Global positioning system GPS jamming on the rise
Incidences of GPS jamming and spoofing appear to be on the rise and continue to threaten the safety of global air operations, a regulator/industry workshop has concluded. According to the International Airline Transport Association (IATA) there has been an increase in reports from airlines and other civilian pilots that they have been receiving incorrect data corrupting or crashing their navigation systems. Aside from the jamming of...
Important UK visual reference point no longer hiding in plain sight
A well-known Visual Reference Point (VRP) in Buckinghamshire is to start reappearing on UK aeronautical charts after having been previously removed due to new height depiction rules. The Stokenchurch Tower used to be charted on the CAA/NATS VFR charts along with an entry in the UK AIP as an obstruction as it was over 300 feet above ground level (AGL). However, when the Annex 15 definition of obstacles changed from 300 feet to 100...
UK CAA publishes new Safety Sense Leaflet
This month the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued its latest Safety Sense Leaflet (SSL) for the general aviation community, providing a guide on occurrence reporting. The CAA advises that reporting is an important element of improving aviation safety and is often a legal requirement. Occurrence reports are submitted to the UK CAA via the ECCAIRS portal. The CAA reviews reports and determines if any follow up action is...
Skyway Code updated
The fourth edition of the CAA’s popular Skyway Code has been published online and is now available in book format from aviation publisher and pilot supply company Airplan Flight Equipment online. The Skyway Code has quickly become the most useful ‘pocket guide’ for General Aviation pilots involved in non-commercial and flight training operations in the UK. Filled with practical guidance on the operational, safety and...
Right-Hand Seat Flying with no Training
Report Text: Towards the start of February, a newly qualified friend and I decided to take our C150 to a shortish grass strip. My friend who had only received his licence a few weeks prior was Captain/PIC and wanted to practise some short field landings and we chose the best location for it -a 700m well-kept strip with hedges at either end of the runway. The flight to the airfield was uneventful, the weather was perfect VFR and...
