Geoff Butler's Flight School
Air Law
Airports & Airfields
The Basic Rule is
Nothing is allowed to move around a Controlled Airport, in the operating area, without Air Traffic Control permission. (This includes cars etc.) This includes taxi, take off and landings.
At Uncontrolled Airfields which is where the small Flying Club fields are, normally no control tower exists. Pilots use their own discretion when moving. Headcorn in Kent is an example of this. A radio frequency is allocated for pilots to advise each other where they are etc. It must be remembered that some aircraft may not have radios. A good lookout must be kept at all times.
Surrounding the Airport horizontally
Each regulated airfield has an Aerodrome Traffic Zone around it. (The red area above )This extends for a 2.5 NM radius around the airfield horizontally, and vertically for 2000 Ft Approaching aircraft cannot fly in the zone without permission of the Aerodrome Control Tower (or Approach Control if one is provided.) 10 minutes minimum notice must be given if you are approaching and want to land at this airfield, or to transit across the zone on route to another airfield.If this is refused the pilot may fly above the zone.
However Do not bust the base of Controlled Airspace (this could start at 2500 ft in the London Area). Charts have to be checked to ensure the aircraft stays below controlled airspace at all times.
If this cannot be done then you will have go around the long way. Pilots would use the altimeter QNH for the airfield in the zone.
Outside of each Aerodrome Traffic Zone is free airspace. (The green area) If pilots are flying from an uncontrolled aerodrome and returning back to it. Pilots can take off from an uncontrolled airfield and fly around all day in this area, without contacting anyone. So the pilot does not need to file a flight plan or talk to Air Traffic Control if the whole flight is going to be in uncontrolled airspace. IF pilots then need to go into controlled airfields the 10 minute contact rule and clearance will then apply.(See below)
Remember this Rule
If the pilot is going to enter an Aerodrome Control Zone or a surrounding Control Zone, The pilot would have to contact that zone, by radio ten minutes before the zone boundary was reached to get a clearance (or phone them before taking off for permission, If the distance flying to the zone boundary is less than 10 minutes flying time.
Controlled Airspace Flying
If the pilot was going to fly in Controlled Airspace. The pilot would have to remain below Controlled Airspace, and contact permission of the Controlled Airspace Sector Controller first ,by radio before climbing into it. A flight plan must also have been filed.
Likewise if the aircraft was going to leave Controlled Airspace, permission would be required. Passenger flights are handed off to major Approach Controllers by telephone link by Centre Controllers so permission is granted already when the Centre Controller gives the pilot the approach frequency.
The pilot may be put in a holding pattern if the airfield is busy.
Special procedures for Heathrow and Gatwick apply as the aircraft on take off will be cleared into controlled airspace on take off automatically.
Newcastle and
Teesside for example will be flying in Free Airspace under Radar Advisory
Service initially. So there are variations to be aware of.
Control Zones
Horizontal looking down on it
Around big civil airports outside of the Aerodrome Control Zone,there are Special Rules Areas (BLUE).The purpose of these areas are so that Civil Airliner flights can be protected from Light aircraft flying club pilots flights. This is at the stage the airliner climbs into Controlled Airspace or descends for a landing from Controlled Airspace at the major airport.
Club pilots who would otherwise be allowed to fly freely climbing descending and turning suddenly without telling anyone. I am sure you could see the danger here. So this is why the control zone is set up.
The club pilots may enter the control zone only on permission form ATC and then must not make sudden deviations or height changes without ATC permission. This is known as a Special VFR clearance assuming the weather is good. The pilot must comply with ATC instructions. Failing that the club pilot would have to avoid the zone. Or if the pilot had an instrument rating could fly IFR through the zone.
If the weather was bad, what would a flying club pilot with no instrument rating be doing up there anyway. It would be illegal and dangerous .
Sometimes a flying club pilot needs to fly to an airfield in the Control Zone other than the main one. How does he do it ?
