Shoreham - tips? (including the dreaded NDB)

[tmmorris]

Any tips on flying into Shoreham? I hear the NDB approach over the sea is a bit, err, interesting due to coastal effects...

Anything else I should know? It is conceivable that I could be arriving IFR, depending on the weather, though the airspace is a bit convoluted for us IMC-rated types...

Tim

[DBChopper]

Hi Tim,

I can't give you any specific tips as I'm rotary and you're clearly fixed wing and from my experience of flying in, the approaches have varied quite considerably. I would say, however, that I have always been impressed with the ATC service there and would definitely recommend you phone them for a brief, which I have always found to be thorough and helpful.

(Except, if they make mention of "the chapel" to the north of the field on the South Downs, don't make the mistake I made and look for a little church - I felt a bit of a numpty after landing, looking across the airfield and realising that the "chapel" is about the size of Westminster Abbey!:O )

:ok:

[tmmorris]

Yes, I think the Chapel is that of one of my competitor schools, Lancing College. Rather nicer than ours...

Tim

[IO540]

The 02 approach is OK because the outbound is approx at 90 deg to the coast, so any coastal effect is obviously symmetrical. The inbound does suffer a bit but, hey, it's over water so you can mess it up as much as you like :O Usually one ends up well to the right of the inbound track, but it's OK because you are out of the view of the restaurant :O

The 20 approach is the bad one. The outbound again benefits from the obvious symmetry but less so than the 02 because there is terrain to one side of it; nevertheless is it fairly easy to fly accurately. The inbound is the dodgy one and it is absolutely vital you follow the DME stepdowns; the DME is mandatory anyway. The NDB error is small at "base turn complete" (about 6D) and is also small inside about 2-3D, but grows to 30 deg or more between these two points and if you try to track the ADF inbound you end up flying a massive pointless dogleg. Fortunately the dogleg takes you into the river valley... The DME stepdowns are designed so no matter how bad the NDB error is, you don't hit the ground. You may well not be able to land though, from being 30deg off the inbound track if you do it to minima...

The best way to fly these NDB approaches, IMV, is to establish on the inbound with the ADF, within 5deg as you are supposed to before descending, and then fly the track mainly on the heading and the GPS.

ATC are excellent, very professional, helpful and courteous.

[tmmorris]

Thanks IO540, that is indeed v. helpful. I must say I had intended to do that anyway (my GPS is the sort that will give an HSI display and allows me to set a radial so I can easily track inbound on that using, as you say, the NDB to check at base turn complete and again at 2-3 miles).

Hopefully I'll have nice weather and won't need to, and if the weather doesn't warm up I won't be in IMC anyway as I'm not equipped for icing!

Tim

[TheOddOne]

Last time I went it was mid-week, called from Midhurst, asked for a left base join for 25, approved, all very easy just keeping to the east of the river until turning final. Warned about reduced braking action due to wet grass, but turned off in front of the main building without having to use the brakes.

I've been on a weekend and been made to go out WAY over the sea and a complex let-down and join which was, in my view at the time, over-controlling and unnecessary. I could have easily fitted into a very big gap between 2 x C150s in my PA28 without causing a problem. I know they have to do what they have to do and they're very professional while they're doing it, but it just seems so complicated compared with other places that are just as busy at times, but have A/G only.

just my view,

TheOddOne

[Fuji Abound]

A couple of other comments might be helpful.

Shoreham no longer like you pitching up and using their approach unless you have booked it first - training or otherwise.

I did ask a while back if they were entitled to refuse you an IFR join and the consensus was yes, although if the weather really was IFR then they would not do so.

If the weather is rubbish and the preferred 20, many prefer the 02 approach followed by a low level visual circuit - break right when visual.

Finally don’t forget the displaced threshold on 02 - it is there for a reason, so also watch for the trains on very late final :) .

There is also the "strange" occasional local anomaly that visual on 02 at minima is not possible but a visual descent to the north and down the valley works.

[tmmorris]

Thanks.

If the weather is rubbish and the preferred 20, many prefer the 02 approach followed by a low level visual circuit - break right when visual.

i.e. break right for a left hand circuit? Is this the SOP? (Breaks the usual 'all turns in the circuit direction' rule, though I can't think of another way of doing it!)

Tim

[IO540]

You fly the (safer) 02 approach, then on going visual you break to the right (make sure you don't fly into the c. 850ft hill, so I wouldn't do this in heavy rain) and then turn left base onto 20. This appears normal to me.

But there's no getting away from it: the 20 is not a useful IAP because often the cloudbase is below the MDH.

There is a GPS IAP being trialled there, I read somewhere.

[Fuji Abound]

"There is a GPS IAP being trialled there"


.. .. .. and elsewhere - see GASIL in this morning's post.


You would be wanting to keep the low level circuit within the airport / river boundary and of course remain visual at all times!

['Chuffer' Dandridge]

Here's a tip - Don't go there if a certain plane spotting ATCO is on duty and your UK registered aeroplane has got a foreign flag on the tail :zzz:

[vancouv]

Don't most people fly the 02 approach until visual and then do a circuit for landing on 20? That seems a much safer bet as it's over the sea. If you can't get visual for a circuit then you'd have no chance with a letdown on 20.

ATC are excellent at Shoreham. Very professional and helpful.

I've been in a few planes (not me flying obviously :ok: ) which have come in low on 02 and not gone for the displaced threshold - if a train does come past it looks mighty close! I know they sometimes get complaints from train drivers about that.

[IO540]

I would guess that the risk in the 02 IAP followed by a circling for 20 is that if the vis is truly awful (say, night and heavy rain) and you aren't familiar with the place then you could hit the hill which lies to the east of the airport.

Personally I would take a tailwind and land on 02. A lot of the time when the cloudbase is really low, say 500ft, there may not be much wind either.

Otherwise, it's the ILS at Southend and a B&B in the land of Essex girls :O

Always carry the train timetable :O