List of country specific VFR rules

BackPacker wrote:

- The Netherlands is a relatively quick adopter of the 8.33 kHz frequency spacing. At the moment Eindhoven is already on 8.33, with more airfields to follow later this year, or early next year.

You forgot De Kooy, Deelen, Volkel, Woensdrecht and Leeuwaarden :(

France:

pretty much all right.

Sweden:

• The term RMZ is not used, although there are such areas: Traffic Information Zones/Areas (TIZ/TIA) are class G airspace which are effectively RMZ – also a flight plan is required. You have to report your intentions to the AFIS unit concerned. Additionally, IFR traffic has to have an operating transponder.
• For IFR and night VFR, flight in class G above 5000 MSL (or 3000, GND if higher) has the same requirements as in TIZ/TIA – except that you need to be in contact with FIS rather than AFIS.
• When operating on or near an airport without an open ATS unit, you should maintain a listening watch on the airport (possibly TWR/AFIS) frequency and transmit your intentions in the blind.
• In class G, flight visibility for VMC may be as low as 3000 m (1500 m within the traffic circuit) provided the speed is low enough to avoid obstacles and traffic, but not higher than 140 KIAS.
• Night VFR is permitted. Special VFR during darkness requires a ground visibility of at least 5 km, clear of clouds and in sight of the ground and water, ceiling not above 1100 ft. The speed should be low enough to avoid obstacles and traffic, but not higher than 140 KIAS.
• An “abbreviated flight plan” (a flight plan with limited information for a minor portion of a flight according to SERA) should include callsign, flight rules, aircraft type, route, level and persons on board.
• When flying in the “mountainous area” of Sweden with a single-engine aircraft, you have to carry specific survival equipment and the aircraft needs to have contrast markings.

Sorry for thread drift and Peter might want to move this posting, but De Kooy is mentioned above in the context of 8.33. I encountered this about a month ago when given 120.130 for de Kooy by Amsterdam. I called them up on the old frequency of 120.125 and the call worked perfectly well. Is this because:

a) The bandwidth of my 25 Khz radio covers both frequencies
or
b) They’ve bandboxed the old frequency for the time being.
or
c) In the 8.33 world, 120.130 actually is 120.125 Mhz

Yes, I do have a 8.33 capable radio, but haven’t switched it over yet due to the extra knob twiddling.

Rwy20 wrote:

Germany:
- Airport opening hours and prohibition to land outside these hours

Adding to that, the need to have a “Flugleiter” present to allow take offs and landings. The number of times I’ve turned up – with PPR – and then had to turn away because the Flugleiter wasn’t at his post is just ludicrous…..

Steve6443 wrote:

Adding to that, the need to have a “Flugleiter” present to allow take offs and landings.

That is AFAIK not correct. The aerodrome operator is obliged to provide a Flugleiter during the opening hours, but this is no obligation for you as a pilot. If the aerodrome operator fails his obligations to provide a Flugleiter, you may still decide to land and there is nothing that prohibits this. You might of course get some over zealous official to try to prosecute you for a general clause about “bad airmenship” and endangering someone etc., but they would have a hard time holding this up IMHO.

BackPacker wrote:

There are some specific, but highly sensible rules for flying in the NSAA (North Sea Area Amsterdam – basically the ‘wet’ portion of the Netherlands FIR).

Would be interested to hear more about that. I have crossed there several times and only noticed the bird area and the danger/restricted areas as being special.

DavidC wrote:

Divided opinion on whether good or bad

Overhead joins

I think good/bad depends on where.

Overhead joins at a small airfield that may not have anyone on the radio: good – you get to look at the airfield environment, see the windsock, any ground based symbols.

Overhead joins at airfields with ATC? Seem a bit dubious to me.

dublinpilot wrote:

Isn’t that the default position under SERA?
It’s the same in Ireland, but once you’re used to it, it’s no hassle at all. Less than 15 seconds work.

I suspect from the context is that in Spain you need to file the full paper ICAO flight plan before you go. At least here (and maybe in Ireland – I don’t know) – you may not even realise you just filed a flight plan, because basically when you talk to ATC and give your position and intentions, your flight plan gets magically created – so you can blast off and head into CAS without having to have filled in some long-winded paper form (or paid a Skydemon credit to do the same).

I sometimes still fill in “paper” (well Skydemon) flight plans before taking off because they save some workload once in the air if I’m going to be crossing a few pieces of CAS, since everyone I’ll be talking to will have my details that way.

I suspect from the context is that in Spain you need to file the full paper ICAO flight plan before you go

Last time I was in Spain (several years ago, apart from Salamanca in 2014) I filed electronically but they still wanted a fake paper copy which they rubber-stamped to confirm I had paid landing charges, to be allowed airside I can’t believe they still do that…

I sometimes still fill in “paper” (well Skydemon) flight plans before taking off because they save some workload once in the air if I’m going to be crossing a few pieces of CAS, since everyone I’ll be talking to will have my details that way.

Normally, in the UK, if say you fly from Shoreham to Exeter, via Southampton, Bournemouth, and you file a VFR FP which runs say EGKA – SAM – BI – EGTE (airport names are not valid waypoints in ICAO flight plans) the two enroute airports will

• not receive a copy of the FP unless explicitly addressed to EGHIZTZX EGHHZTZX
• in any case will not give you any priority for CAS transits
• prob99 will have chucked away the FP because it makes no difference to them