I couldn’t believe the conversation I overheard while flying around the Deauville TMA today.
Controller: “FXXXX you have now entered the TMA [by a few 100’], I didn’t clear you”
FXXXX: “Oh sorry, I didn’t realise I climbed so much”
Controller; “No worries, do you want to stay at this altitude? I can clear you or go back down?”
Can’t imagine hearing such an exchange in the UK! 50’ bust would be straight back to training school…
Kudos to French ATC. Who by the way were also ultra cool and helpful and patient with me getting confused with my departure clearance (on the ground, phew)
Mostly French ATC seem pretty cool, despite Peter’s experiences.
A few months back flying somewhere I took the obvious route to the start of the approach. ATC called and said “where are you headed?” “KOLOK (or whatever)” I replied.
“Oh OK, I wasn’t expecting that. Cleared direct KOLOK”.
Quite often the conversation goes “Where you like to head to, XXXXX or YYYYY?”
Surely I will have a bad day with French ATC, but until now I too have only good things to say about their service. The airspaces might look daunting sometimes, but while actually flying they make it quite relaxed.
Something similar in the Lyon TMA way back in 2008: “you didn’t request that level, but don’t worry, you can keep climbing, I’m free all the way up to the level 180”.
It’s a shame the system is broken in the UK, with no apparent solution. Sarcasm is a more effective tool 😃
Yes I second that. IFR and VFR always did the best for me. Whenever something’s not possible explaining very friendly why. So thumbs up for French ATC also from my side.
We’re all humans in the end and mistakes can happen. It’s what we make out of it what counts.
despite Peter’s experiences.
I don’t know which ones you are thinking of but I frequently write that French ATC clears you into CAS very casually. Military airspace is very different!.
The bits I don’t like are the ELP<<4 cases 
but if you speak French you are obviously not going to get those.
Yes indeed in the UK you would 100% definitely get busted. Mandatory MOR and at least a warning letter (with GASCO next) or just GASCO immediately. The funny thing is that still, 5-6 years later, nobody in the system has owned up to setting up something so aggressive and stupid.
One of my dumbest mistakes ever was departing Münster / Osnabrück airport Runway 25, flying to UK. Instead of leaving their airspace via VRP Delta as I had planned, I was cleared to fly straight ahead towards waypoint Tebro. I took off and started climbing, after a few minutes the Tower controller told me “D-XXXX, you’re now entering the airspace Delta of Münster (non CTR), please either descend immediately and remain below 2500 feet or contact Langen on 12×.xxx for clearance to climb into their airspace”.
I’d totally overlooked the fact that had I turned north to leave via VRP Delta, I could have easily continued climbing to my desired cruise altitude without issues but, by flying the extended runway centre line, I had set myself up for an infringement…
‘No harm, no foul’, came the reply from the controller as I stopped the climb and settled down to remain under 2500 feet, apologising profusely…..
Goes to show, it doesn’t have to be the UK way…. I won’t make that mistake again…..
If he said “straight ahead to X” but no climb clearance was given, and you did that and busted vertically, then it is down to you. I know someone who got busted for this in a bizjet; at +3000fpm it just happened a bit faster It’s a really common mistake.
Flew today, Monday, from southwest France to the Côte d’Azur (LFCR to LFMQ via DA), VFR at FL75. I had a flightplan filed.
As the military were active, the whole complicated airspace with the military airspaces in between Avignon and Marseille was active with military traffic. I talked to Clermont, Montpellier and Marseille.
Marseille Info had cleared me into the civil TMAs, and they informed me that the military were in fact active.
So after a wile, I asked to get in contact with the military (Salon) to get me cleared through their blocking airspace, and the civilian ATCO of Marseille Info told me that she would take care of that for me, that I just had to continue my flight !
So: good service from the civil Marseille Info to get me cleared through military airspace… cannot complain
