A circular trip to the UK - where are the scenic bits?

I am sure you could do it. Even a landing for fuel is CV19 exempt, everywhere. Staying overnight is not, unless you are an airline pilot.

What is worth looking at in the UK? There’s a good question In the south, I’d say the Scilly Islands, on a nice day, look a bit like the Bahamas. Some pics on various threads here (search for EGHE) and here. North, basically the NW coast of Scotland, but that is as far from Belgium as the Alps are from Shoreham.

Niner_Mike wrote:

What could be worth it looking at from the air in Britain from Belgium

Lots!

Suggestion: White cliffs of Dover, along south coast all the way to Lands End, and back along north coast of Cornwall and Devon at 1,000 (spectacular), then Vale of White Horse, Goodwood, home

Indeed; just need to be very careful with airspace. You can’t just fly all along the coast at 1000ft without getting busted e.g. here

One can possibly get a clearance from some military unit – if you can find one which is responding. And right now (CV19 times) Solent is mostly not responding (have to talk to Bournemouth) but you will still get busted if you infringe their airspace.

All doable but need to plan it first; this isn’t like that Alps trip where if you talk to ATC you should be “cleared”.

Peter wrote:

Solent is mostly not responding (have to talk to Bournemouth) but you will still get busted if you infringe their airspace.

If Solent is not responding because they are closed as NOTAM’d, their airspace revert to class G and you cannot infringe it.

Xtophe wrote:

If Solent is not responding because they are closed as NOTAM’d, their airspace revert to class G and you cannot infringe it.

I’m not sure this is always the practise: last year coming home from our annual inspection, Liverpool did not respond yet it wasn’t NOTAMed before we took off. I wasn’t going to bet a GASCo course on it having been notamed at short notice.

What if it reverts to Class D while you are inside ?

Reminds me of Shoreham ATC when runway Notamed closed between 12h & 14h but they made the public announcement at 13555LT before they started “taking names” of everybody in the ATZ & around

alioth wrote:

I’m not sure this is always the practise:

Sometimes the airspace is taken over by other ATC units. You have to very careful. I would think London Information could provide you with the status of the airspace?

Ibra wrote:

What if it reverts to Class D while you are inside ?

This was discussed on one of the UK forum and common sense prevails i.e. ATC will broadcast it is opening, pilots will states where they are and be given clearances.

Not according to the MORs I have seen. You need to get the timings right. Especially Solent… when their airspace becomes active, they MOR anybody in it.

It is a great pity that a query about flying to the UK to see some scenic bits so quickly reverts to warnings about UK airspace busts Especially as foreign pilots are unlikely to get pursued, because the CAA man running the current dodgy scheme knows that the foreign CAA would laugh at some of the details.

Most of UK is Class G and it is easy to fly in that. Just check the chart, avoid all CAS and danger areas (assume all are active), and check notams along the route (I use this site).

In theory you should be in ATC contact when crossing borders. It’s not trivial to work out which units are worth talking to but usually they are the radar units. But London Info (124.60 initially) will do (they have no official radar) and have a wide coverage.

If I was in Belgium and looking for a scenic flight I would do the south coast (subject to the caveats above) all the way to the Scilly Isles, and then come back along the N coast of Cornwall, then head back home. That will take you 5-6hrs, probably…