Is there any way to find out the extent of the French “Paris area” notam, banning VFR above FL115?
Download the SDVFR app on your phone or iPad and look at the map. It pretty much corresponds to Paris “intra-muros”, i.e. inside the peripherique.
The Paris TMA is much, much bigger, and it’s all Class A. It goes out roughly speaking to the ends of the RER lines. It doesn’t go to the ground but it isn’t far above either – 1500 to 2500, depending on where.
Can someone post it?
johnh wrote:
Download the SDVFR app on your phone or iPad and look at the map. It pretty much corresponds to Paris “intra-muros”, i.e. inside the peripherique.
No, you are confusing with area LF P 23, which forbids “any” overflight of Paris proper (intra-muros). The area NOTAMed as unavailable for VFR above FL115… I actually don’t know the exact extent. The NOTAM says “any area under control of Paris control”… So look up the frequency and name of the controller, if it is “Paris”, you can’t. If it is “Iroise”, “Reims”, “Marseille”, etc, you can. Not sure how much it coincides with, or is strictly contained within, the Paris FIR.
There is general Class D above FL115, in theory VFR & IFR can fly there but there are no published ATS routes for VFR & IFR between 12k to 20k and it’s hardcore vectoring only baby, so you don’t get there VFR unless you have VIP invite or you cancel IFR in the middle of your assigned headings 
There is Class D SFC up to 1500ft, there is an RA LFR area overlapping that restricts its usage to IFR only between Paris airports (e.g. pogo procedures to Toussus/Pentoise/Bourget) or VFR/SVFR after cancelling IFR to some airport on specific points (fly to IFR Bourget, Melun, Villa and VFR scud run to Lognes or StCyr) or VFR to Enghien Moisselles LFFE local flying area or Helicopters to IssyLesMoulineaux
There is Class A from 1500ft to FL115, it’s IFR only and there is no VFR/SVFR
There are two prohibited area LFP23 & LFP25, 23 is no go bellow 6500ft for any traffic, LFP25 you can fly through IFR when going to LFPN RWY25 but don’t overshoot LLZ into LFP23
Ibra, the subject was the area covered by this NOTAM:
LFFA-F0591/21
Q)LFFF/QAFXX/ V/NBO/ E/115/195/4838N00249E155
A) LFFF PARIS FIR
B) 202104231358 C) 202110252359
E) VFR PROHIBITED ABOVE FL115 WITHIN SECTORS CONTROLLED BY PARIS CTL
EXC SPECIAL ACTIVITIES AUTHORIZED BY PARIS CTL.
Not airspace per se. And VFR has access to Class D, with or without airways, that’s irrelevant.
There must surely be a “picture” somewhere showing this no-VFR area as a whole.
WITHIN SECTORS CONTROLLED BY PARIS CTL
This prohibition has been in place for many years.
Edit: just seen Ibra has added a pic in his post above. I reckon it must be a lot bigger than that, because I’ve had that appear on narrow route notam briefings well away from Paris. But that could be due to the notam circle.
Re “nobody flying above 115”… well there is a thing called “weather” And even France gets some of it.
Yes VFR has access to Class D in low CTR, CTA for TMA
It’s rare to fly VFR en-route in General Class D (+FL125) anywhere in France unless you ask ATC for VFR on a published route, they will rarely give vectors to VFR in Class D, so I am not sure how it practically works without being on a procedural route…
I do recall getting DJL-PAS VFR at FL125 when my request to just climb and roam free there was negative
Class D is supposed to permitted for VFR; you don’t need “routes”.
I will drop an email to SNA-RP to see if they can organise a VFR bimble at 12.5kft overhead Paris but probably not next week: we got SUP AIP 176/21 for July 14th starting tomorrow, the upcoming days are better spent doing fishing or curling rather than flying
https://www.sia.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/pub/media/store/documents/file/l/f/lf_sup_2021_176_fr.pdf local copy
