Heathrow crossing H numbers
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Heathrow crossing H numbers
Hello, I am new to this forum but have been flying whirlies for nearly 10 years and have over 150 hours. I recently was taking a friend for a ride in south London and we decided to go across Heathrow as I have heard this is OK in a heli. When I asked for clearance the controller asked me about H numbers and I could not find this on my 1:250,000 chart. Does anyone know what these are, Im assuming these are helipads in London but I did tell him I didnt want to land anywhere just cross Heathrow. He got quite cross will me and told me to remain clear. Any help would be appreciated.
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Might be worth looking at this..
1:50k London Helicopter Chart Amendments | VFR & Chart Information | Airspace Policy
1:50k London Helicopter Chart Amendments | VFR & Chart Information | Airspace Policy
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This must be a wind up. Please G*d it is.
If not, I fear you are about to contribute to increasing my insurance premiums, blundering about like this.
Where did you train? We need to know!
If not, I fear you are about to contribute to increasing my insurance premiums, blundering about like this.
Where did you train? We need to know!
Le Singe (apt name it would seem),
so you were out jollying about South London with a friend, when you suddenly decided to cross one of the worlds most congested zones of airspace, for sh1ts and giggles, with no real knowledge of how that airspace works.
Have I got that right?
Imagine if I drove my car backwards and forwards through your living room, and when you appeared, justified my actions by saying 'sorry, I dont really know what I'm doing'.
I agree with pitot212, please stay on the ground and make the sky a safer place for the rest of us.
so you were out jollying about South London with a friend, when you suddenly decided to cross one of the worlds most congested zones of airspace, for sh1ts and giggles, with no real knowledge of how that airspace works.
Have I got that right?
Imagine if I drove my car backwards and forwards through your living room, and when you appeared, justified my actions by saying 'sorry, I dont really know what I'm doing'.
I agree with pitot212, please stay on the ground and make the sky a safer place for the rest of us.
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Le Singe, I can't believe that during your 15 hours a year, you have managed NOT to know about the London Heli-lanes and Heathrow crossing. Heathrow is Class A airspace. Your up-to-date charts should tell you this and your air law studies should have told you the rest.
I'm afraid I also find your very first post on Pprune a little concerning.
Cheers
Whirls
I'm afraid I also find your very first post on Pprune a little concerning.
Cheers
Whirls
Le Singe
Ever seen or heard of one of these before?! Have you ever taken any instruction for flying the heli-lanes? I'd recommend you take your story to a quality flying school for some serious revision - in the meantime, do yourself (and the rest of us a favour) - DON'T FLY
You're lucky the ATC only got cross - I'm surprised you still have your license!
TTB
Ever seen or heard of one of these before?! Have you ever taken any instruction for flying the heli-lanes? I'd recommend you take your story to a quality flying school for some serious revision - in the meantime, do yourself (and the rest of us a favour) - DON'T FLY
You're lucky the ATC only got cross - I'm surprised you still have your license!
TTB
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Apologies
It seems I should have known about the helilanes, I did think it was class A airspace but I though you could use special vfr, i do remember that from my training. Thanks to pilot212, this must be the chart they were refering to.
I am also a little upset with the responses from some of you, I was informaed that this forum would be helpful and that we pilots should stick together.
Anyway I know have the chart and will make sure i study it well and next time I will be properly prepared. Again thanks to pilot212 for your help.
For those you think im a a joke i can tell you that I also have a R44 rating as well as a R22.
Thanks,
Dave
I am also a little upset with the responses from some of you, I was informaed that this forum would be helpful and that we pilots should stick together.
Anyway I know have the chart and will make sure i study it well and next time I will be properly prepared. Again thanks to pilot212 for your help.
For those you think im a a joke i can tell you that I also have a R44 rating as well as a R22.
Thanks,
Dave
Hovering AND talking
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This forum is helpful and what people are suggesting is that you should should undertake some revision in air law and procedures, plan your flights, ask advice beforehand. I would also suggest that at 150 hours you are not experienced enough to skip checklists.
Cheers
Whirls
Cheers
Whirls
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Hi Le Singe.
Firstly i don't fly in the UK but i see where these guys are coming from.
I came over there last year and went to the safety meeting they have at Redhill. They had a DVD that NATS had made about flying through the London heli lanes which i picked up.... pretty good viewing and is well put together. If you can find one of these grab it but it would be wise to do some kind of transition/familiarization training of the area especially after viewing that disk.
I fly in the states and so the rules aren't as strict as the UK and ATC will usually work with you if they aren't busy but looking at that disk and knowing the area (originally from London) thats not a good place to get lost in.
Curious to the other posters here, does an incident like this really effect everyone that flies the skies around London or just the individual like over here. I get that impression from the insurance rates quote in an earlier post or did i not understand properly.
The rules seem pretty strict and regimented over there and i have a few questions i would like to ask as this info will help me as i am looking to getting my PPL-H in the UK so this is good reading and learning for me.
I am used to a different style of flying and rules and i am aware that a few in the UK don't like the way things are done here in the USA and the way we fly and thats fare, it works both ways
Final for Le Singe, becareful mate, your fellow UK aviators don't seem too chuffed with you and i'm guessing you spent a fare chunk of change on that license (looking at those prices myself right now) and its REALLY easy to loose if you don't have your ducks lined up regardless of which side of the pond you are on.
Fly safe mate.
Firstly i don't fly in the UK but i see where these guys are coming from.
I came over there last year and went to the safety meeting they have at Redhill. They had a DVD that NATS had made about flying through the London heli lanes which i picked up.... pretty good viewing and is well put together. If you can find one of these grab it but it would be wise to do some kind of transition/familiarization training of the area especially after viewing that disk.
