GA Bashing From The RAF
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2011
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From: The North
GA Bashing From The RAF
Is it me, or are the GA community being treated like a bunch of monkeys by the Royal Air Force command?
BBC News - London 2012: RAF holds Olympic security exercise
It appears the only reason Typhoon will be stationed at Northolt is due to the idiots who fly light aircraft, avation enthusiasts who may blunder into the zone.
Not really fair to the 99% who arent arseholes?
BBC News - London 2012: RAF holds Olympic security exercise
It appears the only reason Typhoon will be stationed at Northolt is due to the idiots who fly light aircraft, avation enthusiasts who may blunder into the zone.
Not really fair to the 99% who arent arseholes?
Last edited by Fox Four; 29th February 2012 at 19:19. Reason: Grammar!
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From: Ansião (PT)
Being in charge is a tough job, especially if one knows "idiots have been reported".
I can well understand the willingness to do whatever seems reasonable, or at the least being able to illustrate having done all that could be expected to be reasonably done.
I can well understand the willingness to do whatever seems reasonable, or at the least being able to illustrate having done all that could be expected to be reasonably done.
Joined: Feb 2007
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From: GLASGOW
The Rupert, Mr Waterfall, is the one talking about 'bumbling' GA.
IF YOU FLY A DESK, IT IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO ASCERTAIN ONES CORRECT TARGETS, so lets just shoot them all down to be extra cautious.
Like to see the insurance claim............
IF YOU FLY A DESK, IT IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO ASCERTAIN ONES CORRECT TARGETS, so lets just shoot them all down to be extra cautious.
Like to see the insurance claim............
PPRuNe Bashaholic
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From: The Peoples Alcoholic Republic of Jockistan
Quite a few military aircraft infringe Controlled Airspace each year. I guess the pilots are just 'bumbling' along and need assistance to return to safe airspace ? 
Joined: Feb 2007
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From: UK
Perhaps selective editing by the BBC and / or the RAF talking about something trivial to divert attention from serious stuff that they know?
Rest assured that there are RAF people who fly light aircraft for fun and some of them have been working hard to help light GA through this madness. 'Nuff said.
Rest assured that there are RAF people who fly light aircraft for fun and some of them have been working hard to help light GA through this madness. 'Nuff said.
Joined: Nov 2006
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From: Hertfordshire
Hmmm. So multi-million pound jet fighters and helicopters with snipers in them patrolling over Londoners' heads during the Olympics are meant to reassure the public?
It's certainly a nice PR stunt but would they be that successful in the event of worst case scenarios?
All that film does is create the impression the RAF are using hugely expensive frontline aircraft to ensure a few bumbling hobbyists don't inadvertently overfly the Olympics. Little faith in the CAA education campaign then. And what about the rules of engagement for anyone who did get lost and stray into the restricted zone?
One final thought, anyone know if a GA aircraft has ever been used in a "terrorist" act anywhere in the world? Only one I can think of was the Tamil Tigers - some would argue freedom fighters - using GA to drop bombs on government troops in Sri Lanka. Clearly the thought of a 9/11 style incident doesn't bear thinking about but surely GA aircraft are highly unlikely to be used in such a fashion?
Lunchmaster
It's certainly a nice PR stunt but would they be that successful in the event of worst case scenarios?
All that film does is create the impression the RAF are using hugely expensive frontline aircraft to ensure a few bumbling hobbyists don't inadvertently overfly the Olympics. Little faith in the CAA education campaign then. And what about the rules of engagement for anyone who did get lost and stray into the restricted zone?
One final thought, anyone know if a GA aircraft has ever been used in a "terrorist" act anywhere in the world? Only one I can think of was the Tamil Tigers - some would argue freedom fighters - using GA to drop bombs on government troops in Sri Lanka. Clearly the thought of a 9/11 style incident doesn't bear thinking about but surely GA aircraft are highly unlikely to be used in such a fashion?
Lunchmaster
Joined: May 1999
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From: Quite near 'An aerodrome somewhere in England'
Problem is, the spooks always consider how they'd have responded to a previous incident....
So they're probably all looking up when they should perhaps be looking down?
So they're probably all looking up when they should perhaps be looking down?
Guest
Posts: n/a
Creating a fortress around the Olympic sites will possibly stop a direct attempt to disrupt the Games, but as has been shown before, those that would do us harm will look for a softer target.
The threat of an attack will bring almost as much chaos as the real thing so intelligence gathering is key.
The Betty Windsor Flying Club are show boating for the meedya.
150 days to go. 164 to the end
SGC
The threat of an attack will bring almost as much chaos as the real thing so intelligence gathering is key.
The Betty Windsor Flying Club are show boating for the meedya.
150 days to go. 164 to the end
SGC
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From: .
Smithy's perception on it all is that t'Government is absolutely keeking themselves that some pesky wrongdoers will try something that would spoil their self-aggrandising egofest Ollimpicks and make them look like minor pillocks. So therefore in response the entire nation's armed forces are to be deployed around a 25 mile radius centered around Ollimpick Village or whatever its called and the whole of London and the surrounding areas are completely closed and strictly prohibited for the duration of the Ollimpicks. Strictly a prohibited area both on ground and in the air for all with the exception from politicians, the armed forces, atheletes and folk daft enough to spend several hundred quid on a ticket to watch some folk run around an oval for a few minutes.
I find all the pant-pishing going on about airspace, security, transport etc. muchly amusing. One shall watch from afar with amusement as Britain's capital city grinds to a halt all because of a glorified school sports day. Tee hee hee
I find all the pant-pishing going on about airspace, security, transport etc. muchly amusing. One shall watch from afar with amusement as Britain's capital city grinds to a halt all because of a glorified school sports day. Tee hee hee
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From: england
Add to the fact that it would be virtually impossible for a fast jet to shoot down GA aircraft anyway, due to the fact that they are too small & slow! They used to struggle to "Kill" a Hercules, they simply dropped the flaps & flew a low, slow tight turns & generally they managed to get away!
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From: London UK
... with the exception from politicians, the armed forces, atheletes and folk daft enough to spend several hundred quid on a ticket ...
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From: The Winchester
They used to struggle to "Kill" a Hercules,
Anyhow back to the thread:
Lunchmaster:
... what about the rules of engagement for anyone who did get lost and stray into the restricted zone?
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Canada
After experiencing the security theater that was created to deal with the "air threat" at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, which basically closed all the airspace around Vancouver for 2 months my advice is to take up sailing/golf/soccer/hiking and leave your aircraft on the ground. The hassles will just not be worth it.
Ironically the first for real airspace infringement of the ADIZ around Vancouver in 2010 was a light aircraft approaching the downtown core unannounced. The intercepting fighters did not have any trouble identifying it, as "Transport Canada" (ie the Canadian equivalent of the CAA) was prominatly marked on the side of the aircraft
Ironically the first for real airspace infringement of the ADIZ around Vancouver in 2010 was a light aircraft approaching the downtown core unannounced. The intercepting fighters did not have any trouble identifying it, as "Transport Canada" (ie the Canadian equivalent of the CAA) was prominatly marked on the side of the aircraft
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From: N/W London
IIRC correctly, Air Commodore Gary Waterfall was the RAF Harrier display pilot a few years back, so I'd have hoped he'd have good experiences of GA and display flying. That said, I'm amazed at the number of times when I've been a spectator on the ground at Duxford or various military airshows and I've heard a GA pilot seeming completely oblivious of the RA(T) that is in existence, requesting permission to route through the overhead etc. Sadly, I do think there are a number of GA flyers who seem unaware of the NOTAM system. Hopefully even they wont miss the Olympic RA(T)'s etc...
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From: London
The Rupert, Mr Waterfall, is the one talking about 'bumbling' GA.
IF YOU FLY A DESK, IT IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO ASCERTAIN ONES CORRECT TARGETS
IF YOU FLY A DESK, IT IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO ASCERTAIN ONES CORRECT TARGETS
FL
