throttle would be to invite more trouble. I
will ease away from the ground and have a
look at my engine instruments; if they are
OK, I’ll look at my airframe for damage and
mentally run through a small checklist to
validate the integrity of my aircraft. Either
way, I’ll be diverting to the nearest available
air eld to get the aircraft inspected.
Occasionally, foreign military aircraft can
be seen at low level in the UK as they are
permitted on a reciprocal basis, but must be
briefed by a British aircrew rst and have to
y at heights that UK military aircraft could
operate in their country. USAF aircraft
permanently based in England are subject
to the same regulations as British forces and
are not considered visitors.
DECONFLICTION
Low ying has changed signi cantly over my
20-year air force career with less being own
these days. Technology has also come a
long way in improving safety; for example,
the rst generation Hawk T1 doesn’t have a
radar altimeter (rad alt), which makes height
keeping difficult, and is something that has
to be visually judged. Airborne decon iction
is achieved by looking outside the cockpit to
visually acquire other aircraft. Its successor,
the Hawk T2, has a rad alt that can be set to
sound an alarm should the pilot y too low.
Unlike the Hawk T1, it also has a Ground
Proximity Warning System (GPWS), which
alerts a pilot to terrain that will impinge on
the aircraft’s ight path, allowing avoiding
action to be taken. A data link that ‘sees’
other Hawk T2s is also tted, which helps to
increase situational awareness, as does an
advanced Traffic Collision Avoidance System
II (TCAS II) that – although not designed for
low ying – can be useful in showing other
aircraft using an area.
All aircrew wishing to use the UKLFS
must contact the Low Flying Booking Cell at
RAF Wittering, Cambridgeshire. They must
state their time of entering and leaving low
level, along with the LFAs they wish to use.
Low-level routes (as well as those of
some helicopters of the emergency services
and others performing pipeline inspections)
are plotted onto a map of the UK on a BAE
Systems-designed IT tool called Centralised
Aviation Data Service (CADS). This system
is used by the MOD to aid decon iction
and provides greater situational awareness,
so crews can plan around other users. A
name and contact number for each ight
is listed so a pilot can be reached, if need
be, to coordinate separation. The route is
always put on CADS as early in the planning
cycle as possible, but it is just one of several
methods to improve awareness of other users
and should not be solely relied upon. All
aircraft need to carry a map that has clearly
annotated areas to be avoided. Aircrew must
attempt to y within their planned times and
route unless otherwise briefed.
When entering the UKLFS, approaching
well-known features or areas of known high-
traffic density, a broadcast is made on 278.0MHz, the UK low-level safety frequency, of
intentions. Pilots are busy at low level, so
transmissions need to be short, simple and
effective, such as: “Python formation, two
Hawks, 5nm southeast of Kendal, 250ft,
heading east towards Ripon.”
In 2015 a trial started in Scotland, north of
latitude N56.00°, of a VHF low-level common
frequency (135.475 MHz), which could be
used by both military and civil aircraft. The
aim was to increase situational awareness
among pilots as civil aircraft are permitted to
y as low as 500ft in unregulated airspace.
An RAF spokesman told Aviation News:
“The MOD is in discussion with the CAA on
the introduction of a common frequency for
aviators conducting low-level ight across
the UK. However, as yet no decision has
been made.”
The MOD views the combination of
CADS, a robust lookout and the use of
the UK low level safety frequency all help
mitigate against the risk of a mid-air collision.
As illustrated, low ying is a highly
regulated activity and its dangers well
known. It has historically been a component
in 46% of fatal accidents and 83% of
mid-air collisions. This makes it a well-
respected discipline, and one that aircrew
do not undertake lightly. Additionally, each
squadron will have its own rules depending
on the nature of its role. A ying training
unit, for example, may impose angle of bank
(AOB) limitations, for example students
going through the basic fast jet traininghttp://www.aviation-news.co.uk 29
Stunning landscape and weather conditions
can offer fantastic photo opportunities of
aircraft at low level. A Tornado GR4 passes
through a rainbow in the Machynlleth Loop in
Wales. Brian Hodgson