Permission to enter TRA

[mickjoebill]

Recently I conducted air to air filming of an air ambulance over the course of a few days, for a TV documentry. They cover a rural area and rarely land in a city. They outrun us to the scene, we do a few orbits of the scene and then relocate halfway toward the hospital they intend to deliver the victim so we can film the landing.

Looks like we will return to shoot more footage for a longer period.

As most of you know, usually the air ambulance is in and out fairly quickly but on a major incident they may return to pickup more casulties or drop off additional medical staff.

In the somewhat unlikely eventuality of a major incident occuring a TRA could be activated which would prevent us returning to the incident with the air ambulance.

I'd like to think that a chief constable would be sympathetic to us filming the air ambulance at work and would make an exception for us to enter a TRA.

So the question is, what needs to happen for ATC to be aware of who we are and what we are doing so as to facilitate our (previously agreed with Chief Super) entry into a TRA?

Are TRAs now called RAT?


Mickjoebill

[BDiONU]

Been a few years since I was D&D controller but a TRA was signed off by the Secretary of State for Transport. So a copper could not authorise access.

BD

[mickjoebill]

BDiONU,

I understood that local Chief Super made the request and it takes 30 minutes to an hour to filter through the system.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that it usually a rubber stamp process?

We need to figure out if it is Chief Super that has to be specific about a particula media helicopter entering zone and if a rubber stamp process can accommidate such a condition.

As important is that the information reaches ATC in a timely and coherent fashion!



Mickjoebill

[BDiONU]

BDiONU,
I understood that local Chief Super made the request
May do but I've made it myself.
and it takes 30 minutes to an hour to filter through the system.
Depends how quickly the NOTAM gets sent & broadcasts made on 121.5/243
Anecdotal evidence suggests that it usually a rubber stamp process?
Well you may not get the S of S within 30 mins so generally once the request is made its a done deal, the signature just formalises things for the legal aspect.
We need to figure out if it is Chief Super that has to be specific about a particula media helicopter entering zone and if a rubber stamp process can accommidate such a condition.
In my experience Restricted meant Restricted with no exceptions apart from SAR/Medevac, obviously.

Hopefully one of the current D&D guys will be in here shortly and give you more up to date info.

BD

[Max Contingency]

Airspace can be restricted by the setting up of either a Temporary Danger Area (TDA) or a Temporary Restriction of Flying Regulations (TRFR). Any one of the list of government Emergency Coordination Agencies (ECA) can set these up and this includes a Chief Constable. A TDA is mandatory for military aircraft but only advisory for civil aircraft, unless that civil aircraft is specifically instructed to vacate by the person with responsibility for safety of flight within the TDA (usually the ECA's representative ie Police/SAR/Ambulance helicopter and not ATC).

If a TDA fails to achieve it's objective, or in the case of some pre-planned events (political conferences etc) a TRFR may be established, which is mandatory to all aircraft. These are very rarely used as they take time to implement and require the Secretary of State for Transport's minions within the CAA to approve them.

Nobody likes to restrict airspace and it is usually only done for reasons of safety to protect any aircraft operating within the restricted area that may be limited in manouverability or lookout.

Press/filming helicopters can and do enter TDAs but it is a question of management. Just ask the police/SAR/ambulance helicopter for their consent (you may have to tell them that, as the ECA's representative they are empowered to give it!!!). Inform ATC that you have this consent and you are then good to go.

[BDiONU]

Thanks Max, as I said its been a while and I was thinking specifically of a TRFR :\

BD

[mickjoebill]

Thank you gentlemen.

We have consent of course with the air ambulance.
It is the TRFR I am referring to, which have been set up at short notice in London but also in other parts of the country, one last year was set up around a car accident.

The TRFR is the one that would make it trickey for us to negotiate whilst in the air unless we have prearranged permission from ????


Mickjoebill

[London Mil]

mjb, you can always call D&D on 121.5 and they would be able to tell you who the controlling authority was. Generally speaking, the Chief Constable is guided towards nominating an ATC agency to 'manage' the sky for him.

A TRFR would now be termed an RA(T).

[whowhenwhy]

From what I remember, a TDA and a TRFR only have to be avoided my military ac, although good airmanship and a sense of propriety should see civil ac stay out too. An ERF or what used to be called a TRA (not sure about now) would impose restrictions on civil aircraft movements as well.

The airspace controlling authority is the only person who has the right to allow access to any of the air space types listed above and generally an ERF will be controlled by a copper and authorised through AUS acting for SoS.

In the case of ERFs then the copper will delegate airspace control to an ATC authority like with 7/7, 21/7 and various other 'events' that have happened since.

Having worked there, I wouldn't call D&D to ascertain who is the controlling authority because the answer will either be 'don't know', 'ARCC' or they will not be able to give you an answer for Op Sec reasons.

[mickjoebill]

Thank you gentlemen.

We have consent of course with the air ambulance.
It is the TRFR I am referring to, which have been set up at short notice in London but also in other parts of the country, one last year was set up around a car accident.

The TRFR is the one that would make it trickey for us to negotiate whilst in the air unless we have prearranged permission from ????


Mickjoebill

[mickjoebill]

OK, it looks like Chief Constable will have to approve our aircraft and include it in the RA(T). Is this within his scope and can a RA(T) include ammendments to the norm?

Would detailed RA(T) info ie say our aircraft reg, be to hand in ATC if we called up?

As I've said TRAs are not rare.
TRA's were also setup at the serial killer crime scene in Ipswich, the big oil fire at Hemel, a recent helicopter crash, train derailment and the house vacated by suspected terrorists in North London.



Mickjoebill