Actually I think much of the GA “system” is set up by ex military people who operated in a very different flying environment. Military jets tend to have relatively little fuel
Ah. This probably explains why our Auster (a derivative of a WWII observation aircraft) came with a fuel thimble rather than a fuel tank! :-) (Until we got an aux tank put on, endurance until bone dry was only 2hr)
I’ve never flown VFR to an airport that requires mandatory use of reporting points, and I think in Europe the only reasons that is often the norm are (1) overly anal ATC that gets really worked up over one arrival every five minutes (and whether they have PPR!) 
and (2) overly anal noise complainers who would get worked up about one arrival every day. I think the logical system is to have charted VRPs for those who know them, and ‘just show up and we’ll get you on the ground’ for everybody else. Flexibility should be the weapon of choice, not ineffective regimentation that serves mainly to create layer upon layer of pointless ‘issues’.
alioth – military airfields have fuel, and I think the design criterion was a one way trip followed by refueling. Also in the Warsaw Pact area that the pilot couldn’t leave. The result for almost all of them seems to be 2 hrs endurance.
the Garmin database on board does not know any VFR VRP.
It does in the US.
I’ve never flown VFR to an airport that requires mandatory use of reporting points
Well, if you ever fly in the LA airspace, then you’d better have an idea where they are! Although some of the informal names can be a bit, err, confusing at first. ‘Blue Whale’ anyone ?? T save you the guesswork – it’s the PDC, Pacific Design Center, a striking blue building that, actually, does look a bit like a whale!
I think the above example also illustrates a general problem with VRPs – quite often the locals have a different name for them than what’s on the chart. Even more so in non-English speaking places.
While I’m on the ‘non-English speaking countries’. If you ever fly from Spain to Portugal or vv, you are expected to cross the FIR boundary at any one of a number of VRPs, most (all?) of which coincide with IFR intersections. Lisbon Mil are pretty anal about that.
Well, if you ever fly in the LA airspace, then you’d better have an idea where they are!
That’s a place where flight following can be useful but FWIW I’ve flown across the LA basin with no transponder, no radio contact and eyes very much on the GPS! Its not easy.
(Non electrical aircraft are waivered from the Mode C Veil transponder requirement in case you’re interested in how that’s done, and without a transponder there’s no point in talking to Socal)
Well, if you ever fly in the LA airspace, then you’d better have an idea where they are! Although some of the informal names can be a bit, err, confusing at first. ‘Blue Whale’ anyone ?? T save you the guesswork – it’s the PDC, Pacific Design Center, a striking blue building that, actually, does look a bit like a whale!
I was orbiting the blue whale for a while a couple of weeks back. Didn’t look much like a whale to me, but gives a nice view of the Hollywood sign!
(Non electrical aircraft are waivered from the Mode C Veil transponder requirement in case you’re interested in how that’s done, and without a transponder there’s no point in talking to Socal)
Wow! Didn’t know that. Kinda scary thought, I have to say….. although not so sure about the Socal part. IF you could talk to them using a handheld (obviously, being non-electrical), giving precise position reports – hey, VRPs! – then they might at least warn others of you ;-)
Didn’t look much like a whale to me
It sort of does, perhaps more so from the ground. I live close by when in L.A., so drive past the thing at least twice a day….
You’re legal within the Mode C veil as long as outside Class B or C Airspace.
Depending on your routing, a nice slalom ‘parcours’ there ;-)
However, this to me is an almost classic ‘just because you can, doesn’t mean you should’ scenario.
There are better ways to achieve the same end, and I think that’s the point: because not many people choose to do it, it’s not a big problem. Flexibility works 
The routing requires you to stay low, and there actually isn’t a lot of traffic at 1700 ft over East L.A… Mainly police helicopters If you crash you can hope they’ll rescue you quickly from the locals.
Oddly enough as I write this I’m at LAX flying commercial.
I got a funny example of this today, flying EGKA-EGHH via SAM.
I was already at 4000ft, knowing that’s what they like. I asked for a transit via SAM. They asked if I want a VFR or IFR transit. I said “VFR” (conditions were VMC). On the many past times I did this I just got it but this time they told me I was cleared to enter the CAS and to report at some VRP. I can’t remember the name of it. I could not find it right away (since I almost never use VRPs especially not enroute) and it wasn’t obvious on the above CAA map, and they re-read the instruction. I said I can’t find it and why can’t I go via SAM. They said I asked for a VFR transit [and therefore have to go via a VRP]. So I asked for an IFR clearance and via SAM, and got it
Bizzare! Who thought this up, after years of being able to fly in the UK via IFR waypoints, especially obvious ones like SAM. Is this some new CAA directive to ATC? Forcing VRPs for VFR traffic is a practice widespread elsewhere in Europe, and it creates all the standard problems because most VRPs are a bastard to locate for anyone except the locals.
