View Full Version : Sarrfend LARging it
Always thought that Southend gave good FIS, but now it's even better as they're starting a LARS. Good stuff. How delightful to fly over all those estuaries whilst talking the Queen's Estuary English on the....
(er, tries for suitable rhyming slang for "radio telephone", but fails....any ideas?)
stiknruda
15th Jun 2001, 15:01
Used them twice yesterday and thought that they were really helpful/useful!
Stik
The man formerly known as
15th Jun 2001, 16:08
Excellent news , hopefully starting a reversing trend.
What area does the LARS cover?
foghorn
15th Jun 2001, 18:07
Do they have SSR or are they still primary only?
bookworm
15th Jun 2001, 18:50
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">How delightful to fly over all those estuaries whilst talking the Queen's Estuary English on the....
(er, tries for suitable rhyming slang for "radio telephone", but fails....any ideas?) </font>
You need to find someone who learned to fly within the sound of Bow Bells. The training opportunities are somewhat limited in those parts these days... :)
.....that's true for fixed wing (except for all those bold characters in singles zipping about in the London City zone when it's closed, as mentioned on a thread a month or so ago) but presumably there's still good training opportunities for rotary pilots dahn Stepperney way, judging by the amount of nocturnal police helicopter activity (hopefully they are chasing the scumbags who've nicked my car, again). http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/eek.gif http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/eek.gif http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/eek.gif
Teenyweeny ATC Cdt Cpl
15th Jun 2001, 18:58
Yay! Now I actually have someone to talk to...those boring solo navexes can do your head in! :) :)
Apparently Bournemouth have one too...
-tacc
stiknruda
15th Jun 2001, 19:42
Teenyweeny.
There you are alone at several hundreds of feet looking down on the beauty of the English countryside. Not being able to talk to anyone just magnifies the sensation of flying. I love looking at big houses in the countryside and wondering who lives there, who has lived there what has gone on in that house, etc, etc. Keeping a good lookout also enables you often to see other traffic before any helpful ATC bod alerts you to it.
Earlier this week, I saw a two-ship C130 formation (American) a good minute before the Norwich controller told me about them.
Yesterday Saarfend alerted me to an AA5 one mile in my 2 o'clock. I'd been watching it for a good 2 to 3 mins before they told him about me and then me about him.
I must confess that most of the time in uncontrolled airspace, I don't use the radio very much - just listen. Having a single seater makes one very solitary anyway!
Next navex, promise me you'll try to enjoy the views!
Stik
Chilli Monster
15th Jun 2001, 19:44
The Man Formerly...............
30 miles radius of Southend - pretty standard for most LARS units. For more info have a look at http://www.ais.org.uk/uk_aip/pdf/enr/2010603.pdf
Foghorn
Primary only I believe http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/frown.gif (Bummer if you're busy - believe me)
CM
Tend to agree with Stik on that one, Teeny. It's good to talk, but silence is also golden (well, as much silence as you get when there's 180 of Mr Lycoming's wheezy old nags yammering on just in front of you). Having the LARs and other services there for us is great, but (to persist with the dodgy eastend theme of the thread), it's kosher to keep shtum, wiv yer mincers well peeled.
"Oi, Sharon, don't 'ang yer 'andbag on the carb 'eat knob or yer'll get a slap" etc etc.
Teenyweeny ATC Cdt Cpl
16th Jun 2001, 21:52
Partially it was a joke (hence the :) ) Partially it's because even though it might be nice to look around, as a PPL student you may be more concerned with keeping the plane straight and level (and on heading), so it can't hurt to have someone with a radar watching you. I appreciate it's limits (esp. with regard to SSR, or the lack of), but it can't hurt.
Also, it'll stop my appauling singing if I get interrupted by someone on the ground, even if it is just to say that that little black dot I've been watching for the past five minutes is in fact another a/c nowhere near me.
-tacc