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emergency diversion airfields in the uk

GA Emergency Diversions in the UK
In March 1997 the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) published a ‘Review of General Aviation Fatal Accidents 1985-1994’ [CAP 667]. Having reviewed 166 fatal accidents in the 10 years covered, the CAA made several recommendations. Recommendation 9.2 (c) noted that “there were a number of fatal accidents where a timely diversion or precautionary landing could have avoided the accident. In the UK (and probably elsewhere) there is a culture of pressing on and hoping for the best rather than accepting the inconvenience and cost of a diversion. This culture needs to be changed, firstly by educating pilots and secondly by persuading aerodrome owners that there should be no charge for emergency landings or diversions.” (For an example of the potential consequences of “pressing on“, see our article ‘Listen to the Warning Bells’.)

 

 

The considerable task of persuading aerodrome owners to accept Recommendation 9.29(c) was taken up by the UK Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association [AOPA], and in particular by Charles Strasser, Chairman, AOPA Channel Isles. After more than 5 years of non-stop lobbying by Charles Strasser, almost all UK aerodrome owners, including the Ministry of Defence, agreed to accept the recommendation and not to charge GA aircraft for genuine diversions. The GA community recognises the considerable improvement to Flight Safety provided by the aerodrome owners and by the years of devoted work by Charles Strasser. This page lists the civil and military aerodromes in the UK that have agreed to waive charges, by region.
      Where similar waivers have been agreed in countries and regions other than the UK we will be glad to publish details, which should be submitted by statutory Civil Aviation Authorities or national AOPAs, following the style and content of the UK page. Material should be submitted as an MS Word document, either as an e-mail attachment, or on floppy disk or CD to the address on our Contact page. PLEASE complete a virus scan before dispatching material.

 

The tables below list the participating aerodromes within the United Kingdom airspace. These tables have been divided so as to show airfields that are situated:

South of 52°N (Western and Southern England, South Wales and Channel Isles)
Between 52°N and 53°30’N (‘Middle’ England and North Wales)

Between 53°30’N and 55°30’N (Northern England, Northern Ireland and Southern Scotland)

North of 55°30’N (the rest of Scotland and the Outer Isles)

These divisions are intended to assist pilots with their preflight planning. They relate airfields that have accepted the recommendation in CAP 667 reasonably closely to the area covered by an up-to-date aeronautical chart. An up-to-date chart is a vital flight planning tool. An out-of-date chart is one of the most useless things to carry in any aircraft. It is suggested that pilots highlight these airfields on their planning chart so as to be aware of suitable emergency diversions along their planned route. Of course it will still be necessary to look at operating times and frequencies (for those with radio) as part of the planning process.
      A look at the number of airfields in each table will alert pilots to the fact that the density of suitable diversion airfields gets thinner and thinner as you travel further north in the UK. This should register alongside the fact that Wales, Northern England and Scotland contain large areas of thinly populated country and some impressive mountains that are inviting the unwary to commit Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) – the major killer reported in CAP 667.

Note that the concession granted by these airfields applies to genuine emergencies and diversions to airfields other than the destination airfield. Abuse can only hazard the continued success of a scheme that is designed to enhance your safety in the air.

The Tables were compiled in July 2004.

AIRFIELDS SOUTH OF 52˚N

AIRFIELDS BETWEEN 52˚N  AND  53.30˚N

AIRFIELDS BETWEEN 53.30˚N  AND  55.30˚N

AIRFIELDS NORTH OF  55.30˚N

 

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