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London - Graz VFR

AFAIK you will never get a VFR (or IFR) transit through the Class A LTMA, at levels below FL090/100 where there are some transit routes for GA. You can fly through a bit of it on a properly filed IFR flight (this is common) but never IME an ad-hoc (what the Americans call a “pop-up clearance”) crossing.

London Info (FIS) on 124.60 is no good for CAS transits. To save money, the people there are FISOs, not ATCOs.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

My question wasn’t phrased well. I mean if the FISO could supply frequencies of sectors/airspaces ahead?
Not for class a obviously but e.g. for class d…

always learning
LO__, Austria

Yes, they will help with that.

OTOH they can get busy sometimes, and there is a map (online I am sure) which shows the various radar unit frequencies around the UK, e.g. 125.25 for the famous Farnborough (“west”?). You could just carry that around and call them up as you go.

AFAIK all UK Class D is controlled by the airport which owns it (i.e. there is no real “enroute” Class D, for any usable distance) so e.g. the Solent Class D is controlled by Solent (Southampton Airport) 120.225, and Bournemouth (Bournemouth Airport) 119.47.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Thank you. The area around London looks fine.
The channel not so. Class A floor is even descending between UK and NL.
Between CLACTON/CLN and XAMAN
A FL85-195
A FL65-195
and between XAMAN and COSTA/COA
A FL55-195.
Not very promising for gliding range in case of engine out.

Last Edited by Snoopy at 25 Oct 16:42
always learning
LO__, Austria

Yes; I don’t think a “normal” piston plane can cross the English Channel anywhere, VFR, while remaining within glide range. A motor glider could, of course.

One needs to be IFR and ~FL100 and then the Dover Straits crossing is pretty well within glide range.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Airborne_Again wrote:

The SERA paragraphs about special VFR make no mention of airspace class.

The UK CAA interpretation explicitly include class A airspace with the following caveats:
- You need to file an IFR flight plan and get it taken trough (no SVFR FP and VFR will not work)
- You get an IFR clearance and you may need 10 km visibility depending on Licence/ATC/AD

These make it impossible to get one on-the-fly for LTMA class A and for lower CTRs of “big airports”, all have been moved to class D
I will be interested to know if someone had a successful SVFR in class A in the UK recently?

Snoopy wrote:

Not very promising for gliding range in case of engine out.

At 7000ft you only get exposed to that for max 10min if you cross Dover to Cap GrisNez, just get fuel selected correctly and I don’t touch anything nothing that bad will happen

Last Edited by Ibra at 25 Oct 17:54
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Ibra wrote:

lower CTRs of “big airports”, all have been moved to class D

No entry into class d?

always learning
LO__, Austria

You can get SVFR, VFR, IFR clearance to transit in class D airspace around London (still very tough to get one on-the-fly even when flying in IMC, but this notification tool seems to help https://aup.nats.aero)

I was referring to getting an SVFR transit in class A airspace

Previously, big airport CTRs around London were class A, so one can get a taste of a low level SVFR transits in class A, today they are class D, only LTMA is class A but good luck getting into that on SVFR

Last Edited by Ibra at 25 Oct 19:54
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Looks like IFR will be a better option.

Currently it looks more like headwinds prevail ;( so a fuel stop might be required.

Any recommendations for a nice field with short distances (coffee, restroom, immigration, fuel)?

Coming from the UK (EU, non-schengen) is it correct that no customs and only immigration is required?

Thanks!

Public airports with customs sort of a long the route:
IFR
EBCI CHARLEROI
EBAW ANTWERP
EDFM MANNHEIM CITY
EDMA AUGSBURG
EDMS STRAUBING

VFR
EDLN MOENCHENGLADBACH
EDFZ MAINZ FINTHEN
EDKV DAHLEMER BINZ
EDRK KOBLENZ
EDPA AALEN (PPR)
EDME EGGENFELDEN
EDTY SCHWABISCH HALL
EDQG GIEBELSTADT

always learning
LO__, Austria

Some comments on the airports on your list I am familiar with:

EBAW: Moderate fees, reasonably short distances, but I am unsure about dining options (there might be the usual commercial-airport-terminal-cafe)
EDFM: Not useable IFR without prior training with an FI, considering that rather expensive, restaurant and Pilot-Shop at the field
EDMA: Moderate fees, only dining available is a vending machine…
EDMS: Cheap, very short distances, restaurant on field

EDRK: Cheap, very short distances, restaurant
EDPA: Very cheap, very short distances, restaurant. PPR should be no problem
EDME: Same as EDRK
EDTY: IFR, moderate fees, restaurant at adjacent VFR-field (but check opening times)
EDQG: IFR, restrictive opening times, no restaurant

Friedrichshafen EDNY
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