Airfield briefings

Everything you are given before taking the position: runways, circuit direction, frequencies, reporting points, departure routes and the local rules that apply.

Training airspace

Invented, deliberately simple. Nothing here maps to a real place.

Barrowfield (training airfield)

EGXX

An invented single-runway airfield with a simple left-hand circuit, quiet traffic and no surrounding controlled airspace. Built for learning the calls without local complications.

Tower: 124.600 MHz
Elevation: 210 ft
Circuit height: 1000 ft aal
Airspace: Class G with an ATZ, surface to 2000 ft above aerodrome level

Runways

27 · 1200 m · left hand circuit · usual runway in use
09 · 1200 m · right hand circuit

Reporting points

The reservoir — 3 miles south-east, standard arrival point
The mast — 4 miles north, used by traffic from the north

Departure and arrival routes

Free-call departure to the west · Standard overhead join or downwind join

Local rules

Circuit height 1000 ft above aerodrome level
One aircraft on the runway at a time
Helicopters depart from the pad, clear of the runway

Real UK airspace

Real runways, circuit directions, published frequencies, reporting points and local procedures. Data is for entertainment use only and is not kept current — never use it for flight or operations.

Gloucestershire (Staverton)

EGBJ

A busy general aviation airport in the Severn Vale. Light aircraft, training circuits, business jets and air ambulance helicopters share one hard runway inside Class G airspace, so you get no radar picture handed to you.

Tower: 122.905 MHz
Approach: 128.555 MHz
Elevation: 101 ft
Circuit height: 1000 ft aal
Airspace: Class G, ATZ 2 nm radius, surface to 2000 ft above aerodrome level

Runways

27 · 1274 m · left hand circuit · usual runway in use
09 · 1274 m · right hand circuit

Reporting points

Golden Valley — A417 / M5 junction, east of the field
Cheltenham Racecourse — North-east, arrivals from the Cotswold side
Newent — North-west, traffic routing from the Forest of Dean

Departure and arrival routes

Free-call departure, VFR routes clear of Cheltenham and Gloucester · Standard overhead join, 2000 ft · GST beacon hold for instrument arrivals

Local rules

Overhead join is standard unless the tower says otherwise
Avoid overflying Cheltenham and Gloucester built-up areas on climb-out
Air ambulance helicopter movements take priority

Blackpool

EGNH

A coastal airport with right-hand circuits on the main runway, offshore helicopter traffic to the Irish Sea gas fields, and a look-alike military airfield six miles away that catches pilots out.

Tower: 118.400 MHz
Approach: 119.950 MHz
Elevation: 34 ft
Circuit height: 1000 ft aal
Airspace: Class G with an ATZ and a radar service; no control zone

Runways

28 · 1869 m · right hand circuit · usual runway in use
10 · 1869 m · left hand circuit
31 · 866 m · right hand circuit

Reporting points

Blackpool Tower — On the seafront, north of the field
M55 Junction 4 — East, standard inbound point from inland
Lytham — South-east, coastal routing

Departure and arrival routes

Coastal departure north-west over the bay · Instrument departure via the BPL beacon · ILS runway 28 · Visual approach from the coast

Local rules

Runway 28 circuits are right hand — do not send traffic left
Warton airfield lies 6 miles south-east and looks similar; confirm the pilot has the correct field
Offshore helicopters route out over the sea, clear of the circuit

Newcastle

EGNT

A regional airport inside its own Class D control zone. Airliners on instrument approaches mix with light aircraft crossing your zone, and every VFR aircraft needs a clearance before it enters.

Tower: 119.705 MHz
Approach: 124.380 MHz
Ground: 121.730 MHz
Elevation: 266 ft
Circuit height: 1000 ft aal
Airspace: Class D control zone, surface upwards, with radar approach control

Runways

25 · 2329 m · left hand circuit · usual runway in use
07 · 2329 m · right hand circuit

Reporting points

Ponteland — South-west of the field, common VFR reporting point
Cramlington — East, inbound from the coast
Kielder side — North-west, traffic from rural Northumberland

Departure and arrival routes

Area navigation departures towards XODRU and IRKOR · Area navigation arrival via ETSES, with the hold at ETSES

Local rules

No aircraft enters the control zone without your clearance
Noise-sensitive climb-out; keep departures clear of Newcastle city to the south-east
Airliner approaches take priority over light aircraft circuits

Exeter

EGTE

A Devon regional airport with airline traffic, a busy flying school and a maintenance base sharing one runway. Class G outside the zone means light aircraft appear without warning from the coast and the Exe valley.

Tower: 119.805 MHz
Approach: 128.980 MHz
Elevation: 102 ft
Circuit height: 1000 ft aal
Airspace: Class G with an ATZ and a radar service; no control zone

Runways

26 · 2083 m · left hand circuit · usual runway in use
08 · 2083 m · right hand circuit

Reporting points

Exmouth — South, coastal arrivals up the estuary
Cullompton — North-east, inbound along the M5
Honiton — East, traffic from the Dorset side

Departure and arrival routes

Free-call VFR departure · Instrument departure via the radar service · ILS runway 26 · Standard overhead join for light aircraft

Local rules

Flying school circuits mix with airline arrivals — sequence carefully
Avoid overflying Exeter city on climb-out
Instrument arrivals take priority over circuit traffic

London Stansted

EGSS

A single-runway London airport running back-to-back jet departures and arrivals inside busy Class D airspace. No visual circuit: everything flies a published route, and the runway is the bottleneck.

Tower: 123.805 MHz
Approach: 120.625 MHz
Ground: 121.730 MHz
Elevation: 348 ft
Circuit height: 0 ft aal
Airspace: Class D control zone inside the London airspace structure, surface upwards

Runways

22 · 3049 m · left hand circuit · usual runway in use
04 · 3049 m · right hand circuit

Reporting points

Bishop's Stortford — South-west of the field, under the approach
Great Dunmow — East, common zone transit point
Stansted Mountfitchet — West of the field

Departure and arrival routes

Published area navigation departures off runway 22 · Published arrivals feeding the instrument approach · Radar vectors to final

Local rules

No visual circuit: arrivals fly an instrument approach
One runway only — departures fit into gaps between arrivals
General aviation parks on Apron G unless told otherwise
Night movements are restricted by the noise quota

Manchester

EGCC

Two parallel runways, wall-to-wall airliners and no visual circuit at all. Everything arrives on an instrument approach and departs on a published route, and the runway you release matters as much as the words you use.

Tower: 118.630 MHz
Approach: 121.355 MHz
Ground: 121.855 MHz
Elevation: 257 ft
Circuit height: 0 ft aal
Airspace: Class D control zone and control area, surface upwards inside the London and Manchester airspace structure

Runways

23R · 3048 m · left hand circuit · usual runway in use
23L · 3050 m · left hand circuit
05L · 3048 m · right hand circuit
05R · 3050 m · right hand circuit

Reporting points

Lymm interchange — South-west, used by transiting light aircraft
Wilmslow — South of the field, under the approach path
Knutsford — South-west, holding point for zone transits

Departure and arrival routes

Published area navigation departures off each runway · Published arrivals feeding the instrument approach · Radar vectors to final

Local rules

No visual circuit: arrivals fly an instrument approach to the runway in use
Noise preferential routes and runway alternation apply
Night movements are restricted by the noise quota
Never clear an aircraft onto a runway that another aircraft is using

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