LAA ENGLAND TOUR

Tour de force…

LAA 75 Anniversary England Tour. By Neil Wilson

With the LAA England Tour scheduled for early July, this is the last opportunity to bring you up to date on arrangements. Since last featuring the Tour in the magazine, much more detail has been finalised and it is not expected that there will now be any significant changes. A briefing will take place each morning which will include the weather forecast, NOTAM and any specific requests made by the air traffic services whose zones we will be flying to, or near, during the day. Please PPR all airfields that you intend to visit and stay at overnight, as it will help with ATC and numbers for meals. Please tell them you are with the LAA Tour.

Any landing fees, accommodation, fuel etc needs to be paid for and arranged by yourself. Evening meals and breakfasts at the overnight airfields are all payable by the participant. 4 July: The Tour will start to gather at the Meet the LAA Day and Wessex Strut Fly-in at Henstridge on 4 July, where there will be a FREE landing. People can stay overnight as camping will be permitted and there will be a cooked breakfast available the next morning. There will also be an engineer on site in case anybody requires technical assistance. 5 July: Following the briefing we head off from Henstridge to Bodmin, where again there will be a FREE landing. This will be the second overnight stop and camping is allowed, plus evening meal and breakfast arranged. This will also give people the chance to fly down on the Monday if they cannot make Henstridge on Sunday. Dunkeswell is available as a lunch/coffee stop en route and Devon Strut members will on site to welcome us. Please show your LAA membership card for a half-price landing. En route info: Exeter Radar request you call for a Basic Service on 128.908. If non-radio, please buddy up with someone who has a radio and fly in loose formation if possible. Newquay ATC asks that you make an early call before Oakhampton when en route to Bodmin. 6 July: Head for Barton (£5 landing fee) for the next night stop, which again gives people the chance to join up as we fly north. Once again camping will be allowed, and an evening meal and breakfast will be available. The North West Strut members have offered to provide lifts to nearby hotels.

Cotswold Airport (Kemble) is available en route as a coffee stop and we will be joined by both Bristol and Gloster Strut members. Shobdon are also looking forward

to us stopping for lunch, and when we stopped there five years ago on our previous tour they really looked after us. If you are intending to stop there, please PPR so they can let the café know for food numbers. Shobdon Strut members will be on site to welcome us and if needed, help with any maintenance. En route info: Cardiff request you to file a flight plan if routing through their airspace please – SkyDemon is suggested as the easiest way to do this. Bristol suggests that we transit south and east around their zone, using the Bath Corridor – please use their 5077 Listening Squawk and monitor 125.650. Brize Norton Zone has been very helpful, as have all the ATC units that I have contacted. They ask that we squawk 3727 or 7000 – Brize LARS is 124.275 and their zone 119.00. If travelling together as a group, only the lead aircraft need to call. Manchester Zone: Please observe the Manchester low level route, maximum 1,300ft height on the Manchester QNH. See Barton website for more details. Squawk 7000. 7 July: Head north-east to Eshott for a BBQ lunch and a FREE landing. The airfield operator will get their collection of old aeroplanes (as seen on the TV series Warbird Workshop recently) and vehicles out for us to look at. Then it’s down the coast to Breighton for a night stop (FREE landing). We will also be able to see the wonderful collection of old aeroplanes based with The Real Aeroplane Company. Camping permitted and an evening meal and breakfast will be served. Both Vale of York and LiNSY Struts will be joining us. En route info: As with our previous tour, Newcastle ATC is aware and ready to help, so please call when you see the city bridges on the Tyne. 8 July: On to Leicester for a FREE landing, plus have lunch before heading home. LAA member and airport director Michael Wright is very much looking forward to seeing us, and the East Midlands Strut will be on hand to offer assistance if required. En route info: Doncaster/Sheffield ATC is aware of our intentions of flying south and Waddington ask that we keep west of their area – they also control Scampton where The Red Arrows may be airborne up to 9,500ft, so Above Camping is an option at all overnight venues with evening meals and breakfast available.

Opposite You can’t beat a wellorganised BBQ and a convivial evening with friends. please give them a wide berth.

The above information, we hope, is a good guide but remember, ALL pilots are responsible for their own aeroplane, route and flight. If you are registered as a participant, look out for emails with more information, although all of what is planned is mentioned above.

Please remember to PPR Henstridge via email nearer the time for their fly-in and tell them if you plan to join us there on the Sunday night for the tour so that they have an idea for both evening and morning meal numbers. contact@henstridgeairfield.com Also, please check the LAA website for any last-minute messages in case Covid-19 regulations force route changes or cancellation etc. If you haven’t registered an interest in joining the Tour, you are welcome to do so at neil.wilson@laa.uk.com Hope to see you all in early July. Fingers crossed for good weather! ■

LAA engineering charges

LAA Project Registration Kit Built Aircraft Plans Built Aircraft £300 £50

Issue of a Permit to Test Fly Non-LAA approved design only Initial Permit issue Up to 450kg 451-999kg 1,000kg and above Permit Renewal (can now be paid online via LAA Shop) Up to 450kg 451-999kg 1,000kg and above Factory-built gyroplanes (all weights) Note: if the last Renewal wasn’t administered by £40

£450 £550 £650

£155 £200 £230 £250

the LAA an extra fee of £125 applies

Modification application

Prototype modification Repeat modification minimum £60 minimum £30 Transfer (from C of A to Permit or CAA Permit to LAA Permit) Up to 450kg 451 to 999kg 1,000kg and above Four-seat aircraft £150 £250 £350

Manufacturer’s/agent’s type acceptance fee £2,000 Project registration royalty Category change Group A to microlight £50

£135

Microlight to Group A £135

Change of G-Registration fee Issue of Permit documents following G-Reg change £45 Replacement Documents Lost, stolen etc (fee is per document) £20

Latest SPARS – No 17 April 2018

PLEASE NOTE: When you’re submitting documents using an A4-sized envelope, a First Class stamp is insufficient postage.