U.K. and Ireland - No Fly Zone over London for Olympics in operation yet?

Has anyone flown in to LHR yesterday or today come along the Thames route (assuming you could see if the clouds weren't in the way!)?

Reason I ask is because I was awake at 4.30/5am yesterday and I usually hear the morning long haul flights come in, but it was quiet. Checked on my FlightRadar24 app and it looked like all flights were lined up over Windsor instead. Checked later in the day and today and central London appears clear. Maybe its a problem with the app/website, but I've not heard or noticed any since!

I searched and found some articles last year about how there would be a NFZ over London, but that supposed to be from mid July.

Does anyone know what's going on? I miss the sound of jets going overhead and seeing them out my window! :D

Isn't it called the wind direction?

Has anyone flown in to LHR yesterday or today come along the Thames route (assuming you could see if the clouds weren't in the way!)?

Reason I ask is because I was awake at 4.30/5am yesterday and I usually hear the morning long haul flights come in, but it was quiet. Checked on my FlightRadar24 app and it looked like all flights were lined up over Windsor instead. Checked later in the day and today and central London appears clear. Maybe its a problem with the app/website, but I've not heard or noticed any since!

I searched and found some articles last year about how there would be a NFZ over London, but that supposed to be from mid July.

Does anyone know what's going on? I miss the sound of jets going overhead and seeing them out my window! :D

Is it not just the wind direction, meaning landings on 09 runways? (Not 27 runways like it is about 70% of the time)

Olympics aren't for a while so doubt this is the cause.

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I landed to the East at LCY yesterday (i.e. over the City & Canary Wharf adjacent) , with the same runway being used today.



I would imagine any Olympic NFZ would be fairly tight as otherwise LCY would be completely scuppered.

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I landed to the East at LCY yesterday (i.e. over the City & Canary Wharf adjacent) , with the same runway being used today.

I would imagine any Olympic NFC would be fairly tight as otherwise LCY would be completely scuppered.

Good point, if I'm honest I'd forgotten about city, and in my head it would be something like the inside the M25 or N&S Circular as the NFC! Suppose its just over olympic park then.

Good point, if I'm honest I'd forgotten about city, and in my head it would be something like the inside the M25 or N&S Circular as the NFC! Suppose its just over olympic park then.

That would make operations at Heathrow a bit tricky too!

That would make operations at Heathrow a bit tricky too!

Haha oopps.. Didn't really think too hard about that!

dddc,

It's called normal operations (i.e. change of landing direction due to wind or other operational factors).

Ref: The "no fly zone" to which you refer, the official line is "aircraft will not be allowed within the Prohibited Zone unless they are inbound to or outbound from Heathrow, London City or RAF Northolt and under the control of those airports or NATS TC or Thames Radar. These flights must have undergone crew, passengers and baggage screening in accordance with the relevant aviation security programme. They must also meet all the requirements to enter the Restricted Zone"

In other words... as SLF on a commercial flight (BA or otherwise) in/out of London you're not going to notice any difference (other than a substantially more busy airport and perhaps more OTT security checks ).

Hmmmm. The conspiracy theorist in me thinks otherwise! :D

Low cloud cover means I can't do a visual check. I'd normally see planes either at home or from work.

I just find it odd that flightradar24 all flights seem to be avoiding flying over central London, either on take off or landing and it was like that the other times I've checked over the last two days. It's not any LCY flights as far as I can see, so maybe it's a problem with thier feed of data -if they even show LCY flights??

if they even show LCY flights??

That depends if the a/c going in and out of City are Mode-S transponder equipped.

Also, I just found the Mauve note on the prohibited zone: comes into effect 13th July. See http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/eadbasic/pamslight-5CDBC8775008D87082E2D847E626B2F8/7FE5QZZF3FXUS/EN/AIC/M/078-2012/EG_Circ_2012_M_078_en_2012-05-17.pdf

And there's no real conspiracy, all temporary restrictions are openly published in the AIS here http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/public/index.php%3Foption=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=162&Itemid=59.html

I just find it odd that flightradar24 all flights seem to be avoiding flying over central London, either on take off or landing and it was like that the other times I've checked over the last two days.When LHR is on easterlies, they just don't. That's totally normal.

Go back to 9 June and you'll see westerly ops, with normal traffic patterns including approaches over central London.

The Olympic Airspace restrictions don't come in to effect until 14th July and they should, under normal circumstances, have minimal to no impact on LHR (or LCY) traffic.

Read about them here. (http://olympics.airspacesafety.com/)

That depends if the a/c going in and out of City are Mode-S transponder equipped.

Irrelevant comment if you are talking about commercial aircraft operating in class A airspace where Sierra has been mandated A-C since October 2009.

Except gliders, but you're not going to find em in class A !

And there's no real conspiracy, all temporary restrictions are openly published in the AIS here http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/public...Itemid=59.html

Indeed. Although there may be other operational requirements for chaining routings beyond those that are published, such as keeping commercial stuff out the way of military gear.

Irrelevant comment if you are talking about commercial aircraft operating in class A airspace where Sierra has been mandated A-C since October 2009.

Perhaps I'm getting confused. I thought flightradar read Mode-S, or is it ADS-B that it sniffs for?



Indeed. Although there may be other operational requirements for chaining routings beyond those that are published, such as keeping commercial stuff out the way of military gear.

Of course, although I was talking about mauve sheets specifically, that these things are published openly and without any conspiracy theories, as it's handy for airmen not to get a two Typhoon intercept :) . Anything operational I guess would either be handled in the CRAM, as tactical ATFCM by CFMU, or on the fly by the relevant ACC / TC.

Indeed. Although there may be other operational requirements for chaining routings beyond those that are published, such as keeping commercial stuff out the way of military gear.

What does 'chaining routings' mean?

What does 'chaining routings' mean?

I think this is meant to read "changing routings". I.e. some routes are only available when the military don't want to use them (conditional routes), so you can have filed a flight plan using a conditional route, then the military can (and often will) change their mind, and you have to take a reroute.