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CAA airshow review


Truro Model Builder

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The CAA have announced the terms of reference for its airshow review, and the members that will make up the panels. It has a big remit, and I note that none of those named appear to be current display pilots, though there are one or two with previous experience. It is stated that any new regulations will be read across to military aviation as well.

http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=17&pagetype=90&pageid=17113

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Disappointing that the review doesn't have an aim of finding ways for air shows to take place that enable full participation by all types of aircraft whilst minimising the risk. Instead, the tone of this appears to be a means to limit air shows as far as possible.

Peter

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Other members who attended Duxford today (or who are attending tomorrow) may have a different view but I and those I was with at the show today got the strong sense that aircraft had been prohibited from flying over the M11 during their performances. The whole show seemed to have been moved to the right as it were with turns over the eastern end of the airfield rather than the farmers' fields on the easterly side of the M11. We were in the friends' enclosure and if anybody was at the eastern end of the airfield then they would of course have had a different perspective and perhaps we are misinterpreting what we saw.

If the outcome of the CAA review is a severe curtailing of aerobatic routines resulting in for example flybys and manoeuvres far from the crowd line then I suspect my attendance at shows will become pretty non-existent.

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I may have been unfair on Duxford and the imposition of the CAA restrictions. What I didn't think about when posting my comment above was that there had been a nasty accident on the southbound carriageway of the M11 which resulted in the half of the motorway being shut and very slow traffic heading north. The arrival and departure of the air ambulance interrupted the show and given the volume of what was effectively static traffic underneath manoeuvring aircraft it might have been deemed prudent to ensure the aircraft stayed away from the motorway which is of course entirely reasonable.

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It appears clear that the majority of the population of this country were shocked by recent events and rightly so.

There does appear to be a slightly enthusiastic response the logical conclusion of which would be no flying over roads or built up areas. This would make us safer but is it an over reaction?

Would those same folks who had no interest in aviation as a hobby accept the same restrictions if it affected them

going off on holiday? Both Heathrow and Gatwick have busy roads in the immidiate area of take off and landing.

Nigel

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You make a good point, Nigel. If the BA 777 that came down short of the runway at Heathrow in January 2008 had hit traffic on the A30 and killed people driving past the airport, it does make you wonder how the CAA would have responded.*

Should there now be mandatory traffic lights on all roads that run past runways, such as those on the A4095 at RAF Brize Norton, or even a minimum 'sterile' zone around all runway thresholds? Most pilots will tell you that landings and take offs are the riskiest actions of any flight, after all. Interestingly, at RNAS Culdrose, anyone who has visited the viewing enclosure will have noticed the traffic lights on the interior perimeter road at the threshold of 30. According to Google Earth the perimeter road is approximately 196 metres from the threshold, and all traffic is halted while aircraft are landing or taking off. At the other end (runway 12) the public A3083 road is only 187 metres from the threshold. The runway is slightly higher than the road so jet blast is not a consideration, but should there now be traffic lights on the A3083 for aircraft landings?

*Actually, thinking about it, no it doesn't. There would have been no review, and no change to operations, as commercial ops are big business and lots of money to the economy while airshows are not.

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Thank you for your comments T7. In all we say on this issue we must respect the loss and pain caused and seek rasonablly to minimalise it in the future.

There are so many airfields that have roads under their landing / take off paths, it will be interesting to see how they navigate this issue.

Aircraft landing at Waddington and other military airfields would have to be included.(and as you say Culdrose) RAF Northolt is another good example. A jet crashed across the boundry fence onto the duel carriage way adjacent to the airfield. Humanity was very lucky that folks were not killed there.Another similar accident happened at Dunsfold some years ago when a BAe

125 crashed onto the road and several people were killed.

The difference here appears to be that the accident happened not whilst people were just going about their normal business

but were supposed to be enjoying themselves and airshows for most of the population are an optional activity.

Nigel

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