MATZ overfly. RT etc?

[Gertrude the Wombat]

As Gertrude the Wombat said he was near a MATZ and not in contact but probably would have made things easier for all concerned if he had been

Not at all. The other 99 times I've flown past that MATZ they had no interest in me at all - what d'you think they'd rather do, make one phone call or handle 100 radio conversations with someone who didn't want a service outside their airspace that they weren't offering anyway?

[Gertrude the Wombat]

The attitude 'I don't have to speak to the MATZ if I'm near or passing through, so I won't' is unhelpful and potentially dangerous.

Did anyone say that? The context of this question was that you're receiving a traffic service from someone else and wearing their squawk, thus immediately easily identifiable to and contactable by the MATZ controller should they happen to be interested.

If you were listening out to London Information with the volume turned down and the transponder turned off that would be a different question to which different answers might be appropriate.

[fisbangwollop]

I would expect the unit that you are recieving a TS from to either suggest you call the MATZ or indeed notify them on your behalf that you will be passing through their overhead. That is what would happen here at "Scottish Info".....in relation to our local MATZ at Leuchars...any traffic I am giving a BS to will in general be notified to Leuchars and they will advise me if they want to talk to it....sometimes they decline the need to work it but if they have half a dozen Typhoons wazzing around at high speed it sometimes seems a good idea!!

[Lister Noble]

One reasoning says obey the rules,they don't really want to talk to you if you are not in their controlled airspace,as they've got enough of their own traffic.
They will know within a millimetre where you are.
The other reasoning says even if you're outside their limits they can advise you of heavy traffic,which if you fly near could really spoil your day.
When I've actually required a Matz transit round here ,the USAF have always been most helpful,I've found if you talk slowly,they answer slowly.
Never had reason to call RAF bases but I'm sure they're the same.

[aluminium persuader]

Except if you're in their radar overhead they won't have a clue where you are or where you're going and at best can pass traffic on your last observed position. Then something fast and pointy launches, accelerating & climbing.

This sort of thing has been talked to death. Why on earth wouldn't you talk to them? It doesn't cost you anything and may save you everything.

Obedience of rules is fine, but which is the most pertinent station to work?

ap

[Halfbaked_Boy]

a) Ignore (from an RT point of view) the MATZ since I am 100 ft above it

Is your altimeter really that accurate?

Or that of the possible traffic about to launch off the deck beneath you?

Is the MATZ QFE the same (in essence) as the QNH/QFE you're operating on?

The best solution is, as somebody already mentioned, drop a call to the station you're talking to, out of courtesy, to check if it's worth ringing up Marham/Waddington/Scampton et al.

It only takes about five seconds

[FREDAcheck]

A couple of further points:

• I believe not all MATZ ATC have radar at all times. Thus they may not know you're there, even if you're sqawking Mode C
• A MATZ may have instrument approaches, which could extend more than 3000 AGL (and more than 10 miles out).

As with any ATZ with instrument approaches, if within 10 miles or below about 3500 AGL, I think best to talk unless you're getting a traffic service from someone else. And even then I'd probably ask the traffic service provider if I should call the MATZ (if they haven't already dumped me to the MATZ).

[englishal]

This sort of thing has been talked to death. Why on earth wouldn't you talk to them? It doesn't cost you anything and may save you everything.

Because you're receiving a traffic service from someone else, who will either ask you to contact the MATZ controller or notify them by your behalf or have other knowledge (traffic for example). I'd suggest that it is bad airmanship to dump a traffic Service to then free call a MATZ just to let them know you're there.

I'm still trying to think where this is, where would one be receiving a traffic service from a civillian unit and not the military who's MATZ you're going to fly over? It may be that the civil unit has an agreement with the MATZ, for example Yeovil and Yeovilton (although Yeovil is non radar). One can be in the hold over Yeovil, talking to Yeovil and not Yeovilton, or vice versa because they coordinate with each other. Yeovilton know you're talking to Yeovil due to your sqwark and if they need to call you they will do so via Yeovil.