Answer
Some airfields are within class A airspace. Pilots without instrument ratings cannot normally fly in class A airspace. Special Entry and Exit lanes are provided for these pilots to go to and from these aerodromes. As an example the London Control Zone has Fairoaks in the zone. Special procedures exist for these airfields can be obtained from the CAA website in the Air Pilot Information manual. (see diagram above. Normally the aircraft is not allowed above a certain height until clear of the zone boundary. Manchester also has a transiting lane across the zone
Above free airspace in some parts of the country is Controlled Airspace or a Control Area or Control Zone or just a 10 mile wide airway may also be in operation. From the diagram below you can see that a flying club pilot may fly anywhere in the green areas of course observing airfield traffic zones. They may fly in the blue control zone area with permission. But not in the red areas unless a flight plan is filed the aircraft has transponder and radio and the pilot has an instrument rating. An airway is 10 miles wide so either side of the airway going vertically may also be free airspace the area from the English Channel to the Midlands is normally a vast Terminal Control Area to cover all the major airports aircraft climbing on descending. The base height varies around the area for both airways or control areas.
(Zones normally start from ground level. Areas normally start at a certain height)
Looking vertically
A flying club pilot could fly in free airspace underneath Controlled Airspace without talking to Air Traffic Control .
Control zones however vary in length and height and charts must be used to establish where they are and at what height. Some start at the surface others may be higher depending how far from the major airport you are. Controlled airspace around London starts at 2500ft and the base increases upwards the further from London you get. Dover the base is 5500 feet for example. Some Control Zones are Class A airspace (Heathrow) most are D
In theory as an example an aircraft taking
off from Gatwick will be initially in the Gatwick Aerodrome Control Zone, then
into Special Rules Airspace and then into Controlled Airspace. As this would
happen very quickly as soon as the aircraft is airborne it would be in
Controlled Airspace within a minute and is therefore handed off from the Tower to the London
Centre Sector Controller. (Occasionally to Gatwick Approach) All Airways are in Controlled Airspace with the odd exception
being advisory routes. Controlled Airspace is known as Type A airspace up to 24000ft then Class B airspace above that.
Control zones are normally D type airspace.
Military Airfields
Around Military Airfields are Control Zones known as MATZ. These zones are not always active. Weekends for example they may not be active.
A pilot will call on the frequency of the zone. If no reply is heard, the pilot can then proceed as if in free airspace. The zone may not be active. He may fly across the zone keeping a good look out. When the zone is active this can be very useful for a private pilot because the Controllers can often give a radar advisory service through the areas. If the zone is active then clearance must be obtained before entering.
I hope that gives you some idea of the law and
requirement of pilots in the UK. The MATZ zone is slightly different shape
to the Civil Aerodrome Traffic Zone see below it has the extra rectangle area on
it
The MATZ altitude from the ground in the area is 3000ft the rectangle part goes
out 5 miles from the circle part and starts 1000ft above the ground. The area is
4 nm wide. The circle has a radius of 5 NM.
In the Eastern part of the UK many Military Fields are grouped near each other so there is one zone. For Example Lakenheath and Mildenhall. Yorkshire has the same . In the North Sea there are lanes at high altitude for tanker in flight refueling for example.
There are also danger areas and
restricted areas you must stay out of they are self explanatory. These include
missile ranges military training areas and restricted area would cover
power stations after Sept 11.
Last but not least we have the famous distress and diversion cell run by the
RAF. If the pilot becomes lost he can call them . Within seconds they can home
in on the pilots radio transmission, and tell him where he is. I have practiced this
when flying and they have been spot on when telling me where I was. IE over
Dartford Tunnel on this day.
Airspace is
classified into areas prefixed by letters. Unfortunately this is not standard
throughout the world. the UK is below.
Class A in the UK is Controlled airspace below 24500ft
Class B in the UK is Controlled Airspace above 24500 ft
Class C is for the Republic of Ireland
Class D is Aerodrome
Traffic Zones and some Control Areas
Class E is allocated in Scotland Only
Class F
requires a flight plan filed and are normally advisory routes
Class G is free airspace not allocated by any of the above letters.
It is hoped
that all world Civil Aviation Authorities will all have these airspace
classifications the same. This will not confuse overseas pilots to another
country. A working party is being set up to look at this aspect.
Air law is more complicated than this. I have attempted to keep it simple. This
is so that Flight Sim pilots can get the basic idea of the law requirements in flying a Cessna
or flying an airliner in or outside of Controlled Airspace. Hopefully you now can
get some enjoyment out of the Flight Simulator by trying these procedures
out.
Other procedures will be explained later.
These will include rules required for cross country navigation, and for over flying built up areas and collision avoidance.
For now hopefully you will understand how airliners, military aircraft and light aircraft are protected from each other. We will discuss the flying rules of the air later.