Some pilots may be a bit puzzled as to why ATC Manston give instructions to some A/C on occasion which are not in the ATZ, but are apparently in "open" airspace.

Manston does have its IFR traffic with 747, DC8 freighters and occasional passenger transport operations, which require ATC to give separations of 1000ft vertical., and 5 Nm horizontal. "Heavies" will be manoeuvring for their approaches , starting maybe 15 Nm away, so occasionally you may get what appears to be arbitrary orders. So please bear with them.

Overhead joins are not usually used. There is no 'deadside'