All comments will be subjective based on ones own experience but I agree with Tony’s uncomplicated explanation and I think he recognises his audience. I have worked at three AD’s of varying complexity, been lucky enough to handle everything from 747’s to Microlights and everything in between, I have also visited many units here and some in Europe. Tony is involved in all the ancillary tasks mentioned in the comments, often has a busy and complex circuit, liaises with Brum for clearances, border force, fuel etc etc.

The production is great and very informative. I'm glad someone has done this, it really opens up people's eyes to the differences between the ATS. Will you do a video on the different types of services, such as basic, traffic, deconfliction etc? I think that would be useful.

Cheers Jon - another belter - well done and thanks you so much for taking the time to do it for us

Great series, as a recently qualified pilot out of Leicester, great to see the differences to be expected

What gorgeous land!

Love Halfpenny Green, it was part of my x-country qualifier when I was a student at Liverpool. It was always quite strange going there and to Sleap (A/G) having learned the RT for so long at a fully controlled airport complete with Ground, Tower and Radar.

Just discovered this series. Really well put together, thanks.

Excellent video again, such impressive production quality and without too much ‘gloss’ I think Tony is excellent, he’s clearly safe and pragmatic, doesn’t bark orders and pretend to be Heathrow Tower, because the situation clearly doesn’t warrant it. He’d be very good to have on the other end of the radio if I was flying there.

Good to see or here the other side as well

Very informative and well put together Jon, thank you. Looking out for number 3!

Your videos are great, one reason you are not afraid to leave in mistakes, which must give trainee pilots on the channel points to watch out for at the same time giving them a smile. That’s what makes you a Great Flying Reporter. ✈️

I always used to read back land/ take off at my discretion and have just found out I got it wrong all the time! Hey ho. Always learning and all that :).

Two down so far, Jon. Really enjoying them. Very well made!

I have always believed that passing the RT course is far from easy. Training is not particularly accessible, although there are some exceptions. One of the challenges for a rookie is to work with different aircraft call signs. Of course one ought to be able to read a call sign off a piece of paper (or indeed off an instrument panel), but with high work loads, a simple task becomes more challenging. I've often thought one should be able to sit the teat & pick the call sign of the student's choosing (e.g. from the aircraft in which they train) to make matters more straightforward. An examiner can more easily deal with a different call sign for each candidate. Your (as always candid an honest) mistake(s) are very understandable. As always you're an inspiration to both students and pilots. It's reaffirming to see a polished BBC presenter fluff their "lines" more than once and so very reassuring to know that an AFISO won't bite one's head off. To err is human. We've all stumbled through our fair share of radio calls. Thanks for sharing. Another brilliant upload. Could you perhaps edit in some traces from Skydemon at the point you're making your calls ? It would enhance the video footage and the viewers situational awareness.

Great and informative series.

The great thing about the FISO system is that the ATC exchange of information helps to build up an invaluable picture of what is happening in the locality. We don’t have it in Australia and operating in and around non-controlled aerodromes can be that much more arduous.

As a newly qualified pilot, this is a really useful insight! Thanks again!

Very enjoyable and informative Jon. Nicely crafted finished video and helped by inputs from a good production crew. Good one! 👍

Great stuff FR!

Despite having only been there once, by road, I think Halfpenny Green is fantastic airfield. Great to see it. I liked how casual everyone was about the Sea Fury in the circuit. :-)

This series is really good Jon, and I’m looking forward to the last one. Being a student based at Tatenhill, Halfpenny Green is our quick go-to.

Currently 25 hours into my PPL. I am learning from Gloucester and visited Halfpenny Green a few months ago, very friendly airfield and looking forward to a return journey. Had the pleasure of visiting Cardiff yesterday which although coming from a full ATC airfield still stumped me with the incoming procedures of Cardiff but we got there. Great video and very well put together. Looking forward to the next one.,

Ahhhhh My old TB10 G-BHDE, Really glad to see her again and being looked after so well too! Looking great

Thanks Jon.

