Post 9: The Chopper v The Iron Donna at Rome ATC

Some days, as a journalist, you just know what the splash is. Today has been such a day. Alastair (The Chopper) Moon in F-PSCB wrestling with The Iron Donna at Rome Air Traffic Control. She was determined to make the Bumble Bee (Visual Flight Rules only) fly at 1000ft through the Rome TMA - and beyond. Press the pause button now if you're not a pilot and find this a bit nerdy. Rome TMA ( airspace) extends an awfully long way out to sea, south and west of Fiumicino airport and the fact that this put Alastair and Chocolate Charly in the Bumble Bee smack in the middle of a cloud layer was neither here nor there. So 960ft it was for as long as it took. But not a nano-second longer if The Chopper (ex-RAF helicopter pilot and, like me, fully-paid up member of the Ackward Squad pictured below) had anything to do with it. Then up pops the Iron Donna to say that Naples ATC also wanted them to fly at 1000ft through their airspace. And if they didn't like it would they speak to Naples. No offer of a Special VFR clearance. Well they tried talking to Naples. But neither Approach nor Tower responded initially. " OK" says the Iron Donna" you stay on this frequency and report over Capri". Not a marriage made in heaven then. We got the same treatment and only after several tries did Steve patiently coax a response from Naples who seemed very busy dealing with EasyJet 425Foxtrot. Well The Chopper and Chocolate Charly were having none of it. Having consulted their chart they established that they were perfectly within their rights to fly over the cloud at 3,500 in that bit. " Naples we are within legal minima. Maintaining 3500 feet Foxtrot Charlie Bravo". No quarter asked for. No quarter given." Don't ever allow ATC to push you around" said The Chopper when we finally made into Salerno on the Amalfi coast. Quite.

Having said that flying from French into Italian airspace is a joy. Bonjour becomes Ciao for the locals, squawk turn into " squawcando" and " pass your message" into Avanti.  Just past Elba (where Napoleon was exiled after his abdication 1814) we saw a splendid black-hulled schooner at anchor. The Iron Donna informed a local helicopter that four Typhoon fighers were playing tag  at 2000ft at high speed" in the vicinity. Above, heavies, heading every which way, were tracing vapour trails across a crystalline blue sky. Capri lay below where Our Gracie (Fields) retired after World War II to open her hotel= Cansona del Mare (Song of the Sea). Bliss.

We didn't make it Corfu. Too late. Too much low cloud. The traffic in Salerno is as bad as London. But the people are lovely it's the Amalfi coast on the Tyrrenhian sea and 13 degrees centigrade in early February. Mustn't grumble.