Mobile airfields

[Bern Oulli]

Probably a question for the boys in Navy Blue but this seemed the best forum. I teach air traffic at a certain college of same on the south coast of Blighty. A student (actually we call them "trainees" - "student" is not PC) asked "Is an aircraft carrier an airfield, and if so does it have a MATZ?"

One of those questions where you say "Of course......" and then think "Sh*t - I have no idea". So guys, is a carrier officially an airfield and does it have a MATZ that travels with it?

[sss]

i dont know the answer to your question, but im sure before you got into controlled space you would be having a recall on the lesson on interception

[Spitoon]

In legal terms there's no such thing as an airfield - it's not defined or used in aviation legislation anywhere that I'm aware of. An aerodrome is defined in the ANO as

'any area of land or water designed, equipped, set apart or commonly used for affording facilities for the landing and departure of aircraft and includes any area or space, whether on the ground, on the roof of a building or elsewhere, which is designed, equipped or set apart for affording facilities for the landing and departure of aircraft capable of descending or climbing vertically, but shall not include any area the use of which for affording facilities for the landing and departure of aircraft has been abandoned and has not been resumed.'

On the face of it an aircraft carrier could therefore be called an aerodrome. But the ANO applies to aircraft in various places over the high seas but doesn't refer to aerodromes on the high seas (and a carrier is not an area of water and so doesn't seem to fall within the definition).

It's probably all academic anyway because there aren't any civillian aircraft carriers so it's probably covered in other legislation.

[Bern Oulli]

Thanks for those thoughts gents. The simple answer would be to post the student to EGBB - about as far away from large stretches of water as it is possible to be in the UK.

[Bright-Ling]

...or immediately chop him on the grounds of wasting a senior (small 's'!) instructors time at a weekend.

Sorted

B-L

[Vizsla]

What happened to the plans to build a civilian "floating runway"
for the North Sea oil industry a few years back?

[ATCO Two]

Hi Bern,

Not exactly answering your question, but I believe that the TRA associated with the powerboat racing/Cowes Week in the Solent is "mobile" and actually follows the course of the race, so a mobile ATZ would not be completely improbable.