Top Gear Airship, Did it Really Fly into Norwich Airport....

[robm3]

.....by Accident??

Just watched the show on iPlayer and it seems pretty dangerous that May flew right into an airport.
Being Top Gear though 80% of the stuff is 'made up' so was just wondering if this really happened.

Logic tells me he would have set the airship down well before crossing into the airport airspace.

[ninja-lewis]

robm3 said:

.....by Accident??

Just watched the show on iPlayer and it seems pretty dangerous that May flew right into an airport.
Being Top Gear though 80% of the stuff is 'made up' so was just wondering if this really happened.

Logic tells me he would have set the airship down well before crossing into the airport airspace.

All arranged with the airport early in the morning with the Police and ATC playing along. Norwich isn't that busy.

But yes, had it been real they would have made a forced landing before entering controlled airspace.

[TheLemming]

robm3 said:

.....by Accident??

Just watched the show on iPlayer and it seems pretty dangerous that May flew right into an airport.
Being Top Gear though 80% of the stuff is 'made up' so was just wondering if this really happened.

Logic tells me he would have set the airship down well before crossing into the airport airspace.

Not to mention the camera aircraft....

[eharding]

robm3 said:

.....by Accident??

Just watched the show on iPlayer and it seems pretty dangerous that May flew right into an airport.
Being Top Gear though 80% of the stuff is 'made up' so was just wondering if this really happened.

Logic tells me he would have set the airship down well before crossing into the airport airspace.

All nicely stage managed, don't worry. Captain Slow wasn't PIC either.

When they did the Cessna 182 vs Veyron race, they took one of the Waltham instructors along, who did actually have a surname of "Captain". Long since departed for the airlines, he will no doubt at some stage be introducing himself over the PA to many confused passengers as Captain Captain.....although First Officer Captain will probably confuse a few as well.

[RDE]

I first heard about this segment in the summer when the BBC wanted it to fly into the airport at which I work. The plot was all included in the email and the outcome slightly different to what was actually broadcast. In the end we were told it was going to happen elsewhere - some have said it was because ATC wouldn't agree to the script between James May and the Tower, but I don't know if that's true in any way.

So in conclusion, yes the aircraft did fly into Norwich's 'airspace', but it was with the cooperation of ATC and the Norfolk Police Air Support Unit.

(Geeky points: 1. Police helicopters are referred to with the callsign prefix 'Police' on civilian frequencies - for some reason on TG they were using 'Oscar India 99', which is the police operations callsign for their discrete frequencies; 2. The Police chopper stated that JM had entered the controlled airspace of Norwich airport. Norwich doesn't have any controlled airspace.)

Edited by RDE on Tuesday 8th December 21:40

[eharding]

RDE said:

Norwich doesn't have any controlled airspace.

Well, I think they could reasonably lay claim to the ATZ.

What they're trying to lay claim to doesn't seem so reasonable....

Edited by eharding on Tuesday 8th December 23:27

[-Z-]

Read an article in the Daily Wail that said the police heli was a lookalike rented from a civilian company. Had an interview with the pilot.

[Geneve]

See here:

http://www.edp24.co.uk/content/edp24/news/video/st...

[Roop]

RDE said:

I first heard about this segment in the summer when the BBC wanted it to fly into the airport at which I work. The plot was all included in the email and the outcome slightly different to what was actually broadcast. In the end we were told it was going to happen elsewhere - some have said it was because ATC wouldn't agree to the script between James May and the Tower, but I don't know if that's true in any way.

So in conclusion, yes the aircraft did fly into Norwich's 'airspace', but it was with the cooperation of ATC and the Norfolk Police Air Support Unit.

(Geeky points: 1. Police helicopters are referred to with the callsign prefix 'Police' on civilian frequencies - for some reason on TG they were using 'Oscar India 99', which is the police operations callsign for their discrete frequencies; 2. The Police chopper stated that JM had entered the controlled airspace of Norwich airport. Norwich doesn't have any controlled airspace.)

Edited by RDE on Tuesday 8th December 21:40

Anyway, they wouldn't use the Police to 'police' the air...!

[IforB]

eharding said:

RDE said:

Norwich doesn't have any controlled airspace.

Well, I think they could reasonably lay claim to the ATZ.

What they're trying to lay claim to doesn't seem so reasonable....

Edited by eharding on Tuesday 8th December 23:27

What the F*** do they need all of that class D for? That's an airspace grab for no particular reason if ever I saw one. How many airproxes have Eastern and flyBE had going into Ooh Arr international? Naff all I'll bet.

Is there a consultation on this, that I can send random swear words to?

[RDE]

-Z- said:

Read an article in the Daily Wail that said the police heli was a lookalike rented from a civilian company. Had an interview with the pilot.

Many Police helicopters are operated by Bond Helicopters, which is a civilian company. It makes sense that the chopper would have been chartered for the filming, as otherwise the Police would be paying for TG to waste their fuel I guess.

[eharding]

IforB said:

Is there a consultation on this, that I can send random swear words to?

http://www.norwichairport.co.uk/downloads/Consultation_Document_Final_V2.0_Closed_28-Aug-2009.pdf

Helpfully stencilled with the date the consultation closed.

I think you could still send them some random abuse if you like.

The Class D is probably larger than it needs to be owing to some conversion errors in the units used - they tend to do maths in base 11 or base 12 out that way.

[The Black Flash]

eharding said:

robm3 said:

.....by Accident??

Just watched the show on iPlayer and it seems pretty dangerous that May flew right into an airport.
Being Top Gear though 80% of the stuff is 'made up' so was just wondering if this really happened.

Logic tells me he would have set the airship down well before crossing into the airport airspace.

All nicely stage managed, don't worry. Captain Slow wasn't PIC either.

When they did the Cessna 182 vs Veyron race, they took one of the Waltham instructors along, who did actually have a surname of "Captain". Long since departed for the airlines, he will no doubt at some stage be introducing himself over the PA to many confused passengers as Captain Captain.....although First Officer Captain will probably confuse a few as well.

Had a similar thing last time I flew: "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Sergeant speaking..."
Made me snigger

[Simpo Two]

eharding said:

The Class D is probably larger than it needs to be owing to some conversion errors in the units used - they tend to do maths in base 11 or base 12 out that way.

Base 12 works well when you have six fingers on each hand...

Mind you whether it comes out in rods, poles, perches, chains, cubits or furlongs is anybody's guess!

[mattdaniels]

Simpo Two said:

Base 12 works well when you have six fingers on each hand...

always funnier when someone explains it.

Edited by mattdaniels on Wednesday 9th December 12:47

[srob]

Can someone explain waht all of the bits on that map mean?

I work within the area shown and live near RAF Lakenheath/Mildenhall and remember when these and Marham etc were far busier than now. I was just wondering how military bases operating nearby would effect the airspace? There's lots around here and I've often wondered how an airport that close to so many military planes worked. Who has priority?

Sorry if these are dumb questions, purely asked out of general interest!

[S3_Graham]

RDE said:

-Z- said:

Read an article in the Daily Wail that said the police heli was a lookalike rented from a civilian company. Had an interview with the pilot.

Many Police helicopters are operated by Bond Helicopters, which is a civilian company. It makes sense that the chopper would have been chartered for the filming, as otherwise the Police would be paying for TG to waste their fuel I guess.

That figures... they look after our SAS ones too!