Controversially, RAF Brize Norton and its consultant Osprey slipped in a hastily contrived Airspace Change Proposal just as the no-longer-fit-for-purpose CAP 725 Airspace Change Process was being put to rest in favour of CAP 1616.
One reason for this eleventh-hour action may have been the secrecy afforded by CAP 725, noted for the opacity it bestowed on decisions affecting the ever-diminishing amount of open airspace left to GA.
However, Brize Norton’s scheme has surfaced in the public domain thanks to the appearance online of Kemble’s letter of agreement, in support of its own ACP.
We reproduce the diagram above, noting the way that the wall of controlled airspace proposed would block north-south GA traffic, create hazardous pinch-points at its margins and compromise local gliding operations. A prime case for intervention by Secretary of State Grant Shapps , we would say!
Meanwhile, previous airspace grabs made under CAP 725 continue to cause navigation problems, Pilot hearing of complaints about Class D access being denied at busy times to VFR traffic by overloaded (and, we would say, under-resourced) ATCOs, and we would urge anyone experiencing this to file an FCS 1521 UK Airspace Report via the CAA’s online portal (we will put the link on pilotweb.aero).
This is a vital way of ensuring the authority really does get a full and accurate picture of what is actually happening out there.
Click here to read more about the proposal
