Routings

[tomahawk_pa38]

Flying back into EGLL (28L) from CYYZ last week (as a passenger - I'm not a commercial pilot) I was expecting to fly over my home town of Swindon as the route Routefinder gave me was STR/DIKAS/BASET/KENET but when I could see clearly through the clouds we seemed way south of that track.Although I suddenly thought that with all the inbound Bristols and Cardiffs going East over my house normally I couldn't ever recall seeing any EGLL inbounds unless they're landing 09L. What's a 'normal' route into EGLL from the west then please.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Roughly as you have stated. However, remember everything will be under radar control so you were probably on a heading taking you south of track. Many moons back with my family I flew back over southern Ireland, expecting to route Bristol-Woodley but we ended up north of Bournemouth and then turned left towards Ockham.

The landing runway at Heathrow should have little bearing on what you see from Swindon. However, I'm not sure why you should see Bristol and Cardiff inbounds heading east over Swindon....????

[Spitoon]

I guess that's Bristol Approach for you......;););)

[tomahawk_pa38]

Well spotted - meant West towards Bristol/Cardiff

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<I guess that's Bristol Approach for you......>>

Yes, indeed. Maybe they were have a "Mike Romeo" day??!!!

[055166k]

After STU your route would probably have been to NUMPO on UP2 [just south of BCN] and then to BEDEK [on Y3] to pick up the OCKHAM 2 F arrival. That track is south of L9 and makes best tactical use of the available airspace in the Cotswold CTA. Very rarely an OCK 2A arrival [which could coincide with what you expected] may be issued for something "low and/or slow" for example a short positioning transit or an unpressurised aircraft unable to accept flight above the FL105 base of the southern part of Cotswold CTA. If you're from Swindon you will know where Colerne is...you probably overflew there...then Avebury....and just south of Newbury.
In the morning rush inbound from the Atlantic it is sometimes necessary to relieve the loading at OCKHAM, and some of the traffic is tactically selected to route to Bovindon [BNN 1D arrival] and this traffic would be positioned more to the north of the track I have described.

[tomahawk_pa38]

Thanks sounds about right - flight was AC856 - good view of Cardiff to the right, Filton just below on the right and yes I guess it was Colerne that I saw. Then nowhere I recognised, then into a hold (at Ockham I guess) then up to Greenwich and in to 27L.