IFR - Cranfield to St Mawgan

[S-Works]

First time post on this forum so please be gentle......

I am going to Newquay on Thursday in the Senneca and would like to try an airways route down there as opposed to my usual direct with an airways crossing.

I am departing from Cranfield and was thinking of the following route:

WCO R41 SAM R8 DAWLY EGDG

I want to do this at FL100 or 120 which is fine most of the way but the R8 steadily gets higher as you move from SAM to DAWLY upto FL200 in fact. The question being would I be allowed to fly this at my chosen FL?

[tori chelli]

I'm no airways controller, but to my mind, if R8 base is above your cruising level after southampton, then you 'fall out' of CAS and are at the mercies of uncontrolled airspace.

You might get ATSOCA from Bournemouth or Exeter, but at that level maybe not.

You might get something from the military, but I can't help with frequencies.

Tori

[S-Works]

I guess the question being would London Control dump me as soon as my level drops me out of the airway and hand me to someone like Exeter as I will still need to cross the N864.

Filing:

WCO R41 SAM DCT DAWLY DCT EGDG

Gets accepted by "the computer" so thats at least a start!

[side-saddled]

I stand to be corrected but ......

If you file at FL120 on that route you drop out of controlled airspace just to the west of Bournmouth.
If your above FL100 you sould be able to get a RAS with LJAO Southwest (Swanick Mil) who will help you cross N864 (they don't normally like working things below FL100 because of radar cover).
The TMA controllers should co-ordinate you but I think the frequency is 135.150.
Swanick Mil should then hand you off to St Mawgan 128.725.

If it wasn't August you could get the same service from Plymouth Mil who would do the N864 cross, but it is and they're all on holiday till September.

OR....

If you descend to FL50 after leaving controlled airspace to pass underneath N864 you could probably get services from Bournemouth, Exeter, Plymouth (Procedural only) then St Mawgan.
Plymouth is often by-passed though and you'll be transferred from Exeter to St Mawgan so you will always have a radar service.

[foghorn]

Originally Posted by bose-x

The question being would I be allowed to fly this at my chosen FL?

The way to get a definitive answer for this is to look in the AIP ENR 3.1 at the ATS route minimum cruising levels. If you want to follow the route lower than its minimum level then it's possible that you'll either be in the wilds outside controlled airspace as Tori says, or you'll be passing through a busy TMA/CTA, in which case you're likely to be vectored off route.

In any case prepare to be vectored well off your filed route in the London TMA, it's just too busy with climbing/descending traffic to the London airports for most typical navaid-based routings.

[S-Works]

The route all the way to the point where I am to low is all airways, R41 to SAM. I fly the WCO R41 SAM route weekly going to the CI via N866 and usuaully have few problems with staying on it. The most I get is a join via CPT rather than WCO.

This has all been very helpfull stuff thanks!

In a nutshell I should be able to fly and file the route with a radar service all the way but have to keep my eye open for the usual changes as I go?

[crew the screw]

L9 N864?

Don't have the charts but may be ok?

Cardiff also give you a radar service to about 12 south of Chivenor..

all of those guys are superb Sm, Cwl, Brs, Ext very very helpful

[RNGrommits]

Depends on you route, but if I was flying in MAS for SAM(ish) to ST Mawgan I would talk to PLY MIL (134*15 or 124*25; can't remember east & west), who can give you a service all the way from west of SAM and hand you over to St Mawgan. They will also give you a radar crossing of N864 and are a single agency all the way. They also have radar cover all the way, which is probably more than most units on the south coast.

[Pierre Argh]

RNG's comment is quite valid, another scenario is that London Control will pass you over to Swanwick Mil at some point after SAM (you may still be within CAS at time of transfer)... the Controller will take you through the N864, and then (like Ply(Mil)) provide a handover to SMG Director... seamless?