UK NPAS discussion thread: Mk 4
Purveyor of Egg Liqueur to Lucifer
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Jaytee,
You've not quite the full story on that one.
The problem with call signs the PNAS way is that the individual aircraft keep their callsign and not that of the unit is is working with. Consequently confusion reins and nobody knows who is where and who is who or who the officer on the ground thinks they are actually working with. That's why you get NPAS xx, operated by unit NPAS yy in an area where the officers expect to be working with NPAS aa
Also kind of messes up the statistics somewhat!!!
Best thing about it all now though, is that at the quietest times of the day regions have four aircraft online, yet at the busiest times only one. Despite what is being said at all these meetings, come 02:30 only one NPAS aircraft covers the area south of Manchester. This will not change due to the continuing need for financial cutbacks.
Latest rumour; April, cuts down to 9 bases, which reflects Sir Bernard's recent statement.
You've not quite the full story on that one.
The problem with call signs the PNAS way is that the individual aircraft keep their callsign and not that of the unit is is working with. Consequently confusion reins and nobody knows who is where and who is who or who the officer on the ground thinks they are actually working with. That's why you get NPAS xx, operated by unit NPAS yy in an area where the officers expect to be working with NPAS aa
Also kind of messes up the statistics somewhat!!!
Best thing about it all now though, is that at the quietest times of the day regions have four aircraft online, yet at the busiest times only one. Despite what is being said at all these meetings, come 02:30 only one NPAS aircraft covers the area south of Manchester. This will not change due to the continuing need for financial cutbacks.
Latest rumour; April, cuts down to 9 bases, which reflects Sir Bernard's recent statement.
Purveyor of Egg Liqueur to Lucifer
Thread Starter
*
Just to clarify, "the area south of Manchester" encompasses two thirds of England & Wales.
Just to clarify, "the area south of Manchester" encompasses two thirds of England & Wales.
Purveyor of Egg Liqueur to Lucifer
Thread Starter
Lol, I'll ask the question that is always asked in the early hours, where's Harwarden? 
And the slide downhill continues to gather momentum. Shifts still being lost due to lack of TFOs and pilots. Pilots disgruntled over the fact that everyone seems to be on different T&Cs. Pilots leaving to go elsewhere. Rumours of another North West Base to close.
It just gets worse and worse.
It just gets worse and worse.
Purveyor of Egg Liqueur to Lucifer
Thread Starter
Stand by for 'Phase 2'
http://www.npas.police.uk/sites/npas...58_profile.pdf
Phase one being the full implementation of the project with all forces joined; phase two is consolidation and development; and phase three is the future operational and governance model.
Purveyor of Egg Liqueur to Lucifer
Thread Starter
Of course officially there is nothing planned and nothing being discussed until Phase 1 is complete .... despite it potentially being only being 3 months away nothing has been discussed at any level above pleb
Unofficial rumour type speculation time scales;
Phase 1 - as long as it takes to get all forces in. When the Met come over, Phase 1 is complete.
Phase 2 - Rumoured to be immediate swathing cuts to rotary and the introduction of the 3 fixed wing. (1st quarter of 2015)
Phase 3 - Once fixed wing are in place, (April 2015) further reductions of rotary and overall staff by last quarter of 2015.
Don't be surprised if this time next year talk is of reducing to 9 rotary units, 3 fixed wing with the possibility of one more fixed wing joining Apr 2016.
Then there's the fabled Phase 4 - When forces realise what they need from air support and have had enough of not getting it. Some decide to go it alone with the help of a labour Home Office providing rotary ASU's that only operate within their own force boundaries, however they will be available to neighbouring forces at a cost, when NPAS ac cannot provide the required service.
To reiterate, this is totally unofficial speculation & rumour. No eavesdropping, paper sifting or memo reading by sources oop north has taken place. Other rumours are available, however how close will they be to the actual outcome cannot be assured
Unofficial rumour type speculation time scales;
Phase 1 - as long as it takes to get all forces in. When the Met come over, Phase 1 is complete.
Phase 2 - Rumoured to be immediate swathing cuts to rotary and the introduction of the 3 fixed wing. (1st quarter of 2015)
Phase 3 - Once fixed wing are in place, (April 2015) further reductions of rotary and overall staff by last quarter of 2015.
Don't be surprised if this time next year talk is of reducing to 9 rotary units, 3 fixed wing with the possibility of one more fixed wing joining Apr 2016.
Then there's the fabled Phase 4 - When forces realise what they need from air support and have had enough of not getting it. Some decide to go it alone with the help of a labour Home Office providing rotary ASU's that only operate within their own force boundaries, however they will be available to neighbouring forces at a cost, when NPAS ac cannot provide the required service.
To reiterate, this is totally unofficial speculation & rumour. No eavesdropping, paper sifting or memo reading by sources oop north has taken place. Other rumours are available, however how close will they be to the actual outcome cannot be assured
Then there's the fabled Phase 4 - When forces realise what they need from air support and have had enough of not getting it. Some decide to go it alone with the help of a labour Home Office providing rotary ASU's that only operate within their own force boundaries, however they will be available to neighbouring forces at a cost, when NPAS ac cannot provide the required service.
Purveyor of Egg Liqueur to Lucifer
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Happy New Year
I know that you guys and girls still doing this job have had a rough couple of years; so I just wanted to wish you all the very best for 2015 and thank you for continuing to do a great job in difficult times.
Purveyor of Egg Liqueur to Lucifer
Thread Starter
Happy New Year everyone, have a great night and all the best for 2015. 
