CPA Bulletin

GUEST ARTICLE: 1 The data supports Defence and Pan Government requirements and is supplied to customers every 28 days in support of Air Chart Production, Mission and Flight Planning Systems, in-cockpit navigation and tablet devices. UK data is also provided to the CAA and National Air Traffic Services (NATS) to fulfil the UK National obstacle requirement for provision of the UK Air Information Service in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation legislation. This includes the UK Air Information Publication and UK air charts. DGC also supports Government Partners such as Air Ambulance, Search and Rescue and the National Police Helicopter Service. Cranes As with any tall structure, the presence of a crane or cranes has the potential to affect aviation activities and flight safety. In the main, crane-related issues are considered and managed in much the same way as for any tall structure. However, because cranes can be erected at extremely short notice, they have the potential to quickly present a flight safety navigation issue. For this reason, identifying and mapping cranes is an important issue and CAA have been working hard with companies since the Vauxhall Helicopter accident in 2013 to capture this data. The problem DGC have with identification of cranes is that we will never have the resources or current imagery to identify every crane in the country, so we rely almost entirely on the reporting of crane installations from the construction industry. Reporting is essential to maintain an accurate obstructions database for air users, crane operators and site safety. Many companies now routinely supply data to DGC using the CAA approved notification form. The form contains information such as site location, contact details, type of crane, maximum planned height, number of cranes, lighting and erection and removal dates. All cranes can be notified to the CAA Airspace Regulators ( arops@caa.co.uk ) using the CAA notification form. Crane notifications should be submitted at least 8 weeks ahead of the erection of the crane. The CAA will then coordinate the notification process, identify parties that may be affected by the crane (if any) and notify them accordingly. Those parties include, but are not limited to: Aerodrome operators, Defence Geographic Centre, NATS Safeguarding and RAF Low Flying Operations Flight. If relevant the CAA will also publish a notice to airman (NOTAM) for en-route navigation. Additional guidance on crane notifications is provided in CAP 1096. In any case the CAA will, upon request, provide comment, guidance or recommendation for crane operators on a case-by-case basis ( arops@caa.co.uk, Tel: 01293 768202 ). General Obstructions Capture DGC routinely collect all UK obstructions 150ft above ground level (agl) and above and 80ft agl and above in the UK Tactical Training Areas, Low Flying areas and in Northern Ireland. In reality we currently add all acquired, researched and reported UK points over 25ft agl to our database although the lower you get the less comprehensive the cover, especially in urban areas. A team of five staff actively monitor construction and wind farm developments and carry out imagery and internet research programmes to improve the dataset quality and content. The dvof@ mod.gov.uk multiuser account also brings Guest Article Mapping Cranes and Other Vertical Obstructions in the UK by Defence Geographic Centre, Ministry of Defence Defence Geographic Centre (DGC) within the Ministry of Defence (MOD), is responsible for the maintenance and provision of Vertical Obstruction data to Defence and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > August 2019 25