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Questions and answers with ATC

Last week I went to an annual flight safety seminar, which included a presentation by the head of air traffic management of the Czech Air Navigation Services. The presentation itself was mostly about recent airspace changes, but we could also ask any questions, so I asked a few.

- In the absence of radar returns, are FIS and/or ATC able to determine the station’s position from the VHF call?
- All our stations have VDF, so we’ll get at least a bearing, possibly a position if you are heard by two stations.

- Would ATC be able to provide procedural separation for an IFR flight descending below MRVA in class E?
- No, our service terminates at MRVA.
- Do you provide procedural IFR at all?
- Unfortunately, not anymore, we are no longer able to do that.

- Does one ever need to squawk 2000 in today’s European ATC environment?
- Normally no, but sometimes the ATCO may forget to assign you a squawk code. If it happens, set 2000 and see how quickly you will get a code assigned.

- What’s your standing on the use of unpublished, operator-specific IAPs?
- We do not allow these, but we may publish such an IAP and mark it as authorised for specific operators only.

- Is it possible to visit an ATC facility and observe ATCOs at work?
- Sure, please make arrangements through your chief instructor (the seminar was at a large FTO).

- Is it possible to pre-arrange some PAR approach training?
- The only PARs in operation belong to the military, talk to them. However, as far as I know, they have very few controllers rated for PAR approach work.

- What is your standing on ADS-B?
- At this point, there are very few aircraft equipped for ADS-B – not enough to warrant a big investment in this technology for the ATC.

LKBU (near Prague), Czech Republic

Ultranomad wrote:

We do not allow these

Under what law or authority?

EGKB Biggin Hill

Ultranomad wrote:

- Does one ever need to squawk 2000 in today’s European ATC environment?
- Normally no, but sometimes the ATCO may forget to assign you a squawk code. If it happens, set 2000 and see how quickly you will get a code assigned.

Hm. My understanding is that you should squawk 7000 if you haven’t been assigned a code and that 2000 is to be used if you are entering Eurocontrol airspace from outside without a squawk.

ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

So in the Czech Republic, you have the same situation as in Germany that there is airspace wherw you need a clearance to fly IFR, and ATC refuses to give a clearance because thet fail to develop procedures that would allow hem to do so?

Do ou also have the corresponding weather phenomenon that there never is any cloud between the bottom of Class E and the MRVA?

Biggin Hill

You get to set 2000 instead of 7000 in few scenarios inside “EU sky”: I was asked to set 2000 going VFR France to Netherlands (over Belgium without landing), obviously, if you come from the US you will probably set 2000 without being told?

Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

At my last IR revalidation I was told to squawk 2000 when departing on a Zulu flight plan

pmh
ekbr ekbi, Denmark

Airborne_Again wrote:

Hm. My understanding is that you should squawk 7000 if you haven’t been assigned a code and that 2000 is to be used if you are entering Eurocontrol airspace from outside without a squawk.

No, 7000 is VFR; 2000 is for a similar situation under IFR.

Cobalt wrote:

So in the Czech Republic, you have the same situation as in Germany that there is airspace where you need a clearance to fly IFR, and ATC refuses to give a clearance because they fail to develop procedures that would allow hem to do so?

Do you also have the corresponding weather phenomenon that there never is any cloud between the bottom of Class E and the MRVA?

Yes, I would say it’s actually the UK that’s unusually liberal with its understanding of IFR. As to clouds below MRVA, the standard answer is to penetrate them within CTR/TMA.

pmh wrote:

At my last IR revalidation I was told to squawk 2000 when departing on a Zulu flight plan

Does not happen here. There is a telephone number to call for flight plan activation and squawk; alternatively, they will assign a discreet squawk code at the time of VFR→IFR transition.

LKBU (near Prague), Czech Republic

Ultranomad wrote:

No, 7000 is VFR; 2000 is for a similar situation under IFR.

Well… I spent some 10 minutes looking through SERA and a few random AIPs. What you write is certainly not generally accepted and does not seem to be entirely correct even in Czech airspace. This is, briefly, what I found…:

“NO CODE” means no code assigned by ATS.

SERA. 2000: NO CODE, unless otherwise specified by the appropriate authority. 7000: When not receiving ATS services, unless otherwise specified by the appropriate authority.

Austria. 2000: Not mentioned. 7000: VFR

Czech republic. 2000: NO CODE controlled flights. 7000: NO CODE uncontrolled VFR.

France. 2000: NO CODE entering French FIR from non-transponder areas. 7000: NO CODE VFR.

Sweden. 2000: Not mentioned. 7000: NO CODE.

United Kingdom. 2000: NO CODE entering UK FIR from non-transponder areas as well as ground ops. 7000: General conspicuity.

What a mess!

Last Edited by Airborne_Again at 21 Apr 10:12
ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

@Airborne_Again, thank you, I stand corrected. In any event, however, while present on the books, many of these situations hardly ever arise precisely because you get a discreet code assigned instead.
I wonder what are these non-transponder areas one could enter from – perhaps oceanic airspace? Can’t think of anything else around Europe.

Timothy wrote:

Under what law or authority?

Probably under their inability to provide procedural service.

Last Edited by Ultranomad at 21 Apr 11:25
LKBU (near Prague), Czech Republic

Ultranomad wrote:

thank you, I stand corrected. In any event, however, while present on the books, many of these situations hardly ever arise precisely because you get a discreet code assigned instead.
I wonder what are these non-transponder areas one could enter from – perhaps oceanic airspace? Can’t think of anything else around Europe.

Across the North Atlantic you set 2000 10 minutes after leaving radar contact and leave it until assigned a new code on the other side.

EGTK Oxford
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