Fly save, fly happy and keep yer peckers up, as you'll never have guessed what's just about to come around the corner
Fly save, fly happy and keep yer peckers up, as you'll never have guessed what's just about to come around the corner
An interesting comment in this article from the Guardian, History of Lippits Hill base in Waltham Abbey
FWIW, my Dad was in charge of the Met observers in the 1967 trial; and I was incredibly disappointed (as only a spotty teenager can be) that he wouldn't let the AAC take me up for a ride when they made the offer!
They placed military cadets, police horses, firearms and dog training facilities at the base, which started to cause residents concern about noise.
The firearms and dog training were eventually moved out under local pressure, but in 1967 three Bell 47G Sioux helicopters were lent to the police by the army for daylight trials over London.
These trials led to similar police helicopters being housed on a permanent basis at Lippitts Hill from 1976.
Today, three quieter £5million choppers with abseiling equipment, Nitesun searchlights, a Skyshout public address system and heat-seaking sensors are based there to help police all over London.
Cllr Syd Stavrou has said the "uneasy truce" between the Met and residents could end when the National Police Air Service (NPAS) takes over the site in April and established no-fly zones end.
She said: “The residents understand the importance of the aircraft in protecting national security but they don’t want the buzzing to disturb them at night or when they are sunbathing in Summer.
“So far there has been an uneasy truce with the base and the Met have been responsive and have had an open dialogue with residents."
The firearms and dog training were eventually moved out under local pressure, but in 1967 three Bell 47G Sioux helicopters were lent to the police by the army for daylight trials over London.
These trials led to similar police helicopters being housed on a permanent basis at Lippitts Hill from 1976.
Today, three quieter £5million choppers with abseiling equipment, Nitesun searchlights, a Skyshout public address system and heat-seaking sensors are based there to help police all over London.
Cllr Syd Stavrou has said the "uneasy truce" between the Met and residents could end when the National Police Air Service (NPAS) takes over the site in April and established no-fly zones end.
She said: “The residents understand the importance of the aircraft in protecting national security but they don’t want the buzzing to disturb them at night or when they are sunbathing in Summer.
“So far there has been an uneasy truce with the base and the Met have been responsive and have had an open dialogue with residents."
Purveyor of Egg Liqueur to Lucifer
Thread Starter
Is there any mention of
https://usilive.org/sky-high-prospec...ation-victory/
Jan 6 2015
Prospect has welcomed the Metropolitan Police management board’s decision not to privatise its air support unit.
The police had planned to transfer its air support unit to a national service run by West Yorkshire Constabulary, which would have led to the helicopter engineering staff being outsourced to the private sector.
The union raised concerns over the proposed transfer with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe in October.
Prospect national secretary David Luxton said: “The decision has come as a relief to the engineering support staff who had been facing considerable uncertainty over the past 18 months over job security, site location and pension provision.
“The air support unit is an integrated professional service that provides an essential capability for policing in the capital that would have been diminished had the transfer taken place”.
Prospect has welcomed the Metropolitan Police management board’s decision not to privatise its air support unit.
The police had planned to transfer its air support unit to a national service run by West Yorkshire Constabulary, which would have led to the helicopter engineering staff being outsourced to the private sector.
The union raised concerns over the proposed transfer with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe in October.
Prospect national secretary David Luxton said: “The decision has come as a relief to the engineering support staff who had been facing considerable uncertainty over the past 18 months over job security, site location and pension provision.
“The air support unit is an integrated professional service that provides an essential capability for policing in the capital that would have been diminished had the transfer taken place”.
https://usilive.org/sky-high-prospec...ation-victory/
Still early days yet but I am wondering whether NPAS got slightly burned by that meeting with the local people and politicians.
After a months wait the finalised minutes have still not appeared but, as above, at least one of local newspapers did get in on the act with early reporting the supposed matter of public interest. They too are held back by not yet having the 'real' [aka acceptable version] minutes. Still the interest is running.
The content of the draft minutes suggest a rough ride and yet more heads rolling. Inspector Richard Brandon to go because they cannot afford him, to be replaced by a sergeant and Paul Marrion who is the local NPAS man. Nominally NPAS based in West Yorkshire but he was the Essex Police UEO/Inspector in his time based at the Boreham unit.
More to come I guess......
After a months wait the finalised minutes have still not appeared but, as above, at least one of local newspapers did get in on the act with early reporting the supposed matter of public interest. They too are held back by not yet having the 'real' [aka acceptable version] minutes. Still the interest is running.
The content of the draft minutes suggest a rough ride and yet more heads rolling. Inspector Richard Brandon to go because they cannot afford him, to be replaced by a sergeant and Paul Marrion who is the local NPAS man. Nominally NPAS based in West Yorkshire but he was the Essex Police UEO/Inspector in his time based at the Boreham unit.
More to come I guess......
Purveyor of Egg Liqueur to Lucifer
Thread Starter
I read the trades union page dated 6th January 2015, as saying that the Met ASU aren't going to be part of NPAS 
Sounds like theres a bit of Barney Rubble going on daahn saahf. Someone needs to get on the dog & bone and have a rabbit to find out what the Bobby Moore is about the two & eight of things, cause something pen & inks daahn there.
Sounds like theres a bit of Barney Rubble going on daahn saahf. Someone needs to get on the dog & bone and have a rabbit to find out what the Bobby Moore is about the two & eight of things, cause something pen & inks daahn there.