Private aircraft drops into RAF Valley

[Dr Jekyll]

It seems the pilot of a private aircraft decided to fly to RAF Valley to 'visit the beach' without asking first.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52849560

Not a microlight out of a farmers field either, but this.

[Mark V GTD]

Hard to believe that a pilot holding a complex aircraft rating 'found the airfield on Google Earth', didn't look at it in Pooleys or a proper aviation map, didn't PPR, etc etc. Hmm, more to is than reported I suspect.

[Simpo Two]

Basically a non-event. But maybe the press should hound him mercilessly and make it headlines on every bulletin for a week...

[The Brummie]

Mark V GTD said:

Hard to believe that a pilot holding a complex aircraft rating 'found the airfield on Google Earth', didn't look at it in Pooleys or a proper aviation map, didn't PPR, etc etc. Hmm, more to is than reported I suspect.

How do you not know that Valley is an RAF base? Even my 14 y/o son knows it is so why would the pilot just turn up?

For a day at the beach! The mind boggles at the sheer stupidity.

[Eric Mc]

I didn’t realise Dominic Cummings had a pilot’s licence.

[towser44]

It does come up as Anglesey Airport on Google Maps though and they have a civilian passenger service between Anglesey and Cardiff

[aeropilot]

towser44 said:

It does come up as Anglesey Airport on Google Maps though and they have a civilian passenger service between Anglesey and Cardiff

Not too mention that most of RAF flying training is run by a civilian contractor......

Quite why A/OC Ops let the twunt go though is quite baffling......

The CAA should be knocking on the pilots door, but I suspect they won't, although now its eventually made the BBC, they may make a token enquiry....

[Turn7]

Whats the actual issue here ? Genuine q?

[towser44]

Turn7 said:

Whats the actual issue here ? Genuine q?

He landed on an airfield, aside from it being an RAF Base, which was actually closed with no fire staff or Air Traffic Controllers on duty and contractors who were working on the airfield also (could have been a runway or taxi way for all he knew). You can land on RAF bases with permission obtained 24 hours in advance, but he shouldn't be landing on a closed airfield unless an emergency and it wasn't.

[Turn7]

towser44 said:

Turn7 said:

Whats the actual issue here ? Genuine q?

He landed on an airfield, aside from it being an RAF Base, which was actually closed with no fire staff or Air Traffic Controllers on duty and contractors who were working on the airfield also (could have been a runway or taxi way for all he knew). You can land on RAF bases with permission obtained 24 hours in advance, but he shouldn't be landing on a closed airfield unless an emergency and it wasn't.

Ta !

[Dr Jekyll]

towser44 said:

He landed on an airfield, aside from it being an RAF Base, which was actually closed with no fire staff or Air Traffic Controllers on duty and contractors who were working on the airfield also (could have been a runway or taxi way for all he knew). You can land on RAF bases with permission obtained 24 hours in advance, but he shouldn't be landing on a closed airfield unless an emergency and it wasn't.

To be fair he did contact the control tower before landing and the fire service did respond. It's an administrative rather than a safety issue.

[Mark V GTD]

Thats one of the gaps in the story - we would need an ATC transcript to know exactly what was said (if anything).

[aeropilot]

Mark V GTD said:

Thats one of the gaps in the story - we would need an ATC transcript to know exactly what was said (if anything).

There is no transcript from ATC, as the the tower was closed, because the airfield was closed.

At 1250L the a/c called Valley Tower freq several times (reported by Valley Aviation Society) then landed on RWY19 and parked at ASP 5 (adjacent to the beach). The Fire Section noted the aircraft and responded, thinking the aircraft was in distress.

[Mark V GTD]

Thanks - yes thats what I mean - did he try to call ATC. Seems for your helpful post that he did and strikes me he had no idea it was a military establishment and just announced his arrival. On hearing nothing back made the decision to land anyway.

[LotusOmega375D]

Eric Mc said:

I didn’t realise Dominic Cummings had a pilot’s licence.

