With the cessation of daily flying operations from RAF Lyneham, the Lyneham Control Area and Control Zone have been suspended, with effect from the 30th of September 2011. In addition, the associated Lyneham Air Traffic Control Unit has ceased operations, and the Lyneham Air Traffic Zone has been suspended.
However, occasional aircraft movements may prompt the temporary reactivation of the Lyneham ATZ/Air Traffic Control Unit, until the 31st of December 2012 (at which point RAF Lyneham will no longer be an RAF Station). Any such temporary reactivation will be promulgated via NOTAM.
With the above changes to airspace, the Bristol CTA and CTR have been slightly re-organised and very slightly enlarged. The majority of airspace remains the same, with the addition of a small area to the east of Bristol that was previously part of Lyneham’s CTA.
Specifically, the Bristol CTA-9 area, shown in the diagram below, has been added to and now forms part of the CTA-8 area with the same lateral airspace boundaries. However, the lower vertical limit of the new CTA-8 area is now 4500ft (as opposed to FL65 for the now defunct CTA-9 area). Click to enlarge both the old and new airspace structures shown below.
Old Airspace Structure
New Airspace Structure
In addition, some VRPs previously associated with Lyneham (Avebury, Chippenham, Devizes, Malmesbury, Melksham, Wroughton and Marlborough) are now under the official ‘ownership’ of Bristol’s airspace, and will therefore remain in place.
An updated VFR 1:500k chart (Ed 38) reflecting these changes will be released by the CAA on March 8th of next year; however a chart of the new airspace structure is displayed below (click to enlarge).
Ben Koprowski
Flying Instructor
CTA/CTR Chart
