Well it looks like the big lesson in all this is that some airports are just plain trouble no matter who is on shift because it is there policy. Then there are the airports that depending on who is on shift will cause angst but the airport has no policy to discourage GA. Then there are the airports with friendly attitudes that encourage GA as a matter of policy.
Now what we need to do is make a list of which airports fall into which category. This way newbies to European flying have less to complain about and instead of running in place, we can crawl forward.
An added idea would be to list the reasons certain airports are in which category. How about using TripAdvisor? Also regarding those PA airports, we can also send an email to their Chamber of Commerce detailing why their businesses wont be getting our business. Ahh there is nothing like the smell of money to change peoples behavior.
What do you guys say? Any women on this site? I would be more PC if I new there was.
Key:
PA= Pain in the Ass
PC= politically correct
Ohh… sorry everybody puting you to shout on me about obvious things. I forgot to conclude the description by adding:
-Nothing about Landing or Parking permission was or is written in LIRU NOTAMS.
-Nothing pertinent was found into their AIP.
-This airport is International point of Entry,with Police+Customs in ground.
-The place was empty and tranquil.
-If I realy commited something illegal or bad,I would have been arrested or at least fined.
-Later consultation with AOPA IT revealed nothing.
-Yes,since I come from GR,I have been used to question abnormalities and not succumb patheticaly.
-Someone said I should have called them before.Well,I did.None was answering their phones.None was replying my Emails.
Peter already said it, but I will say it also: from where comes the widespread notion among pilots that flightplans are somehow “approved”? I just don’t get it. It’s a myth that just doesn’t disappear.
Well, of course VFR flightplans are not “approved” in the sense that an IFR flightplan (in Europe) is. Obviously anyone can just send a VFR flightplan on AFTN which is precisely what SkyDemon and others do. But – in many cases you can file a VFR flight plan through an ARO, and in that case the ARO does check the flightplan.
Again of course a flight plan validation by either IFPS or some ARO in no way checks for PPRs etc.
in that case the ARO does check the flightplan.
Yeah but how much worth is it when the ARO of one country checks the VFR portion in another country? Close to nothing IMO.
Someone said I should have called them before.Well,I did.None was answering their phones.None was replying my Emails.
That is a bit like when I was flying to Elba June 2014. When they changed controller shifts, there was nobody on the radio for a few mins, by which time I changed frequency 
This non-communication caused me huge trouble with Padova (which I wrote about previously) who did not answer the phone and then pretended to not have received any of several faxes about Customs PNR, and I was refused a landing clearance when I was on final approach. That was a very low point on a complicated IFR trip… My policy is normally to never fly to any airport which doesn’t answer (with some exceptions like Prague which “just work”) and this is absolutely the case for Italy.
Ultimately these “screw you attitude” cases are very individual and it should not be possible or sensible to generalise them to whole countries, but I don’t believe that to be true. One does indeed get a lot more of it in some places.
Incidentally I have had a higher success with airports responding when I included a google translated version in the email. They then tend to also respond in their language (Spain and Italy almost certainly, plus they almost never respond unless the approach is done in their language) but that can also be google translated at your end.
Yeah but how much worth is it when the ARO of one country checks the VFR portion in another country? Close to nothing IMO.
Nothing, except in rare scenarios where one ATC unit happens to know the peculiar habits of the one next door.
Well, of course VFR flightplans are not “approved” in the sense that an IFR flightplan (in Europe) is. Obviously anyone can just send a VFR flightplan on AFTN which is precisely what SkyDemon and others do. But – in many cases you can file a VFR flight plan through an ARO, and in that case the ARO does check the flightplan.
Again of course a flight plan validation by either IFPS or some ARO in no way checks for PPRs etc.
The last bit is the important one.
Acceptance of a VFR flightplan merely confirms its formal correctness and completeness.
Nowhere does it confirm or approve the contents of the flightplan (which is also true for IFR flightplans). Just try to apply some logic: in order to “approve” the contents of flightplans, AROs would have to take every flightplan and plough through ever conceivable piece of the affected AIPs etc., which they very obviously cannot do. Logic.
Flightplanning is the pilot’s job. AROs assist him. How could a pilot ever have a doubt about that?
It’s all written in the relevant ICAO documents.
No problems flying in Italy – just make sure your preferred fuel is available.
A simple phonecall beforehand is usually a good idea, but also not mandatory.
Enjoy flying in Italy, I do!
I need your opinion to choose a flight strategy in Italy.
As I say in post on Greece, I plan to go to Greece this summer. I’m flying VFR and I want to avoid very long flights.
My first leg will be my place (LFNV near Avignon, the best airport in the world because there is a BBQ) to Bastia in Corse.
The second one will be Bastia to Foggia in Italy (this is the leg I need a bit help)
The third will be Foggia – Corfu.
I have a bit of experience flying Italy. I went to reggio di calabria (refueling Roma Urbe) and one time I land in Linate.
On Bastia – Foggia there is two strategies I’m thinking about. One is to choose an appropriate flight level to cross Roma Airspaces straight in the NE aria. The other is to follow VFR routes point by point at low altitude.
The second option is boring but very well definite and easy to manage. What is your opinion on the first one and the best level to choose? In foreign VFR flight, ATS requests to change your plan are always a bit “heavy” (without autopilot or such help…) I want to prepare the one which I have most chance to be accepted…
Thank you !
PPG
No problems flying in Italy – just make sure your preferred fuel is available.
A simple phonecall beforehand is usually a good idea, but also not mandatory.
Enjoy flying in Italy, I do!
Can you post any reports on which Italian airports you fly to, Sam?
On Bastia – Foggia there is two strategies I’m thinking about. One is to choose an appropriate flight level to cross Roma Airspaces straight in the NE aria. The other is to follow VFR routes point by point at low altitude
It unfortunately doesn’t work this way, VFR. Roma TMA is class A, so your only option is your plan B (low-level). But rest assured, this is not boring at all. It’s challenging, due to the complicated airspace structure and the tedious ATC.
If you want to fly high-level, you need to mostly avoid the TMA. Do you have current (very current) charts for the area? My advice would be to make a slight detour to the north, i.e. to fly from Bastia DCT to a town called Orvieto (ATS waypoint RITEB is close by, if you prefer that for your IFR GPS) and then direct Foggia. This allows you to fly at say FL85 (you will need a clearance for Grosseto CTR and later Amendola CTR, but that should not be a problem).
