Bovingdon stack
Encyclopedia
The Bovingdon stack is a section of airspace
to the north west of London
where inbound planes to London Heathrow Airport
, which is 20 miles (30 km) to the south, are held. It is a busy example of a hold. It extends above the village of Bovingdon
and the town of Chesham
, and requires the VOR
navigational beacon BNN which is situated on the former RAF airfield at Bovingdon
. At busy times on a clear day a dozen planes may be seen circling overhead. Other holding patterns serving Heathrow are at Biggin Hill
, Kent (BIG - SE Arrivals), Lambourne
, Essex (LAM - NE Arrivals) and Ockham
, Surrey (OCK - SW Arrivals), where inbound aircraft will normally use the pattern closest to their arrival route. They can be visualised as invisible helter skelters in the sky.
The stack descends in 1000ft (300m) intervals from 16,000ft (4km) down to 8000ft (2100m).
On 1 December 2003 at 6 am
, a major disaster in the stack was narrowly avoided. An air traffic controller
was blamed by a later enquiry for misdirecting traffic when he ordered a United Airlines
Boeing 777
into a level of the Bovingdon Hold (or stack) already occupied by a similar British Airways
plane. The two planes, carrying 500 passengers, flew within 600 vertical feet of each other.
Airspace
Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere....
to the north west of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where inbound planes to London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
, which is 20 miles (30 km) to the south, are held. It is a busy example of a hold. It extends above the village of Bovingdon
Bovingdon
Bovingdon is a large village in the Chiltern Hills, in Hertfordshire, England, four miles south-west of Hemel Hempstead and it is a civil parish within the local authority area of Dacorum...
and the town of Chesham
Chesham
Chesham is a market town in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, England. It is located 11 miles south-east of the county town of Aylesbury. Chesham is also a civil parish designated a town council within Chiltern district. It is situated in the Chess Valley and surrounded by farmland, as well as...
, and requires the VOR
VHF omnidirectional range
VOR, short for VHF omnidirectional radio range, is a type of radio navigation system for aircraft. A VOR ground station broadcasts a VHF radio composite signal including the station's identifier, voice , and navigation signal. The identifier is typically a two- or three-letter string in Morse code...
navigational beacon BNN which is situated on the former RAF airfield at Bovingdon
RAF Bovingdon
RAF Bovingdon was a Royal Air Force station, located to the west of Bovingdon, two and a half miles south of Hemel Hempstead and two and a half miles south east of Berkhamsted, in Hertfordshire, UK....
. At busy times on a clear day a dozen planes may be seen circling overhead. Other holding patterns serving Heathrow are at Biggin Hill
Biggin Hill
Biggin Hill is an area and electoral ward in the outskirts of the London Borough of Bromley in southeast London, United Kingdom.-History:Historically the settlement was known as Aperfield and formed part of the parish of Cudham...
, Kent (BIG - SE Arrivals), Lambourne
Lambourne
Lambourne is a civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. It is located approximately 4.5 miles South of Epping and 5 miles North-West of Romford, it is situated entirely within the M25 motorway...
, Essex (LAM - NE Arrivals) and Ockham
Ockham, Surrey
Ockham is a tiny English village near East Horsley, in Surrey, England. The village lies to the east of the A3 which runs between Cobham and Guildford. Other neighbouring villages include Ripley, Wisley and Effingham....
, Surrey (OCK - SW Arrivals), where inbound aircraft will normally use the pattern closest to their arrival route. They can be visualised as invisible helter skelters in the sky.
The stack descends in 1000ft (300m) intervals from 16,000ft (4km) down to 8000ft (2100m).
On 1 December 2003 at 6 am
12-hour clock
The 12-hour clock is a time conversion convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem and post meridiem...
, a major disaster in the stack was narrowly avoided. An air traffic controller
Air traffic controller
Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
was blamed by a later enquiry for misdirecting traffic when he ordered a United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
Boeing 777
Boeing 777
The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven". The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range from , depending on model...
into a level of the Bovingdon Hold (or stack) already occupied by a similar British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
plane. The two planes, carrying 500 passengers, flew within 600 vertical feet of each other.
External links
- Bovingdon on Google Map
- International Aviation Safety Association (IASA) Description of the near miss on 1 December 2003
- A real life transcript of air traffic control in the area