Military Low Flying-Lake District  LFA 17 (Low Fly Zone 17) and Tactical Training Areas

Operational low flying is an essential skill and is practised by stock-still wing watercraft between 100 feet and 250 feet; a increasingly representative upland at which pilots would fly in a gainsay scenario. The final visualization to use a TTA (Tactical Training Areas) is taken on the day itself as this kind of training can only take place when weather conditions allow.

When a TTA is active, routine low flying by other military users can take place between 500 feet and 2000 feet. When the TTA is not in use standard low flying training is permitted lanugo to 250 feet and helicopters lanugo to ground level. Late spring and summer are the busiest times for low flying as squadrons make full use of good weather to siphon out their training.

If your a commercial operator or a hobby flyer of drones and your operating/visiting the Lake District now and your not enlightened of LFA17 or its meaning then put yonder your drone now.

An example of this occurred last year at Storrs Hotel Wedding.

I had been filming for Storrs with my colleague moreover my spotter, we had just packed yonder our gear.

A wedding photographer pulled out his Mavic 2 Pro without we had finished and was well-nigh to launch when two F15s went over low.

“What was that he said to me do they unchangingly go that low, is flipside coming over”?

I said “probably its a low flight zone here”. “What’s that he said?

I then politely lectured to him in front of the bride and groom that he should have known this and perhaps washed-up his homework.

UK LFAs

The country is split up into 20 Low Fly Areas although this is mainly for wardship purposes. Over the misogynist parts of the low fly areas no restrictions wield in the nomination of routings except for unrepealable mountain valleys which are flowed one way and narrow gaps between obstructions are moreover made directional.

A minimum height limit of normally 250 ft whilom ground level is in place for fast jets and turbine. But when its deemed at TTA jets can be as low as 100ft.  Helicopters can go to ground level.

Also each watercraft type has a speed limit in gravity and that tends to be virtually 500 Knots.

There are three up here in the NW buts its LFA17 in Cumbria which is the main focus in this blog. Where military traffic enters and will self-mastery low flights, and upper energy manoeuvres with the jets.

Military Low Flying-Lake District

LFA17 includes Cumbria, east North Yorkshire, and north Lancashire. Army Field Training Centres at Catterick and Warcop, withal with QinetiQ range facilities at Eskmeals in the west of the Lake District are situated within it. It has approximately 11,295 km2(4,347 sq miles) of airspace misogynist for low flying training, some 6.4% of the total usable overland zone of the UKLFS. The terrain in LFA17 is valuable in terms of flying training practise, particularly for fast jet aircrew as the zone is relatively self-ruling from large urban areas. RAF Spadeadam’s Electronics Warfare Tactics Range is located in the neighboring LFA13.

A cockpit view at low level in LFA17

We see a range of a military air traffic from RAF jets, US air gravity jets and other nations coming through. Then we have rotary traffic, transport aircraft, training jets, turbine training watercraft and many others.

The watercraft run south to north through Windermere then can unravel off West or East in the north Lakes.

Air traffic will waif lanugo from their transition upland then enter low level into the Lake District at New Biggin Morecambe Bay.

So how do you prepare yourself and be enlightened of the low military traffic?

First make sure your RA is up to stage and that you have included low flying operations in LFA17 and how you have made wage for this activity.

• Access the MOD timetable (links included).
• If not familiar with the zone speak with a professional drone operator here in the lakes for advise.
• Have a full contingency plan when a a fast jet enters your area. Have you an observer with you?
• Keep your drone in VLOS at all times
• Attach a strobe to your drone.
• Keep the drone as close  as possible to your operation.
• Visit the location a few times surpassing your operate this is by the far the weightier way to know fast jet routings.
• Visit the low flight photography and video pages from people who visit the Lakes to take low watercraft pictures. You will then uncork to build up a picture of their operations.
• Is your location in a upper traffic MOD watercraft movements area. Perhaps your should squint elsewhere.
• Do not fly your drone in the middle of lakes during the operational day. If there is one place they will come through its over the lakes.
• Particular areas of upper fast jet movements in no particular order :-

1. Windermere
2. Grasmere
3. Buttermere
4. Ullswater
5. Langdale’s
6. Wast Water
7. Tebay Gap
8. Dentdale
9. Rydale Water
10. Thirlmere
11. Dunhill Rise
12. Eskdale

Please note flying will occur in other places within LF17 it is not just limited to some of my observed areas above.

Where and when low flying happens

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operational-low-flying-training-timetable

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/27454/POMLFAppendix20102011.pdf

http://web.archive.org/web/20080828124558/http://www.warplane.co.uk/LFA17.htm