Who knows and who can help???? (RT HELP)

[Daultonio]

Hello to all my fellow pilots.
I was wondering whther i can pick ur brains briefly.
I am a new licence holder and very much looking forward to flying around the UK. I did however get my licence from flying in Florida, and we know that the RT in the USA is nothing like the RT in the UK, sooooo you can probably imagine what iam going to say next..........yes..........your right, it is a RT question.

I will be doing my flights from Blackbushe and wondering about the RT we use when........lets say........crossing over another airfield (not gatwick, heathrow type thing) but other small airfields like blackbushe or Biggin Hill etc. DO we have to radio them if crossing over them, even if we are above 2000ft (above there ATZ) or can we just fly over them.........i suppose good airmanship would be to radio if we are close to 2000ft??.......if we have to radio them what do we say....do we say that we are overflying them (HELP)

I understand about what we need to say to places like MATZ, but do we also have to contact them. The same goes for Danger Areas and Restricted and Prohibited......are we allowed to fly through these or not if so do we have to contact someone if we wanted to fly over the height or should we just keep well clear.

This basically goes for everything about a flying trip should i want to do one who we need to contact, when we contact, what we say.

and 1 more........in America they use Flight following....say u want to go from A to B they guide u there the safest way and let u know about other aircraft...........What is it in the UK and the VHF freq

You have probably read this and thought......"i hope this guy never flies a plane"..........

I dont (and iam sure other pilots) want to enter controlled airspace or have some Eurofighter come up alongside me rocking his/her wings, so this is basically for me and others who read this the safest way and quickest way to get to A-B.
I dont want to do a short flight that can take 45min to take 1hr30min becasue i went around every little obstacle because i was worried about whther i can go through.

Thanks for reading any help will be great (sorry it is so long)
Or any websites with alll the INfo CHeers

[Foxy Loxy]

If you are flying in the vicinity of ANYONE'S zone, it is sensible (and courteous) to tell them you are there.

Foxy

[maxdrypower]

Yeh absolutely remember , if you are in a zone you must be talking to someone , matz's you can technically ignore the stub and matzy part of it but the atz in the middle is the same as any other atz , as already said if near or above a atz it is only good airmanship to be talking to someone. YOu will hear as you fly atcu's advising aircraft maybe even you of aircraft in your vicinity and they may say manouevering no height or suchlike ,This will be an aircraft nr to the zone who isnt talking to them , one simple radio call and they would be passing you a message like , aircraft in your left 9 o clock at 1800ft northerly heading . far more use to everyone for the sake of a radio call
if your passing near a unit give them a callwe have no flight following in the uk , unless im being ignorant here

[Single Spey]

Good airmanship to listen out, better airmanship to give them a call especially if they seem to have other traffic around ...

BUT consider very carefully any requests or instructions to manoeuvre or restrict your operation whilst outside CAS....

UNLESS you have first asked for and agreed the type of Air Traffic Service you are receiving.

[mccourtm]

The equivalent of flight following in the U.K is called "Flight information service". To get it you generally contact an ATC with a radar service, so in your case it would be the nearest airport with an approach control. I use the acronym ADDPAA. Which is a/c call sign & type, where you departed from, your destination, position, altitude and the last "A"is is Any other requests, which in your case would be "request flight information service" ATC's reply will then be "......... Flight information you have, QNH....., traffic, cessna 172 operating over town X, micorlight operating in the vicinity off, etc., etc.,
I have a CAA PPL but I'm just back from doing a bit of flying in Kissimmee in Florida. What I did there I would suggest you do here. Take a few flights with an instructor, it took me two or three before I was comfortable with the radio. I also got a scanner and tuned in so I could absorb the radio calls/procedures. You might find that flying is a little bit more tricky here since we don't have perfect weather. When there's no storms around in Florida the air seems to be very calm with soft winds, you won't find that here though so it's another good reason to up with an instructor for few hours.

[dublinpilot]

The equivalent of flight following in the U.K is called "Flight information service".

I would think Flight Following would be a lot closer to a "Radar Information Service" than a "Flight Information Service".

What you really need to read and learn is cap 413. Click here. (The equivalent of flight following in the U.K is called "Flight information service".) This is the gospel of UK R/T, which the CAA issue.

I suggest that you go through it in detail, and in particular make sure you know the response to "Pass your message", and then take a flight or two with an instructor or another pilot experienced in the UK.

[Final 3 Greens]

You can download a PDF of CAP413 here

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP413.PDF