Very interesting.
Who causes most airspace infringements?
More than 50% of the airspace infringements are caused by General Aviation VFR traffic.
So who does the other 50%?
It could be IFR GA, and if so, how? Eurocontrol IFR traffic is controlled all the way already so “it can’t be that”.
Peter there is a pie chart showing all the infringements.
I was once flying VFR somewhere near Namur when Brussels Info told me to contact Charleroi immediately. On contacting Charleroi, they immediately and angrily told me to descend to 1400 feet (base was 2000 feet, I was at 1900), then sent me back to Brussels Info. Who then promptly apologised to me for the “unnecessary intervention by their colleague” and cleared me to climb back to my previous altitude!
It’s not surprising if pilots get a little confused…
It doesn’t tell you a whole lot
Jan thanks for posting.
A very interesting report. Shows clearly that a complex airspace with lots of temporary and on/off airspaces increase the risk of infringements massively.
Some interesting figures however are the ones about IFR traffic and the other non straight VFR traffic. 50% of infringements are not lost VFR pilots. That rises my eyebrows.
IFR flights to breach airspace requirements is actually a “how the heck?” question. What is the rest? Military?
Another bit which got my attention: They are talking of airspace G but not E. Why? Is there no E? If so, why not? E is a good solution for mixed IFR and VFR traffic.
And the other “obvious” answer: IFR makes for less infringements and for easier flying. So promoting IFR flying in Europe will massively reduce the risk of infringements and will reduce the stress level for the pilots in countries with complex airspaces.
AFAIK there is no class E in Belgium indeed. TMA’s and CTR’s are class C, military CTR’s are class D.
I wondered too, where the military are in these statistics – but then again, they are even better protected/guided than IFR pilots.
Above all, I feel the number of incidents (120 per annum, i.e. one in every three days) is too small for meaningful statistics.
BTW if our authorities want to encourage the use of controlled airspace – which seems a commendable idea indeed – they could begin by allowing my microlight to come there, at least in class D and E. I understand this is the situation in Germany and in most countries further East.
Belgium’s military seems to be big enough to take on the present Warszaw Pact plus N Korea, both at the same time.
Maybe they have a secret deal with the EU HQ (based there) to smash up any EU member that wants to leave the EU? That would explain the reluctance of Greece, because they have only 170 F16s.
When I flew VFR in Belgium, I always did it by turning up at KONAN at the highest level one could (FL074 probably, from memory) and call up the Belgian ATC and just ask straight for a transit X – Y – Z (right across Belgium) at FL075/085/095. I always got it, even getting vectors from Brussels Departures on one occasion. On all those occasions I was lucky to be VMC (VMC on top, fairly obviously) and in retrospect there are many days when this would not have worked (unless flying a de-iced aircraft, with battle-hardened passengers 
).
One needs to have a Plan B (for when ATC say “NO”) which is a wholly Class G route, and then it’s down to this
and hacking something at 1000ft or so, with heavy use of GPS to sneak through some narrow corridors. Fortunately the tallest object in Belgium is the EU HQ.
Like in France, many of our military bits of airspace are only rarely active – checking the Notams is really useful. Or ask on whatever Belgian frequency, all services have the information handy. And yes, with today’s IT it should be possible to have only the active areas displayed on one’s moving map, yes yes.
As already said, I have no experience of flying at any flight level – the boundary of class G coincides with the transition altitude, here, 4500 AMSL – but I have a feeling that flight levels like 75, 85, 95 are scarcely used, except by airliners on descent/departure, so that a refusal would be quite rare.
BTW in the semi-quadrantal system, it is FL 40, 60, 80, 100, &c westbound, 50,70, 90, 110 &c eastbound, and add 5 to the FL when IFR in non-controlled airspace, or so I seem to remember. Surely you would request FL 70-90-110 rather than 75-85-95, all those places being above the transition and thus controlled?
As for our tallest objects, they are NOT in the capital. The broadcast tower at Sint Pieters Leeuw is quite impressive though, when plodding along at 15000 AMSL or so…. http://en.norkring.be/transmitter-park/sint-pieters-leeuw/
When switching to your plan B, be VERY careful about the corridor between EBAW and EBBR CTR’s. I flew it once, as it is my home region so I was curious for some sightseeing, and also I know the area quite well so I had plenty of visual references. But just before entering it eastbound, that is to say near WISKY and just past my son’s house, sure as hell there came a PA-28 from the other side, same altitude, nothing on the radio. I could avoid him with the gentlest of turns but doubt whether the pilot ever saw me. Not much room for maneuvering, there, and quite some traffic as it it is also on the (very strict!) departure procedure of EBGB.
When I flew VFR in Belgium, I always did it by turning up at KONAN at the highest level one could (FL074 probably, from memory) and call up the Belgian ATC and just ask straight for a transit X – Y – Z (right across Belgium) at FL075/085/095.
I did something similar in 2011 when flying VFR from EHLE to Reims LFQA. I was approaching the Belgium border from the North at FL064.
My request to proceed south via the VORs was denied because of the active runway at Brussels EBBR.
I had to descent below 2500ft and continue below the Brussels TMA.
Crossing the Beauvechain, Charleroi and Florennes CTRs. It was a high workload, flying the aircraft low level, being handed over from one controller to the next, asking crossings, etc. I’m still wondering how people manage to fly there without a GPS. I think people simply don’t do it and cross Belgium either on the east side (via Germany) or on the west side (along the coast) ?
Charleroi requested me to fly via the VRP’s. Fortunately Skydemon displays them
Flying the same route IFR is dead easy: Airway N872 and Y50 and you’re there. Belgium must be perfect for IFR flying with al that controlled airspace
