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Only if you are certain that the airfield is not active (or in an emergency) should a landing be made without radio contact with the ground.
With the level of parachute activity described, it would be foolhardy to blunder into the airspace above the airfield without knowing what is going on. |
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The club is situated in Danger Zone D129, between Kidlington and Bicester airfields, north of Oxford. The airfield is at 51°52.803'N 001°13.100'W, and is easily identified by the M40 running close to the east, with Junction 9 about 1 mile to the South East, and the large sand pit in the centre of the airfield.
The reason for the Danger Zone is the high level of parachuting that takes place at the airfield throughout the week. During the weekdays, military activity takes precedence - usually a Hercules C130 despatching parachutists at about 800' QFE. At weekends, the RAF Sport Parachute Association (RAFSPA) takes over, with up to three aircraft operating at heights ranging from 2000' to 12,000' QFE. The major problem associated with parachutists at the same airfield is that the area up-wind of the airfield is the parachute drop zone (DZ), and as such all aircraft must keep clear of this DZ. Our gliding operation can work alongside this, since we only launch with clearance from RAFSPA when there are no parachutists in the DZ. Having launched, we then clear the DZ, to concentrate our flying across and down wind of the site. RAFSPA use one of the three runways on the airfield, and with three aircraft operating, this too can cause conflict. Again, we work around this by operating to one specific side of the airfield - generally to the South or East. RAFSPA then operate on the other side of the airfield, the division being the active runway for the day. Military operations do not require VMC! Visiting aircraft must keep clear of the up-wind side, as this is the Drop Zone (DZ). It is usual for the gliding operation to be operating either to the south side of the airfield in easterly or westerly winds, or the east side in northerly or southerly winds. It is advisable then to approach the airfield from this direction, calling us on the radio for more specific instructions on 130.1 MHz. When the gliding club is not operating, it is necessary to talk to the RAF controllers before attempting to land at Weston on the Green. They are contacted on 133.65 MHz (callsign "Weston DZ").
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The military operation always takes priority.
This means a military drop could take place at weekends, as well as during the week.
It is quite possible for a military operation to involve despatching several people from 12,000 feet and free-falling to 2000 feet.
This could include dropping through 8/8 cloud, before deploying canopies.
