Once I departed Halfpenny Green after hours with a filed IFR flightplan heading North and I planned to pickup the clearance from London info once airborne….but I was initially squawking the listening code for Birmingham (and tuned to them obviously)….I guess they saw my tail number on mode S and called me with the clearance without me having to call them first…I was impressed…
Stephan_Schwab wrote:
I remember VFR departures from Aschaffenburg EDFC where the AFISO called Langen RADAR on the phone and coordinated with them. I got the first frequency and squawk but no clearance.
That is typical of airports without instrument procedures where you depart VFR. St Yan mentioned by Peter has IFR procedures, including departures (they may be multi-directional, i.e. a climb straight ahead to a certain altitude followed by a turn en-rout)
I remember VFR departures from Aschaffenburg EDFC where the AFISO called Langen RADAR on the phone and coordinated with them. I got the first frequency and squawk but no clearance. However, shortly after takeoff Langen RADAR was already asking for me on the frequency and I got the actual clearance on the radio where it gets recorded and I have to read it back. As this happens in close proximity to Frankfurt EDDF and one flies below the final approach into EDDF the initial clearance is usually a vector and some climb instructions that takes one out of class E and into class C.
In the US the dialog over the phone is recorded and one does speak the same way as over the frequency. There is no harm saying Hello in the beginning but the person on the other hands wants to hear IFR speak and answers in kind. As stated before, it ends with “clearance void if not airborne by hh:mm”.
The whole topic is a mess. It seems to be related to the airport certification as well. For example: Mengen EDTM has an IAP for runway 26. It’s an LPV. However, there is no circle to land on runway 08. One has to cancel IFR before breaking off the approach
At St Yan the tower controller would get your clearance from the relevant approach sector controller and you would get your IFR departure clearance accordingly.In the case of St Yan, the tower controller may himself be the approach sector controller, and he will coordinate a hand-over with the next sector which I assume will have received the departure message.
What matters to you is that once you have your departure clearance, you are cleared into the big blue sky.
From Toussus you would not explicitly be cleared to destination. You will only get a clearance that allows you to reach the first point of the en-route portion of your FPL
That conflicts with some of the previous replies 
Anyway, I can see that Paris is well organised because they don’t want somebody just popping up (but even there you don’t get a full clearance, it seems). But how would one do it in the St Yan case I posted?
Noe wrote:
I forgot exact clearances I would get but out of Toussus, for instance, i’m pretty sure I got a clearance into CAS, via the SID, from the tower. I don’t remember if it was to destination or not.
In France, or any other place in Europe outside the UK, an IFR clearance implicitly includes entry into controlled airspace. You will never hear an IFR flight be cleared into class E, D or A airspace in France From Toussus you would not explicitly be cleared to destination. You will only get a clearance that allows you to reach the first point of the en-route portion of your FPL. In other countries you will receive an explicit “cleared to destination” or “cleared to XXXX via DEP then flight planned route”
Noe wrote:
I meant the person in the tower of the airfield.
I took it to mean you wondered how to obtain the clearance when there is nobody in the tower, whether controlled of AFIS.
Well, in most of Europe, you obtain it from TWR or AFIS. If the airport is unmanned, mileage varies as previously explained.
Peter wrote:
Which countries is this possible in
Germany.
…what are the contact numbers
You call the airfield operator via radio (flying is not allowed here without a radio operator). He will do the necessary phonecalls and forward the clearance to you.
and how is the time slot handled?
No idea. That’s nothing we normally need to worry about, it’s negotiated between the airfield radio operator and the center he calls by phone.
Peter wrote:
I am referring to a clearance to enter controlled airspace on something like the filed route, not just a transponder code etc.
That’s exactly what I’m saying.
When departing an AFIS airport in Sweden, the AFISO will give you a complete IFR route clearance, to the destination, authorising entry into controlled airspace, obtained by telephone from the ACC.
This is not difficult if the various ATS units coordinate in a sensible way.
Peter wrote:
If you can reach an IFR controller via the radio while still parked at an airport where the tower is empty, that is too easy
I meant the person in the tower of the airfield.
I forgot exact clearances I would get but out of Toussus, for instance, i’m pretty sure I got a clearance into CAS, via the SID, from the tower. I don’t remember if it was to destination or not.