Well if it wasn’t him, it may have been another man who had been showing Coronavirus symptoms and so decided to check if his eyesight was OK to fly his plane. Judging by his map reading and airfield identification skills, I think we can assume he failed his eyesight test and was unfit to fly. At least he knows now, so that’s OK then.

[aeropilot]

Mark V GTD said:

Thanks - yes thats what I mean - did he try to call ATC. Seems for your helpful post that he did and strikes me he had no idea it was a military establishment and just announced his arrival. On hearing nothing back made the decision to land anyway.

Sorry, no way can you not know Valley isn't a military establishment, he has a pilots licence, you can't plead such ignorance and stupidity, having passed the neccessary aviation law exams and what not to gain a license.

PC-12's are not cheap spam-cans either, they are very expensive things. This is just arrogant, I've got more money than you and so I can do what I want attitude.

The issue is whether the Police and CAA will do anything about it?

[eharding]

aeropilot said:

Mark V GTD said:

Thanks - yes thats what I mean - did he try to call ATC. Seems for your helpful post that he did and strikes me he had no idea it was a military establishment and just announced his arrival. On hearing nothing back made the decision to land anyway.

Sorry, no way can you not know Valley isn't a military establishment, he has a pilots licence, you can't plead such ignorance and stupidity, having passed the neccessary aviation law exams and what not to gain a license.

PC-12's are not cheap spam-cans either, they are very expensive things. This is just arrogant, I've got more money than you and so I can do what I want attitude.

The issue is whether the Police and CAA will do anything about it?

Is the pilot concerned a UK national? The PC-12 in the photo is N-reg - I'd be amazed if a pilot trained or long-resident in the UK wasn't aware of the status of RAF Valley, but someone not so well-versed in UK aviation may not.

I remember a PC-12 coming into Waltham flown by foreign pilot - I think he was Swiss. Landing on 25, he elected to fly the mother of all bomber circuits, sailed merrily past Bray on his downwind leg and turned base well past Maidenhead, getting on for Slough - much was the wailing and gnashing of teeth, but I think the language barrier was such that he didn't really understand why his reception in Ops was so frosty.

[aeropilot]

eharding said:

aeropilot said:

Mark V GTD said:

Thanks - yes thats what I mean - did he try to call ATC. Seems for your helpful post that he did and strikes me he had no idea it was a military establishment and just announced his arrival. On hearing nothing back made the decision to land anyway.

Sorry, no way can you not know Valley isn't a military establishment, he has a pilots licence, you can't plead such ignorance and stupidity, having passed the neccessary aviation law exams and what not to gain a license.

PC-12's are not cheap spam-cans either, they are very expensive things. This is just arrogant, I've got more money than you and so I can do what I want attitude.

The issue is whether the Police and CAA will do anything about it?

Is the pilot concerned a UK national? The PC-12 in the photo is N-reg - I'd be amazed if a pilot trained or long-resident in the UK wasn't aware of the status of RAF Valley, but someone not so well-versed in UK aviation may not.

This aircraft used to be G-ILMD before moving to the US register as N412MD, and has been a 'resident' of Fairoaks for a while.....
Convenience change of state of registration, and the aircraft is still being used by the same person as when on G-reg.........maybe done to get involved in these dodgy cowboy charter ops given the cowboy behavior of the pilot?

[Ayahuasca]

From what I can recall there isn’t much of a beach at RAF Valley. And how did he intend to get out of, and back into, the base - it has barriers, guards and stuff.

Not the first destination I would choose for a trip to the beach.

[Eric Mc]

aeropilot said:

Sorry, no way can you not know Valley isn't a military establishment, he has a pilots licence, you can't plead such ignorance and stupidity, having passed the neccessary aviation law exams and what not to gain a license.

PC-12's are not cheap spam-cans either, they are very expensive things. This is just arrogant, I've got more money than you and so I can do what I want attitude.

The issue is whether the Police and CAA will do anything about it?

I am convinced it had to be Dominic Cummings.