You need a clearance to operate, but no take-off or landing clearances.
It depends on setup or letter of agreement
Do you apply CAS VMC minima or OCAS VMC minima for VFR? what about IFR and SVFR takeoff?
Ibra wrote:
It depends on setup or letter of agreement
No it doesn’t. It would be impossible for ATC to issue take-off or landing clearances as the runway is not under their control.
Do you apply CAS VMC minima or OCAS VMC minima for VFR? what about IFR and SVFR takeoff?
CAS minima of course – the airspace is controlled. That has nothing whatsoever to do with the status of the runways. The same thing for IFR and SVFR.
That is similar to my old UK gliding club, “cleared for approach” on landing by radio and “cleared to depart” by phone, no takeoff & landing clearances: the runway is uncontrolled inside CTR, in the other hand in my airfield now in France, ATC issues takeoff & landing clearances to gliders on two grass runways that are controlled inside CTR
Are you “inside the ATZ”? and are VFR/SVFR clearances linked to ATC/ATIS weather or PIC weather?
Ibra wrote:
Are you “inside the ATZ”?
That usage of ATZ’s is UK specific, so no because there isn’t one.
and are VFR/SVFR clearances linked to ATC/ATIS weather or PIC weather?
VFR is never linked to ATC weather. It is the pilot’s responsibility to maintain VMC. SVFR is always linked to ATC weather – SERA.5010(c) – so the same in this case. (But the pilot also has to remain clear of clouds and respect the minimum visibility.)
VFR is never linked to ATC weather. It is the pilot’s responsibility to maintain VMC
I have been refused VFR takeoff few times by ATC: Redhill, Biarritz, Dinard…in all cases, I had enough visibility and I could remained outside clouds until leaving their zones but ATC relied on ATIS to ban VFR operations (they also denied SVFR)
That’s because an airport in CAS has VFR minima in an operating manual which (for sure if in CAS) they enforce.
I was once stuck at Biarritz for a number of days, with cloudbase (on ATIS, yes, where else will they get it?) at 1000-1100ft while their VFR minima were 1200ft. I believe ICAO VFR minima are 1500ft and indeed last time I looked Biarritz was 1500ft also.
In the UK, these minima are in MATS Part 1 or 2 and ATC will absolutely not let you depart (in CAS; if a Class G airport things run more freely).
This is nothing to do with a displaced threshold. The topic of VFR deps would need a new thread.
Peter wrote:
This is nothing to do with a displaced threshold
I think it has, in relating to the original question of legality. In an uncontrolled, or un-towered airport, there is nothing that I know of that say you have to land on the runway at all. The owner may, or may not, issue information about operation there, but he cannot legally enforce that you use the runway (he may say, I don’t want to see you here ever again, but that’s another matter entirely). There may not even be a runway at all, just a field, with or without procedures.
In a controlled environment, the legality of where you actually land, is given by the clearance. You get a “cleared to land rwy XX” and that is very explicit. You could however also get other clearances. Operations in other parts of the aera or other parts, but inside the CTR. Helicopters get other clearances, but sometimes they also get a clearance to land on the runway, especially bigger ones.
The threshold could be a procedural thing, or it could be physical. The only thing that could possibly be illegal IMO, is to (willfully) land on the X’ed out part when you have been given a clearance to land on a runway. Maybe also the chevron part. The stupidity of landing on X’ed out parts (on any runway) speak for itself, but it’s not illegal to be stupid 
For something to be illegal, you have to break a law or a regulation. Not following the clearance clearly is illegal, but a procedural thing for IFR (a “normal” displaced threshold), how that can even be applicable to VFR is beyond me.
I don’t think it’s off topic, we are talking when traffic can depart, from where he can depart, where exactly he needs to touchdown, and what glide path he needs to fly…
If the area before displaced threshold is not treated as runway, can I land (maybe uncontrolled) there right before displaced threshold even with 500m controlling RVR on my touchdown point?
All hypothetical scenarios to discuss legalities (in practice, I do land before displaced thresholds from time to time when conditions allows it, I think it’s healthy to keep short performance landing and steep approach skills current)
A good example that this can be a real problem and that it is not NOTAMed is Enstone EGTN. There’s a fence going through the displaced threshold zone right through the runway.
