2022: “The Whole World's Going to Pot, But the Roses Are Just Blooming Like Crazy”

This link came to mind when I thought of the title of this blog, which is from Jerry Chesnut, an American country music songwriter. The quote inspired Jerry to write a country music classic, made famous by George Jones in 1970 and a decade later by pop renaissance man Elvis Costello - “A Good Year For the Roses”. What on earth does this have to do with aviation, you might ask??  Well, stay with me and I will elucidate ….

Two years ago, Avigation’s Christmas wish was to get the “[UK] CAA’s support … in the implementation of GNSS PinS procedures … [that] would go a long way to help open the industry and enable safer operations all round, particularly in the HEMS environment”. Our Christmas wish was echoed last year and there was cause for optimism; things were looking up. This year, lo and behold, our optimism seems to have been well-placed!  So, what has really happened …?

As we offered in September, as part of their commitment to supporting the growth of General Aviation here in the UK, the CAA and Department for Transport (DfT) announced the expansion of its Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Programme (anyone notice the initial roll-out… anyone..? Moving on). The purpose of the programme was to “[support UK] airfields and helicopter landing sites … to implement GNSS approach procedures, through grant funding from the DfT, as well as access … expert advice and assistance from the CAA”. The CAA/DfT announcement was a tad light on the whats and the hows and we had some reservations about whether this was finally the real deal! 

So, it seems that our concerns might have been unfounded, and PinS (and GNSS) implementation in the UK seems to have gained a following wind!  In particular, the DfT grant funding has been a big incentive and has been gratefully received; but funding is just one aspect. The fact that the CAA has established a dedicated GNSS Facilitation Team and reportedly made “significant refinements” to the UK ACP process has given would-be PinS sponsors the confidence to embark on the process - confidence that there might actually be a satisfactory conclusion … PinS implementation!  Whilst we still await confirmation of what an ‘abbreviated’ CAP1616 process entails, we remain optimistic!

One of the ongoing issues surrounding the UK’s development and implementation of PinS has been the thorny subject of how such procedures would be publicised and how GA and other airspace users would be made aware of the location(s) of PinS procedures in Class G airspace. One such method has been expanded recently in Switzerland; previously, VFR pilots in Switzerland had been made aware of the existence and location of PinS procedures by The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) publishing individual NOTAMs for each PinS, which was a somewhat unwieldy process. This has recently changed and, to streamline the process, FOCA has now replaced all the individual PinS NOTAMs with a single NOTAM - this NOTAM details that the location of Swiss PinS procedures can be found on a chart on the nationally available Skyguide website “ Skybriefing” LFN PinS Chart (CH) - skybriefing. FOCA will no longer publish NOTAMs for single PinS and it will be the responsibility of the VFR pilot to be aware of the PinS locations and operate accordingly. Whether this would work, or indeed be sanctioned, in the UK is up for debate but if it is successful, it offers a way forward.

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II - the Elizabethan Age of Flight[1]

It would be remiss of us not to mention the sad passing of HQ Queen Elizabeth II. Over the past 96 years, the life of the Queen was intertwined with the development and advances in aviation and aerospace, which enabled her to build links with the Commonwealth and undoubtedly helped make her the most popular British monarch - not only in the UK, but also around the world.

The Queen witnessed the post-World War II transformation of aviation and aerospace, from biplanes to jet engines and from Sputnik to man landing on the Moon. As Head of State, the Queen was frequently among the first to experience new modes of air travel, whether it was jet airliners, Concorde or helicopters.  

Arguably, the Queen’s use of air transport played a critical role in the success of the Commonwealth; not only did air transport allow the monarch to visit these countries personally, but it also allowed her to forge and maintain strong links across the globe and increased her popularity overseas. The wider Commonwealth and the Queen’s role in its success, through personal face-to-face connections, can be linked directly to the post-war development of aviation and air transport.

In an era of societal change, technological advances and geopolitical uncertainty, which have all impacted aviation, the Queen was an enduring stability for many of us and a seemingly constant presence. Like Concorde, on which she travelled many times, the Queen was a global icon and symbolised the modern jet age, bringing the whole world together and making it feel smaller through face-to-face contact and air travel.

Prior to the pandemic, millions of foreign tourists would visit Britain hoping for a glimpse of the Queen - the ultimate global celebrity.  Some of us in Britain may have been baffled by this appeal, but similar to the way that the pandemic grounded air travel and constrained much of the aviation industry, it is only when something is taken away, that we realise how much it means to us.

Rest in peace, ma’am.

Squadron Leader George Leonard "Johnny" Johnson, MBE, DFM

"Johnny" Johnson was the last surviving member of the legendary “Dambusters" (617 Squadron) and of Operation CHASTISE, the raids on the Eder, Sorpe and Mohne dams during World War II. From the Dambusters Blog:

“Like many of the generation which came of age during the war years, Johnny Johnson always said that he was simply doing his job.  The fact that by doing this job he was risking his life, defending liberty against those who sought to bring tyranny to these shores, is immaterial.  The qualities by which he lived his life were those of honesty, discipline, respect and loyalty.”

Per ardua…

Now, what was that link with Jerry Chesnut’s song that I mentioned? Well, in our garden in Dorset, 2022 was indeed a good year for the roses! And 2022 seems to have turned out to be a good year for PinS!!  Yes, I know it’s a tenuous but author’s licence and all that…  Could 2023 finally be the year of PinS in the UK?  According to the Vietnamese calendar, 2023 is the year of the cat… wasn’t that a song by Al Stewart in the 1970s… could be the theme for a future blog … just throwing that out there…

Anyway, from all at Avigation, we wish you and those around you a wonderful Christmas and a well-deserved break, and here’s to a successful 2023.

P.S.  Eat your sprouts!

#AvigationLtd #Aviation #ATM #GNSS #PinS #HEMS #peaceandgoodwill #eatyoursprouts

[1].  Drawn in large part from The Royal Aeronautical Society (2022), “The Elizabethan Age of Flight” (online).