I fly in the states and so the rules aren't as strict as the UK and ATC will usually work with you if they aren't busy but looking at that disk and knowing the area (originally from London) thats not a good place to get lost in.
Curious to the other posters here, does an incident like this really effect everyone that flies the skies around London or just the individual like over here. I get that impression from the insurance rates quote in an earlier post or did i not understand properly.
The rules seem pretty strict and regimented over there and i have a few questions i would like to ask as this info will help me as i am looking to getting my PPL-H in the UK so this is good reading and learning for me.
I am used to a different style of flying and rules and i am aware that a few in the UK don't like the way things are done here in the USA and the way we fly and thats fare, it works both ways
Final for Le Singe, becareful mate, your fellow UK aviators don't seem too chuffed with you and i'm guessing you spent a fare chunk of change on that license (looking at those prices myself right now) and its REALLY easy to loose if you don't have your ducks lined up regardless of which side of the pond you are on.
Fly safe mate.
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I don't think it matters where you fly around the world, if you're going to transit someone's airspace it's a pilots job to study that airspace before you take off, so when the controller asks you to report at "x" you know where "x' is. So it's all down to planning ahead, surely that's what being a pilot is all about!
How do you actually fly these? (It's academic for me since I'm in a different country but I'm curious). Flying along the river is simple enough, but how do you fly H7 accurately as it wanders over the SWs? Or H10 as it cuts across open country?Or doesn't anybody care about the exact line as long as you stick to the general intent of keeping out of everybody else's way?
Where possible, the routes are chosen to maximise time over open ground. As for how you fly them, accurately!
The good thing about flying through a major world city is there are plenty of landmarks to relate your position to, and the main route follows the river Thames.
Standard nav rules apply, but you do need your wits about you, you have to listen very carefully to clearances, and you never, ever, ever p1ss off the controller giving you the service.
The good thing about flying through a major world city is there are plenty of landmarks to relate your position to, and the main route follows the river Thames.
Standard nav rules apply, but you do need your wits about you, you have to listen very carefully to clearances, and you never, ever, ever p1ss off the controller giving you the service.
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Flying around McCarren is a breeze compared to Heathrow... remain west of the 19s, north of the 25s and shout when you want to change... remain at or below 3000'
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Le Singe
I find it hard to believe your can really be surprised by some of the responses you have had. As far as I can tell you knew you had made an arse of yourself by your admission that the controller was cross with you, your response?? Simple, I'll go and tell the world and his wife on a (largely) professional pilots website!!
People have been kind enough to provide you with a link to a copy of a helilanes map. You've really never seen one before, or even heard of them in your 10 years flying 'whirlies'??
As for this forum being helpful, for the most part it is. It also has a tendency to act like a wolfpack and turn on the weakest!! This alone should highlight the gap in your knowledge of the airspace your flying around. Comments like I did 'think' it was class A airspace really don't help to save you from the pack
Finally, your first heathrow crossing is a blast. Try again but please take someone suitably qualified with you to show you the ropes. Why don't you ask one of the wolves if they fancy coming along?
n5296s
I for one would love to tell a heathrow controller I was 'sticking to the general intent' of the lane! In practise as Mini.. says, lots of landmarks and the 50,000 map has lots of details on. Not to say no one ever 'wanders' slightly.....
I find it hard to believe your can really be surprised by some of the responses you have had. As far as I can tell you knew you had made an arse of yourself by your admission that the controller was cross with you, your response?? Simple, I'll go and tell the world and his wife on a (largely) professional pilots website!!
People have been kind enough to provide you with a link to a copy of a helilanes map. You've really never seen one before, or even heard of them in your 10 years flying 'whirlies'??
As for this forum being helpful, for the most part it is. It also has a tendency to act like a wolfpack and turn on the weakest!! This alone should highlight the gap in your knowledge of the airspace your flying around. Comments like I did 'think' it was class A airspace really don't help to save you from the pack
Finally, your first heathrow crossing is a blast. Try again but please take someone suitably qualified with you to show you the ropes. Why don't you ask one of the wolves if they fancy coming along?
n5296s
I for one would love to tell a heathrow controller I was 'sticking to the general intent' of the lane! In practise as Mini.. says, lots of landmarks and the 50,000 map has lots of details on. Not to say no one ever 'wanders' slightly.....
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You'll find if you post on any of the forums you are likely to be met with mixed results, so be warned. This site is a little more civilized compared to others.
As you can see you will helped, mocked, or get some sort of verbal abuse (if you want to call it that) but at the end of the day you will get the advice you need.
You got lucky here, if you had posted this on the US based website you would probably have a web page dedicated just to you.
Again, fly safe mate.
As you can see you will helped, mocked, or get some sort of verbal abuse (if you want to call it that) but at the end of the day you will get the advice you need.
You got lucky here, if you had posted this on the US based website you would probably have a web page dedicated just to you.
Again, fly safe mate.
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Commercial
Thanks to those who have been helpful. I am always suprised there is more to learn and this seems to be, on the whole, a great resource.
For those who slated my flying they have no idea how good i am. I did struggle a bit getting my PPL but with the 10 years experience behind me I feel like I could quite easily turn commercial. I suppose I need to look at the books once in a while but I think we are all guilty of letting the theory go but to be honest a book wont keep a whirly in the air for long!!
For those who slated my flying they have no idea how good i am. I did struggle a bit getting my PPL but with the 10 years experience behind me I feel like I could quite easily turn commercial. I suppose I need to look at the books once in a while but I think we are all guilty of letting the theory go but to be honest a book wont keep a whirly in the air for long!!
Hovering AND talking
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Funny how sometimes Le Singe can spell and other times, can't? 
Wind-up.
Cheers
Whirls
Wind-up.
Cheers
Whirls