23 - Operation Golden Orb: Planning the King's Coronation Flypast

NATS Altitude

English - May 11, 2023 16:00 - 47 minutes - 32.6 MB
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Previous Episode: 22 - How to become an Air Traffic Controller

Next Episode: 24 - Marking the 75th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift

While the weather may have played its part, Saturday 6 May saw a wonderful flypast over central London to mark the coronation of King Charles III. But what does it really take to organise such a spectacle in what is some of the world’s busiest airspace and why does the weather have such an impact? Did the King get to choose the types of aircraft?!

In this episode of Altitude we’re joined by special guests from the Royal Air Force, Wing Commander Noel Rees - Mission Commander for the whole flypast - and 78 Squadron air traffic controller, Warrant Officer Nicola Epps.

We’re also joined by NATS operations supervisor, Richard Taylor to understand the impact a major flypast has on civil air traffic operations. We’ll look at how all the organisations involved work together and why the UK’s ‘joint and integrated’ air traffic management system is so important.

You can also watch an on demand version of the livestream on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NatsAero