QGH and VDF Approaches

[Atcham Tower]

Do the RAF still use QGH, as I can't find any mention of it in the Military AIP? Likewise,VDF approaches seem to have died out too. Perhaps someone can enlighten me!

[ShyTorque]

Last time I did a QGH let down was at RAF Newton in Feb 1992. Newton closed about twenty years ago. I think the rest of the RAF have proper navigation aids these days.

[chevvron]

Apart from Barkston Heath, Colerne, Cosford, Chetwynd etc.
One or two of these airfields have a D/F but there's no TAP chart in the AIP Mil for them.
Most civil airfields with ATC seem to have 'binned' their VDFs; pity they didn't offer them to FISO airfields because they could still be used for 'information and advice' (but not as an approach aid).

[Atcham Tower]

Thanks chaps. I agree about modern navaids but wondered if QGH still existed as a fallback plan if all else failed! As Chevvron says, there are no TAPs in the AIP.

[chevvron]

When I did my PAR course at Shawbury in 1984 with 2 other civil controllers, the 'CDTC' or QGH was still being taught to RAF controllers, CDTC being 'Controlled Descent Through Cloud'.
We had the pleasure of being in the sim to watch an instructor being checked out on a 'speechless, no compass no gyro' CDTC.
(Actually we took it in turns to operate the machine which generated the signal he got on his D/F)
Last civil airfield to offer a QGH rather than VDF (as far as I'm aware) was Goodwood in the late '70s until they became a FISO unit rather than ATC.

[eastern wiseguy]

When I did my PAR course at Shawbury in 1984 with 2 other civil controllers, the 'CDTC' or QGH was still being taught to RAF controllers, CDTC being 'Controlled Descent Through Cloud'.
We had the pleasure of being in the sim to watch an instructor being checked out on a 'speechless, no compass no gyro' CDTC.
(Actually we took it in turns to operate the machine which generated the signal he got on his D/F)
Last civil airfield to offer a QGH rather than VDF (as far as I'm aware) was Goodwood in the late '70s until they became a FISO unit rather than ATC.

I left NATS about 6 years ago. No compass no gyro (sometimes speechless) were common. We had a lot of military helicopters whose crews needed to stay current. During my entire career, I only did one VDF approach for an AAC Beaver and that was the first day after my validation in Approach, so that got that out of the way :)

[Il Duce]

Most RAF towers still have DF facilities, but don't conduct QGHs. It's mainly used as an aid to identifying aircraft and providing a quick heading to the facility in case of emergency.

[LeftBlank]

When I did my PAR course at Shawbury in 1984 with 2 other civil controllers, the 'CDTC' or QGH was still being taught to RAF controllers, CDTC being 'Controlled Descent Through Cloud'.
We had the pleasure of being in the sim to watch an instructor being checked out on a 'speechless, no compass no gyro' CDTC.
(Actually we took it in turns to operate the machine which generated the signal he got on his D/F)
Last civil airfield to offer a QGH rather than VDF (as far as I'm aware) was Goodwood in the late '70s until they became a FISO unit rather than ATC.

I did some IR training approaches at Marshall’s/Cambridge in the late nineties and they were still doing QGH’s there then. My ex-RAF instructor suggested one as an alternative to an NDB.

[Atcham Tower]

Thanks for your comments, everyone. It does appear that they have been discontinued, probably quite a few years back.