safety around Newcastle

[9gmax]

BBC reporting following subject today.....but is it realy that bad ?
BBC also refers to incident in August last year.....but I checked on the Airprox Reports and there is no mentioning of it at all....
just curious as we use Newcastle quite often and have never had problems up to now...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_2041000/2041731.stm

[Fast Erect]

If you wish to read about the August incident, look in the AAIB web site under 'JUNE' 2002. It was released about 4 days ago.

[Captain Stable]

The AAIB report is here (http://www.aaib.dft.gov.uk/bulletin/jun02/gukth.htm)

Newcastle has several problems. First is Spadeadam. Then the North Sea areas, Fylingdales and finally the Vale of York.

There was a proposal to upgrade the NORCA to an airway, and insert a fillet on B4. I don't know what has happened about any of this. I think 10W could provide more light than I could.

[dde0apb]

I believe that Military traffic is now requested to contact Newcastle approach as a matter of course if transitting the area; but none of that would have helped in the incident which kicked off this BBC report.

As well as the areas mentioned in the posting above, Northumberland outside of Spadeadam is the busiest Class G Military low flying area in the country.

Full marks to Newcastle approach for their help in identifying the fast jet traffic when I'm operating on RIS or RAS, but even so sometimes it gets very busy.

My guess is that the Military will resist any attempt to upgrade the NORCA to Class A. According to DAP any fast jet traffic is supposed to treat the NORCA as if it were class A anyway.

[Hooligan Bill]

dde0apb,

A few years back now I worked as a controller at an airfield on one of the Scottish Islands. All military traffic was requested to contact us if operating within 15nm of the ATZ. There was good reason for this, inter-island flights, rig traffic, the Light House Board Helicopter and even helicopters carrying explosives from the mainland to the local quarry all operated a relatively low level on a regular basis in the area. However during that period I would estimate that no more than 50% of the military traffic within the area announced their presence, even when operating very close to the ATZ boundary.

So while it may be requested I wonder how many actually do?

[ComJam]

Believe NCL's zone also now has an extra "buffer" around it as a fast-jet avoid. I think most guys call if transiting the Hexam gap at low-level, v busy bit of airspace.

And yeah 10W is the man to ask.