emergency landing procedures
 

I have not posted on here for absolutely ages, but I was wondering if anyone would know what the process would be for emergency landing procedures at military bases in the UK for light aircraft including American bases such as Lakenheath

I have done some internet searches but not come up with much. I'm not a pilot at the moment, this is more a curiosity question

Duncan

dunc, I suspect you mean a no comms landing without the prior warning from D&D.

Keep a good look out. Pick the longest into wind runway and land.

Taxy if you can towards the control tower and either wait for a Follow Me vehicle or Police vehicle.

If there is no immediate reaction wait by your aircraft for some time, say 30 minutes, then try and walk to ATC or, if it is shut, to the guardroom. Remember to take your wallet with you.

One time I recall was a Sunday at a closed and low priority airfield. The orderly officer was alerted and drove out to the aircraft. The first thing he had to establish was the nature of the emergency and whether the pilot know where he was. He didn't.

If they have American accents and point guns at you, put your hands above your head, kneel, and then adopt a prostrate posture on the ground.

Thanks, I suppose what I'm asking is if you have comms and it is an emergency can they refuse landing permission? I know how funny the Americans can be??

In a word, no. However, if there was a civilian airport within the same area/distance that is available for the emergency landing, might me a different story.

But no, no US Military Airfield will let an aircraft crash, risking the deaths of people by refusing permission to land.

Now you might be in a world of trouble after landing if the emergency turns out not to be all that serious, but at least you'll still be alive to be yelled at. :p

Case in point, Wake Island in the pacific leaves the runway lights on all night just for such a situation, as it is not open for civilian traffic, including just for refueling stops. It also cannot be used for ETOPS planing, at least it didn't used to be.

Not sure what the procedures are but I do remember a Pawnee busting into the pattern and landing at Cottesmore in around 1983. It was Dutch registered, PH-TOY IIRC. Caused a bit of commotion at the time!

Still trying to work this one out :confused:
Is there a military base in the UK with parallel runways?

Well the northern taxiway at Kinloss could take a Nimrod...

Unless they had an emergency of their own going on, I don't see that any RAF or USAF airbase in the UK would refuse permission.

However, even if they did refuse, so what? Short of putting vehicles on the runway to block it, they can't stop you. You are the captain of the aircraft - you do what you need to do to survive!

Absolutely not, If you have submited a Flight Plan, you will be granted all services including Search and Rescue in case of a crash. In case of an emergency landing, whatever your emergency is (aircraft issue, sick passenger, etc.. ) you have priority towards other aircraft flying in the Control Zone of the airport.

No need if this is a genuine emergency. All MOD airfields have been signed up to the Strasser Scheme started by AOPA - that means no charges for those who genuinely have to divert.

Strasser Scheme

LJ :ok:

Wow! I wonder how many of us knew that scheme even existed... I know I didn't. Good info LJ :ok:

Just looking at it again though, none of the "RAF" airfields used by the USAF, eg Lakenheath appear on the list... & that's what the OP was asking about.

Any ideas?

If it is a USAF base you can probably expect the welcome described by PN. Just takes a bit to get it sorted. I know a guy who was a USAF pilot flying his private plane who make a forced landing at the base where he was stationed, and he got the M16 in the ear greeting until they ID'd him and confirmed that his engine really had quit..

Thread drift but nostalgia erupts. We lost an engine during the seventies and had to divert into Wake Island. Had a great ten day stay there, the locals were very friendly to us. The Pacific is a huge and sometimes unfriendly place to be when presented with an unserviceability. Thank heavens they keep Wake going!:D

Red Flag Aug 90. In the boot with the Stn Cdr, one T**y H******n, in the back of a 6 or an 8 ship GR1 formation, can't remember which. Stn Cdr stickmonkey getting increasingly less inclined to attempt to get into any semblance of a decent formation, preferring to scope/schneeble around looking for A-A trade. We manage to get our sh&t together for the live attack and are completing the remnents of a complicated IMC post target recovery plan when miraculously, for about 6 seconds, we managed to roll out in a wide battle formation only for D**k D****s and W****y G***t to have a fuel problem, prompty declare an emergency and divert to Tonopah. Bagged and interrogated for sometime we next saw them at the Elephant bar, what a hoot!

Happy Days

Little did we know what was on the cards only a few months later!

3P:ok: