Important Announcement regarding the use of SafetyCom in Scotland
 

My flying club has passed me the following information regarding the use of SafetyCom in Scotland.

The CAA has given approval for all aviators to extend the use of SafetyCom's VHF frequency 135.475 to 2,000' AGL and below anywhere in uncontrolled airspace north of 56*N (Helensburgh to Falkirk).
Please see the attached notice for full information. An AIC will be published reflecting this information in due course, but in the meantime, word needs to get out fast!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzR...ew?usp=sharing

Things about safety.com to remember:

If using an airfield, such as Strathaven, remember to start your call "Strathaven". Although CAP413 doesn't recommend it, end your call with "Strathaven" too since most folk don't pick up the first mention. If you don't mention the airfield, people won't know if you are at Bute, Strathaven, Castle Kennedy etc!

Safety.com is for blind calls, so don't expect an air/ground service.

Keep calls short. It is not a chat frequency.

if we find, at Strathaven, that safety.com becomes too cluttered, we won't bother paying hundreds of pounds for a dedicated frequency, we'll just stop using safety.com! So no safety benefit there!

Apart from seconding what xrayalpha has said, I am a bit sceptical about this initiative, especially since there does not seem to have been a lot of consultation.


If, as suggested by the information poster, "Good Intention and Position Reports may be (made) every few minutes" Safetycom could get overloaded on a good flying day.


And despite suggestions to the contrary in an earlier thread, the poster states that it "may/should be used alongside it (a Basic Service from Scottish Information) if appropriate and the aircraft has 2 x VHF transceivers"


I agree that this initiative could bring safety benefits in the Highlands, particularly if combined with
1) Fitting of TCAS to all military fast jets
2) Encouragement of the fitting of FLARM (and allowing uncertified ADS-B out) in more light aircraft and gliders
3) Improvements in the operation of the CANP


However, I think it would be much better to use a separate dedicated frequency. Anyway, we shall see- it is only a trial!

Are you flying in Scotland this summer?

Please read this carefully and fully digest it. It has CAA approval, it is working; please use it!

North of 56°N, Scotland is trialing a Low Level Common VHF Frequency in uncontrolled airspace as an Airprox avoidance tool, enabling all pilots of both military and civilian aircraft to blind, self position and intention broadcast on the SafetyCom VHF Frequency 135.475.

The basic rules for use of the frequency are:

* Trial from 01/02/2015 – 01/10/2015

* North of 56°N (Helensburgh to Falkirk)

* Uncontrolled Airspace only

* 2,000’ AGL and below

* Keep transmissions short, simple & effective

* Report as you deem appropriate

* When safe to do so

* Any time it is deemed beneficial to safety

* Reply to other aircraft to avoid conflict

* Not a chat frequency


Good Position and Intention Reports may be every few minutes, upon entering a valley, close to a town, near a recognisable feature, approaching a choke point, crossing a loch, following a main road…


Examples:

"Cessna G-CD, 5 North of Perth, 1,500’, tracking North on the A9 to Inverness"

"Microlight G-EF, 6 South West of Oban, 900', tracking North West to the Isle of Mull for landing Glenforsa"


Notes: Use of this frequency should not take priority over obtaining a Basic Service from Scottish Information or a local ATC or Airport Information facility if available, but may/should be used along-side it if appropriate and the aircraft has 2 x VHF transceivers. If you do not hear any transmissions, you should not assume there’s no aircraft nearby. Use all measures available to avoid a Mid Air Collision, and maintain an effective lookout scan!

Repeat: It has CAA approval, it is working; please use it!

Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. Fly Safe!



There was quite a lot of consultation on this trial before it went live - in Northern Scotland of course as this is where the trial is taking place, and where the highest probability of an Airprox between a low level fast jet and a general aviation aircraft is likely to happen in Scotland.

A separate frequency would be fantastic, however, it was decided that the use of 135.475 would be the quickest route to being able to start using something to be able to blind, self position and report, rather than have nothing.

Remember, although it can be used anywhere within the trial zone, this is primarily for remote areas where one cannot be provided with a Basic Service from Scottish, (though feel free to use it anywhere if you have 2 radios, or want to flip-flop quickly to make a blind position and intention report on 135.475 then change back to Scottish,) and only for use north of 56* N. In that zone, there are very few aerodromes that use 135.475, and below 2,000' AGL the line of sight coverage for a VHF radio is quite limited in the Highlands, so frequency congestion should not be a factor. If it does become a factor, please say so.

It's a trial, please give it a try and report back to:

[email protected]

Thank you.

The standard of position reporting will have to dramatically increase for it to be of any value

Position reporting in Scotland by pilots is abysmal - "over Loch Fyne" - yeh, which bit ? ... it's 45 miles long ... this is the norm

"north of Perth" / "south west of Oban" - 20 miles 50 miles, 5 miles?

Do the jet jocks who are the ones flying down there in the weeds listen out on VHF as well as UHF?

Cusco

It's a useless sloping-shoulder exercise by the CAA to divert liability for mid-air collisions.

As inferred already, there is no proper training in the CAA or EASA syllabus for the correct use of SafetyCom.

Russ

A suggestion, several years back I was flying with an instructor in his Maule through a busy VFR corridor that had a Common Traffic announce requirement on a designated frequency. So me being all bright eyed and bushy tailed launched into the following

"Los Angeles special flight rules traffic Maule N1234 north bound on the SMO 132 radial, 4500, abeam the main terminal, Los Angeles special flight rules traffic Maule N1234."

Upon completion of this mouthful and feeling quite happy with myself the instructor looked at me and said "What the f&*K was that all about?" Crestfallen, I mumbled that I was announcing who I was, where I was and where I was going.

He then said in rather dismissive tone that nobody knows nor gives a **** what a Maule is and they certainly couldn't give f*&k what my call sign was but he was willing to bet that they would be extremely interested in receiving any help I could offer on what specifically they should be looking for, which he pointed out was the purpose of the announcement in the first place. He also expressed a feeling that if there was indeed other pilots out there that needed reminding that they were flying over LAX they were probably in need of more specialized guidance than I could offer. The bottom line the next announcement was changed to :

Flight rules traffic, Blue high wing taildragger, northbound, 4500, abeam xxxx, Blue high wing taildragger"

Apart from your run of the mill Cessna and Piper's, I have come across a whole bunch of aircraft flying round Scotland I've never heard of, from the powered kite things, a host of LSA's brands, experiential and certified European and former Soviet block manufacturers and would not have a scooby doo if what I have just been told over the radio is the aircraft brand and call sign of the traffic I am looking for.

So perhaps using a description of the aircraft may prove a better way of helping us novices correctly identify other traffic.

Except that you won't ever get anyone announcing "Four pointy camouflaged fast jets southbound A9 Blair Atholl 500 feet" and they're the ones you really want to know about

Is this really needed? Do aeroplanes bump into each other a lot in Scotland?

No. And the actual threat - military-civil conflicts - won't be addressed by this measure

All that airspace lost to the military in the North and over Skye Mon-Thur afternoons/evenings and yet I see them whizzing past all over Scotland - you can sit on Skye and watch them use all the airspace EXCEPT the areas blocked off for them !!!

GBS......The Highland restricted area R610 is there to allow fast jets to fly low level blind (IMC) using terrain following radar. Hence the reason they keep all other traffic out.
I understand though that the MOD are presently looking at only closing the area to other users on an occasional basis by Notam that seems to make more sense.

R610 has long been an anachronism. The MoD has never released figures showing how often it's used but these days I bet the answer is "hardly ever". The days when there were hundreds of strike aircraft poised to fly low level night IMC to drop nukes on Eastern Europe are long gone, so the rationale for that airspace doesn't exist.

The MoD is supposedly signed up to the concept of Flexible Use of Airspace but the reality is they cling on doggedly to every piece of sterilised airspace they have.

Low Level Common Frequency
 

Low Level Common Frequency, LLCF, was not set up by the CAA, but initiated by both the RAF and GA users in Northern Scotland. The two parties lobbied the CAA for approval for its use, and a 6 month trial has been granted.

Every UK based military aviator is to use LLCF when flying in the appropriate area, and foreign military aircraft are also briefed on its use before they fly in the area too.

Virtually every commercial pilot, military pilot, coast guard pilot and local based GA pilot uses 135.475 every time they go fly in the Highlands now when they can't get a Basic Service from an ATC/ATS facility, so if you're flying up here and not using it, you're very much in the minority and will be very much on your own! I hear Typhoons or Tornadoes making calls on VHF 135.475 MHz just about every time I'm out flying in the middle of nowhere - it doesn't by any means make the frequency cluttered, in fact far from it, there's hardly anyone up here so when you do hear a voice, it can be quite reassuring that in times of need you might be able to talk to someone.



This is not a kid’s game, this is professional aviation trying to make it safer for all who use the airspace, GA included, so please take it seriously.

Low Level Common Frequency use in Scotland is not a cure all for avoiding an Airprox. It is, however, if used correctly, another string to one's bow that may prevent a near miss or a mid air involving you and another aviator, or perhaps afford you the opportunity for a useful weather report as you fly into dreich weather.

BTW Nay Sayers, it has already been used successfully to avoid potential conflict on at least one occasion between a military fast jet and a civilian aircraft since it started in February - that alone had made LLCF worthwhile.


135.475 is omni-directional and potentially has a lot further range than your eyes do. “Hear and Avoid" now compliments "See and Avoid”. Don't use it at your own peril...!

FYI, you might as well use it, you can't talk to anyone else, so what's the point of not using it...? I wish I had had the availability to use Hear and Avoid before my Airprox with a Hawk as he came blasting over a shallow ridge extremely low level and had literally 1 second to avoid him:

http://www.airproxboard.org.uk/docs/423/2014120.pdf

It's interesting reading! Did you know there were well over 200 Airprox reports last year in the UK alone?

If that's happening then I'm very pleased and I retract what I said before about mil pilots not using it. But I hope they're not doing that at the expense of also broadcasting to other mil pilots on the UHF low level common frequency. Then again, if all mil pilots are using the VHF frequency then the UHF one becomes redundant. That would be a victory for common sense.

NorthSouth, following a couple of safety meetings between all of us up here, to be honest, it didn't take much to convince the RAF that their use of UHF for traffic conflict separation would be much better served if they switched to VHF instead - for obvious reasons. They have VHF radios in all their aircraft and hardly ever use them, so it was a bit of a no-brainer. The most difficult thing has been getting the word out, and getting everybody on board!

The RAF still use UHF for operational matters they do not wish General Aviation to hear, and that's perfectly fine, however, they solely use VHF in the LLCF area for traffic conflict separation, so all traffic, both military and civilian can now on the same frequency north of 56* N.

Most unusual in aviation as we all know, but for once common sense has indeed been victorious. Long may pilots use LLCF, and long may common sense reign!

Many thanks for your input, without it these explanations would probably not have come out - hopefully more people will now understand the usefulness and importance of LLCF, so thank you, much appreciated.

Fly Safe!

interesting - I'd have thought UHF might have had fewer line-of-sight issues - inherent in mountainous areas at low level.
Glad we are all talking to each other now!

I just hope that the military VHF radios are up to scratch. Had great fun trying to understand what the HMS Illustrious based helicopters were trying to say on VHF radios which were clearly never used last year (before decommissioning).

AK355,

I appreciate the work that has gone into it, but why safety.com?

Is it just because this is a trial - if successful will we see a dedicated frequency?

ps Self-interest declaration. The airfield I operate will not want to spend 650 quid on a dedicated frequency if safety.com gets too cluttered.

I would have thought the exact opposite!