London FIS South// D&D 121.5

[Oxford1G]

Thoughts and views please.

Flying down an airway,we have a problem with our aircraft, we need to divert. Who would be best able to provide us with eg, airport data, runway lenghts etc? The cell you are working, 121.5, or London FIS?

Thanks

[BDiONU]

If you're already working a unit then you should make your requirements known to them i.e. as a pan. In this case as you're in an airway then tell the controller.
Apart from being under mandatory radar control inside an airway the controller already has all your flight details to hand and they know where you are. They also have rapid access to the information you require plus a line to D&D to get any info they don't have.
If you 'freecall' D&D on 121.5 then they would require to extract all the flight details from you and locate you. Similarly FIS/FIR but if you're in emergency then D&D exist purely to serve you, it is their function.

Thought all this was in the UK AIP??!!

[Oxford1G]

Hi BDiONU,
Yes the information is there. However, I am considering the multi crew aircraft, where a second or third pilot would have access to a second or even third box. In this case, would it not be more efficient to use other ATC units, to reduce the load of the unit that you are working? Who then would be best able to supply you with airports, runways etc?

Thanks

[Fallows]

Not to sure about the facilities available to D+D, but on the FIR we have most of the information that you might require in the event of a problem. We have METARs for all the major European airports available immediately, and the UK Air Pilot to hand in which is all the information required, as well as direct phone lines to all major airports and facilities.

[BDiONU]

No its not a good idea to 'use' anyone else for the reasons I stated previously. The controller who is working you is the best placed person to answer all your queries and the declaration of an emergency means that you will be given the utmost priority, In general all other aircraft on the frequency will be sent to a different one so the controller who originally handled you will handle you exclusively.
Other than fixing your position by auto triangulation, given modern IT and communications, there's little more a D&D Controller can do that any other controller cannot. The BIG difference being that the D&D controller exists and is highly trained and skilled (and practiced!) in dealing with emergencies, especially those which pop up out of the blue.

To be blunt (and its happened to me as a D&D man) speaking to anyone else tends to cause confusion and duplication of effort.

[Oxford1G]

Hello,

Thanks for the input, i will try to include it in our training.