boscomantico wrote:
It absolutely still is, still in ENR1.2.
You’re right, my fault. The SIA website search for ENR 1.2 gave me the French Polynesian ENR 1.2 on the first page and I didn’t bother to ask myself what PAC-P means. Even the file name is the same, FR-ENR-2.1-fr-FR.pdf, which is really mean. To make the things worse, this French Polynesian ENR 1.2 gets a better Google ranking for me than the Mainland France one.
boscomantico wrote:
Also, is it really such a big deal?
Not a big deal at all, would spare one frequency change when flying to a French AD close to the border such as Colmar LFGA. One would dial directly the LFGA TWR.
The wording is vague however.
Firstly, I have never, not in 22 years, entered the border crossing time on any flight plan. If you think about it, who could possibly be interested in that? If they can’t see you on radar, you could put what you like there and nobody will know. But rest assured the French can see you on radar. France has a very good integrated radar system, for national security purposes.
Secondly, “not possible to establish radio contact” and “should preferably” are vague. In reality this is not necessary. You can just change directly from departure airport to destination airport (if VFR). If the destination airport doesn’t like it, they will send you to another frequency…
Googling on AIPs is like googling on EASA regs: it is full of perils, mainly because lots of old versions still exist, and often on the official websites! Also there are many obsolete versions stored on various websites.
Welcome to EuroGA, LightSportAirman 
FWIW, if I don’t file an EET/point0123 for a border crossing point in field 18, the Polish ARO will call me and ask for a time. I usually put something “about right” in there and it was never questioned.
The same is here in The Netherlands – the online portal will not accept the plan
tmo wrote:
FWIW, if I don’t file an EET/point0123 for a border crossing point in field 18, the Polish ARO will call me and ask for a time. I usually put something “about right” in there and it was never questioned.
Indeed. I normally just give the estimated time for the border crossing. (E.g. EET/EPWW0100.) But on a recent flight from the Czech republic to Germany, passing Polish territory, the Czech ARO rejected the flight plan saying that Poland also demanded a specific border crossing point.
Peter wrote:
Firstly, I have never, not in 22 years, entered the border crossing time on any flight plan.
The rules governing information to be put in Section 18 of an ICAO flight plan states:
“EET/ – Estimated Enroute Time(s) in “HHMM” format to Significant Fixes or FIR Boundaries e,g, EET/CAP0745 EHAA0830”
If filing VFR via SkyDemon, the FIR Boundary information is calculated and inserted automatically.
Peter wrote:
Firstly, I have never, not in 22 years, entered the border crossing time on any flight plan.
For IFR you don’t have to as Eurocontrol provides the estimates.
Peter_G wrote:
If filing VFR via SkyDemon, the FIR Boundary information is calculated and inserted automatically.
Yes, this is a very nice feature. SD does this well. I usually put a reporting point just on either side of the border to make things clearer for ATC.
Peter wrote:
Secondly, “not possible to establish radio contact” and “should preferably” are vague. In reality this is not necessary. You can just change directly from departure airport to destination airport (if VFR). If the destination airport doesn’t like it, they will send you to another frequency…
It’s not clear cut to me why and how. I have always though this was more to do with customs. The customs regulations are usually worded so that the point in time of interest to them is not when you land, but when you enter the customs area. You certainly cannot simply change from departure airport to destination airport if those airports are not international customs airports. They usually are un-towered airports in my case, where I usually fly, and contact with Polaris/Sweden control is expected (it’s what the ATC say when leaving one area), and what I do. At first contact in the other area, ATC can simple say “contact XXXX” where XXXX is the “appropriate” international customs airport, but usually not the airport I’m going to.
Many places it’s not even possible to contact Sweden control right at the border, not at normal VFR flying alt and with the usual low powered GA radio. This is a bit funny, because at first contact with Sweden control going to Norway, they say report [to us] when crossing the border
AA, in my case these requests for adding the EET from the ARO have been for IFR portions of Z FPLs.
Funny thing is, from CZ to PL you don’t even need a FPL.
