Welcome back to The Pilot’s Logbook - a podcast companion for private pilots in the UK and Europe.

In this week’s episode, we had a fascinating chat with NATS Air Traffic Controller, Amanda Rhodes. Amanda is an approach radar controller based at Swanwick, looking after the airspace around Stansted and Luton Airports.

With nearly 25 years of experience, she's one of the best-known controllers in the UK and is nicknamed by many pilots as 'the happy controller.'

If you've ever wondered what really happens when someone infringes controlled airspace, today, Amanda pulls back the curtain and reveals the immediate, behind-the-scenes actions taken by ATC. We'll hear about the split-second decisions, the ripple effects, and even how it impacts the controllers themselves.

Also, we're thrilled to announce that Amanda has generously offered to answer your questions about ATC and controlled airspace in future episodes. 

So, if you have any burning questions, please check below for the link that says "Send a text"—just click on that and fire away! We'll be choosing some questions for Amanda to answer in upcoming shows.

In this episode, we also cover:

• News and Views: We catch up on the latest aviation news headlines that are relevant to you.
• Weather Forecast: We look into the forecast for the next couple of weeks.
• Dungeness: we fly back to one of the most enigmatic landscapes in England.

Links and Resources:

• Save Nottingham Airport Campaign 
• New Robinson Helicopter
• Electronic Travel Authorization for most people travelling to the UK starts on the 2nd April 2025
• Subscribe to The Pilot's Logbook for Extra Content 
• Travel Plans Podcast 

Send us a text - note we only able to reply in the next episode.

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This podcast is flown on manual. Every story, sound, and edit is navigated by your human crew, with no autopilot (AI) involved.