FWIW, the local Border Force told me that for A-A flight from Shoreham to outside UK airspace I do need the GAR and the PHE form (bizzarely) but don’t need to quarantine, so long as (if I landed abroad) I don’t leave the plane.
It could get quite tricky if you land, stop the engine, and can’t start it again!! There are exemptions for people “flying for work” (they can even stay in hotels etc) but that wouldn’t work in this case.
I did not fly this weekend because EGBJ was closed.
I will send an email to the address in NOTAM and add the GAD to it.
Will keep you updated. Thanks for the advises so far. Great forum !
All,
So I wrote an email to Public Health England and after 2,5hr I received a complete and official response:
1: No self isolation as pilots and crew members are exempt from the self-isolation requirement
2: No need to produce a negative covid-19 test upon your arrival to back to the UK
3: No passengers on board the aircraft so you do not need to complete a passenger locator form.
Plan is to fly to EGBJ, return same day to EBKT, remain airside, no refuel, 1 POB as PIC. No passengers.
Wonderful.
1 & 3 are exactly what I was told in September.
2 has been added for the new test requirements for travellers to the UK.
Dont forget to fill in an online GAR & confirm requirements for returning to Belgium.
Have fun!!
No self isolation as pilots and crew members are exempt from the self-isolation requirement
In what circumstances does this apply? As written, it suggests that a UK based private pilot could do a trip abroad and not need to quarantine upon return, so long as he had no passengers.
I have an email from the police here stating that the PHE form is required for a flight abroad even if I don’t land abroad!
@Niner_Mike would you be able to email me the email you got?
sent
The major risk here is that, on the day, someone at EGBJ doesn’t like what you’re doing and decides to make your life very difficult.
EGBJ has always generally been a good airport, but a couple of years ago there was a change of manager and the new one is much more inclined to restricting, controlling, and generally making sure everyone knows who the boss is.
The UK is also full, culturally, of people in minor positions of responsibility who like to try and impose their own interpretation of any regulation on others. UK airport manager mentality plus covid regulations is potentially a very tricky combination. For instance, UK regulations on travel (including entering or leaving the country) currently require that you have a reasonable excuse (in that the journey is somehow necessary, it cannot be just because you feel like it) and the most commonly-used reasonable excuse is ‘work’.
Now a sensible person would conclude that whether or not the purpose of your journey constitutes work, and thus whether you are operating within the law, is something for you to decide. I cannot guarantee an airport manager would take that view – there is every chance they may consider it their duty to investigate the matter and attempt to control your actions based on their interpretation of what’s going on.
It would not be fun if, having landed, you found ATC refusing you clearance to depart based on the instructions of an airport manager who felt you were violating covid regulations and was on the phone trying to persuade the local police to turn up.
In your position, I would first get it in writing from the airport manager himself that he’s ok with your visit. Then carry the email to show to anyone who tries to get involved!
Peter wrote:
In what circumstances does this apply? As written, it suggests that a UK based private pilot could do a trip abroad and not need to quarantine upon return, so long as he had no passengers.
For what it’s worth, and I assume this must be different for crew that do trips requiring night stops, our company guidance from the relevant authority is that we as crew do not need to quarantine so long as we do not leave the footprint of the aircraft. This allows us to carry out walk rounds and sort out fuel etc, but would make for a fairly dull holiday if you applied the same rule on a private trip abroad.
Graham wrote:
It would not be fun if, having landed, you found ATC refusing you clearance to depart based on the instructions of an airport manager
Since when does an airport manager have control over ATC? I totally agree with the rest of your comment, but I am not aware that an airport manager has any authority over ATC.
172driver wrote:
Since when does an airport manager have control over ATC? I totally agree with the rest of your comment, but I am not aware that an airport manager has any authority over ATC.
Because (in the UK, in the context of tower controllers) the airport employs ATC.
The airport operator may decline anyone use of the airport for any reason they fit. ATC, as an airport employee, would not only communicate that message from the airport operator but also, upon their direction, likely not issue a departure/taxi clearance so as to place a potential breach of aviation regulations (as well as the civil issue of permission) in the pilot’s way.
