Which frequency, located where, providing what service?
Sometimes these things have restricted routes and be under the control of a military unit, to keep them out of harms way and the busy GA corridors around that area. I didn’t think they would be mingling too much in OCAS using Farnborough LARS. But now I see they were doing something over St Giles and the Denham ATZ, then I guess Farnborough was the right frequency.
I thought it would be co-ordinated by a more dedicated frequency
Which frequency, located where, providing what service?
It was booked to do a fly past at some event in Chalfont St Giles and somehow a flypast of EGLD was thrown in. The Notams was an advisory but apparently BBMF insist on airfields being closed for them to do a flypast through the ATZ. Perhaps not an unreasonable request but it was closed for around half an hour and the first I knew of it was when I called up for departure right at the start of the half hour. (Yes, I had read the NOTAM but it made no mention of airfield closures).
Still, there are worse ways to spend half an hour on a Sunday.
Why was the airfield closed? Because the Lancaster (Battle one) was circling or holding in the London CTR area close to Northolt?
I have on a few occasions had to relay something from Farnborough north to someone because they were receiving poor radio coverage, but it has never been as exciting as “battle one”, and actually I am surprised the Lancaster is going around at such low levels trying to use a LARS service. I thought it would be co-ordinated by a more dedicated frequency.
I took similar photos and I too was a little taken aback by the “airfield closed” being somewhat different to what was promulgated in the Notams.
Still, it was a great sight wasn’t it!
So last Sunday I had planned to go for a quick flight Denham to Turweston but the TAF gods had other ideas for me and mentioned something like PROB30 +SHRA TSGR.
Don’t you just hate when it’s not a clear go or no go? Anyways to play it a bit safer I decided to just do a local flight over Silverstone circuit instead of landing and if the weather does really turn bad I head back home quickly.
So there I was bumping along in the club’s PA-28 getting a basic service from Farnborough north. The radio was very quiet, very unusual for a Sunday, but I guess a lot of
people got spooked by the chance of thunderstorms and the not so great VIS. This is what happened later:
Farnborough Radar: Battle One, how do you read?
-silence-
Farnborough Radar: Battle One, how do you read?
-silence-
Me thinking: What the heck has a call sign battle one?! and why does he not know how to read? 
Farnborough Radar: Golf-Charlie Apha can you please relay to Battle One ‘how do you read’?
Me thinking: Do I really have to say battle one on the radio? or is he just messing with me?
Me: Battle one, relaying from Farnborough, how to you read?
Battle one: readability 5, Battle one
Me thinking: Oh wow… it’s not a joke, Battle one is real!
Me: Farnborough, did you get that? G-CA
Farnborough Radar: I can hear him, but he can’t hear me. G-CA can you relay to Battle One squawk 5026?
Me: Battle one, Farnborough say squawk 5026. G-CA
Battle one: squawk 5026. Battle one
Farnborough Radar: G-CA can you ask Battle One for a position report?
Me: Battle one, Farnborough request position report. G-CA
Battle one: Battle one is at 5 miles north of Aylesbury, 500 feet, QNH 1011, south bound estimate…
Me thinking: I sure hope Farnborough got that cause there is no way I can repeat that! hang on… 5 miles North of Aylesbury, is more or less where I am. Where is this guy?
I searched hard below me, but no sign of him. Good thing it wasn’t a real battle! Then I rememberd the notam I had seen in the morning in the area saying something about battle of Britain fly past.
This entertaining relay back and forth kept on going for a while, until I changed back to Denham (Farnborough thanked me for the help) and landed at my airfield. At which point:
Denham radio: We’ll be closing the airfield in 2 minutes
Hmm… now that’s weird. Don’t remember the notam mentioned anything about closing the airfield. I should read those notams more carefully…
So I parked, got out of the PA-28 and was wondering what the small crowd of people with cameras was about when this passed overhead:
At which point I thought to myself: ‘Oh so that’s battle one!’ I jumped on my motorbike and went back home with a huge grin. Amazing stuff, this flying business.
I told this exact story to my girlfriend but she just called me a big nerd. Maybe here it will be more appreciated!
