IFR/VFR?
On a recent flight from Calais (LFAC) back to my home field Nuthampstead (ZZZZ) I filed VFR because the weather conditions were VMC and it is so easy to file using Skydemon. I climbed to 6000’ft to stay below controlled airspace, and routed DVR,JACKO,CLN, to keep me away from the danger areas (active) at Southend. I was getting a traffic service from Southend as I headed north from DVR. On approaching JACKO, the clouds had merged so I was above an overcast that was not much below my cruising altitude. As I approached CLN I asked Southend for a de-confliction service until I had descended below the cloud deck, but was informed that “due to the flights rules I was using, they could not offer a de-confliction service” Queried later with the ATC supervisor at Southend, I received this reply “As of the 2nd of April 2015 the Manual of Air Traffic Services (CAP493) changed the criteria regarding aircraft that can be given a de-confliction service to IFR aircraft only”. Now members might ask why I didn’t file IFR in the first place. The route offered by Autorouter sends me through the active danger areas and the new Southend class D airspace and the Stanstead class D airspace.
Trying to fly this route would have been a nightmare of heading and altitude changes that would have been nothing like the Autoroute “no errors” route. Instead I flew this route that avoids the danger areas and the class D airspace. This route could not be generated in Autorouter. I could have filed an IFR flight plan in class G. It all worked ok except the refusal to give me a de-confliction service for my descent through cloud and as you can see from the above this service is now IFR only.
This brings up a question: Is it not the case that the majority of light aircraft pilots filing IFR are in fact flying in VMC conditions and are only fling IFR to get the benefit of having the flight controlled? I say this because unless you are de-iced and have on-board weather equipment you are going to do your best to keep out of the nasty stuff. What we are actually doing is flying a controlled VFR flight. So maybe that is the next thing to lobby for.
PROPMAN wrote:
Instead I flew this route that avoids the danger areas and the class D airspace. This route could not be generated in Autorouter.
You can modify the generated routes and insert your own waypoints, navaids and even radials/distance. In the UK whatever you do will yield “NO ERRORS”. Then you can file it.
achimha wrote:
and even radials/distance
Achimha, is there documentation about how to do that?
Peter wrote (in the linked thread):
This hack which uses 9nm long sections is necessary because France has a MAX DCT limit of 10nm
How do you figure that out?
Trial and error with the IFPS error messages. If you violate a DCT limit, it will show you the name of the DCT rule and the maximum permitted DCT limit. Keep in mind that they are often altitude dependent.
The less manual hacking required, the better 
Why wouldnt you declare IFR and then request the service? You are not going to be descending through cloud without being IFR whatever you orginally filed :-)
Is it not the case that the majority of light aircraft pilots filing IFR are in fact flying in VMC conditions and are only fling IFR to get the benefit of having the flight controlled?
You have just stumbled upon the greatest secret of aviation 
I say this because unless you are de-iced and have on-board weather equipment you are going to do your best to keep out of the nasty stuff.
Even then you keep out of the nasty stuff whenever possible…
Also remember that Eurocontrol routing is meaningful only for, ahem, Eurocontrol IFR i.e. IFR in CAS i.e. IFR under London Control (in the S. UK). If you are filing below CAS, you won’t get connected to LC no matter what you filed.
Why wouldnt you declare IFR and then request the service?
Exactly. Just say to Southend, as you approach JACKO “continuing the flight IFR”. And then they can give you a deconfliction service.
PROPMAN wrote:
due to the flights rules I was using, they could not offer a de-confliction service
It is worth remembering what the rules actually are. Slightly summarising, they are
General rules – don’t bump into stuff
Visual flight rules – remain in visual flying conditions
Instrument flight rules – remain 1,000ft above stuff, most of the time.
As soon as you were less than 1,000ft above the closed cloud layer, you were flying in accordance with the IFR, no longer VFR… until you pop out of cloud again and are 1,000ft below cloud or at/below 3,000ft.
What I find a bit amusing is that the controller didn’t offer you a service because you were flying in accordance with the VFR, when it was perfectly clear that you – quite legally – weren’t…
