper job would be one in IT, where 50% of the work force havent a clue what they are doing and blagg there way. Before you question my exp in this field I have plenty.

Ps what makes you think your house is nice enough to take a picture of??:ok: :D :}

[Speed Twelve]

Be aware that even if the mil aren't using the range at weekends, there is a British Gas (or whatever they're called now) research site within the range complex. One of their specialities is testing gas pipes and containers to overpressurised destruction... They also have what looks like a mini oil/gas rig which occasionally gets encased in a huge polythene bag before several hundred cubic metres of gas is pumped in and then ignited. I remember seeing a notam for this, and the flying debris was planned to go up several thousand feet and out to a kilometer or so. The 'thermal bubble' from the explosion was notam'd to something like 30000'!

If they have a big bang planned they tend to do it on Saturdays at 1200 on the dot. An ex-RAF mate who was posted to Spade said that even indoors at the domestic site with the windows closed it was like someone had nuked the range.

As regards the 'silos', they are actually above-ground concrete test stands which were used for captive engine test on the Blue Streak boosters in the 60s. They can still be seen in the range, along with the huge concrete gutters for the cooling water cascaded onto the pads. One of the Blue Streaks is displayed outside at the camp domestic site. A government study was carried out as to the viability of using Spade as a launch site for Blue Streak/Black Arrow, with a polar satellite launch trajectory which passed over Kelso and coasted out at Berwick, with the booster landing in the North Sea just off the Norwegian coast. 'They' decided that it would be bad for publicity if one of the rockets was cut-down in the initial boost phase and piled into the Borders at Mach3 carrying several dozen tons of LOX and kerosene and used Woomera in Oz instead...

ST

[PPRuNe Radar]

Spadeadam isn't always NOTAMed as active. Any of the local ATC units, or Scottish Info, will confirm its status. It is usually cold at the weekend, but not always

No NOTAM outside AIP hours then it shouldn't be active. The ground equivalent of 'airmanship' surely ??. I've never heard of it being active for anything outside published hours without there being a NOTAM.

It would be MOR'ed if the range authorities did otherwise (and I would be one of the first to do so ;0 ), however the guys down on the range are very switched on and I find it hard to believe they would go against the rules.

British Gas are also meticulous in their NOTAMs. Massive law suit if they weren't and caused an aerial accident ;)


The lesson learnt always talk to the range controller, they are the only one to really know if its Hot or Cold.

Semantics, I know, but Newcastle can only give you a DAAIS and not a crossing service. For DACS, the published frequency is Spadeadam. Better safe than sorry ... as you found out ;)

[Speedtape]

An ex-RAF mate who was posted to Spade said that even indoors at the domestic site with the windows closed it was like someone had nuked the range.
You can say that again, the ground actually seems to lift and the shock wave rattles our windows and doors. I wasn't aware that it was Gas, rather I had thought it was the Army Engineers practicing demolitions.

Skyviews

Speedtape why an arse? Another expert pilot in the field of which he obviously has no concept of or the balls to do!

I have no problem with professional commercial operations. I do however, take issue with amateurs circling at low level in an AIAA. This can and does cost lives as happened with the C152 and Tornado in the midlands a couple of years back.
As for a proper Job well, I was referring to Maude Charlie, someone I know and was referring to his getting an airline job at last. :ok:
You don't know me so you have no idea of what my concept of two bit operators is nor of what I would or would not have the balls to do. If you did know me you might not have the balls to have made that remark :rolleyes:

If someone knocks on my door as happens at least twice a year, and offers to sell me an aerial photo of my property, I can only assume that they think my house is worth taking photos of :rolleyes:

[Barshifter]

Speedtape


You don't know me so you have no idea of what my concept of two bit operators is nor of what I would or would not have the balls to do. If you did know me you might not have the balls to have made that remark


Handbags at 20 paces me thinks

Cheers


Barshifter

[Maude Charlee]

Hee hee. Good job I don't knock on anybody's door. :D

Ref the gas explosions. They are hugely impressive to see from the air. Saw one a couple of years ago whilst just north of Penrith - it looked like an atom bomb. Huge mushroom cloud that seemed to last for ages, and definitely went well above our level. Can't remember what radius the NOTAM had given (5 miles?), but I remember thinking had you been on the edge of that exclusion zone at the time it went off, you'd have cacked yourself big time. :E

[PPRuNe Radar]

Gas explosion rig

http://www.spadeadam.net/images/JIPRIG.JPG

In action !!

http://www.spadeadam.net/images/jig_rig_north.jpg

[andyhelo]

Impressive pictures! I usually fly into Slaley Hall on the which is in the AIAA, and while we sit outside having a spot of lunch, you usually see the odd Jaguar, or hawk buzzing overhead. Ive personally never had any problems with the Military, but trying to pin down a phone number, or name, to give me a precise answer on activity, seems to be difficult. I can understand why nobody would want the finger pointed at them if anything went wrong, eg zone infringement.