Great multi camera production. This must of taken a great deal of effort and time. Sywell is a very good FISO airfield. Warbirds, great restaurant and extensive WW2 museum. Just remember you have to ask permission for engine startup!

Great video Jon!

Good job you didn’t have Clive on the radio with those reg mishaps 🙈🙈

TB10 is the MOST spacefull GA small single engine plane that I’ve ever seen! It must have the space of a private jet cockpit as far as distance between two front seaters shoulders 🙂

I enjoyed the video, but I have to say that I disagree somewhat about the usefulness of AFIS. I've been providing AFIS at Fairoaks for years, and find that there are two main roles that the service can provide: firstly, it's about ensuring situational awareness for all pilots (which can be critical at congested aerodromes with limited airspace like Fairoaks), and secondly maintaining a safe and orderly flow of taxying aircraft on the ground. I know of a few aerodromes, such as Fairoaks, Elstree, Duxford and Goodwood, where the provision of this service has a huge impact on the safety of pilots. There is no control of airborne traffic, however the radio calls and interventions that AFISOs make on a daily basis can often be the difference between everything flowing safely and expeditiously or pilots flying without adequate information and situational awareness. In addition to this, the ability to coordinate with adjacent units (for Fairoaks it is regularly Farnborough, TC SVFR or TC South), adds a great deal of value to pilots as we can negotiate IFR airways departures and entry into controlled airspace on their behalf, leaving them only to input the correct squawk code and call the correct frequency on departure. It's a fantastic service, and I hope that the CAA continues to protect its unique place in UK ATS!

Cracking shot of G-OZAM and G-GPSR at 4:53 - spent a good few hours in both of those!

Ong. It’s my airport!!!! Halfpenny Green!!!!!!

A really great video 👍. I was in the C42 - CIEE

Great episode Jon -Maybe out of your element being in the right seat?!!

I learnt to fly at Halfpenny greeen, learning in G-GPSR, G-GPSI & G-OZAM featured in the video. I can attest to how patient the FISOs are there.

Refreshing to hear comments from an AFISO who knows what AFIS is really all about...

What do you call AFISO when calling up in the radio is it still for example Wolverhampton Radio?

3 mile final!!

If you have the aircraft registration on the panel placard and written down, why do you repeatedly get it wrong?

Just wondering, at 8:58 FISO manager said QFE 1036 but 1026 was read back with no correction from the manager.

You didn't ask for engine start request ;-)

what i don't understand is how do you know which airfield is an AFISO aerodrome and which isn't? my home airfield I am training at is sleap and you call up sleap radio request radio check and airfield info then the next time you speak to them can be "at holding poit ... power checks complete ready for departure" where as this place you have to request taxi then places like Doncaster that I once visited you have to request everything, request start up and onwards........so how do you know what to say for which airfield?

Can someone put a link to UK radio manual as mentioned at 09:16

I know this airport inside out

Enjoyable and informative as usual John. My instructor would have given me a right b0llocking if I took off without one hand on the throttle !

I think Tony needs to add a better mix of traffic to his skill set. Try adding poor weather, restricted airspace, mix helicopter circuits with fixed wing, 100kt speed difference between traffic, IFR departures during a good weather day, coordinating with multiple radar units, full control on the ground with merging taxiways and grass parking, coordinating hard stranding parking when ALWAYS running out of room, landing fees, hanger requests, fuel requests, briefing pilots, customs/immigration/sb forwarding and being inside Class D airspace..... that's using all your % ability. We are there for safety, to give information to the 2-3 joining aircraft that cannot see 2 of 4 in the circuit. Aispance constraints means you cannot bug out and rejoin north, west or east. I think a better way to phrase it would be that his role only requires a small amount of input at his airfield. His comments certainly do not represent the more complex and busier airfields that the FIS service covers.

I did my PPL at Rochester EGTO in 91' Having flown in the US for the last 20+ years I look back at "Rochester Information" as a joke..... I think its actually safer to just have a Unicom frequency where all pilots just self announce...... like literally thousands of airfields in the US.

Blimey Jon, get a grip. Good video though

I kind of lost interest when I saw the sea fury!