Peter wrote:
Is there any scenario where you need the 12-24hr CTA GAR but don’t need a flight plan?
All scenarios.
I hardly ever file a flight plan for IOM to UK and vice versa (especially originating from a small airfield that doesn’t even have A/G radio). My “flight plan” merely consists of telling a friend/family member I’m on my way so someone knows if I’m overdue.
All scenarios.
No FP required for UK mainland to Irish Republic?
Definately requried from Britain to the Republic.
Sorry, I forgot all about Ireland! (Even though they are bigger than us). So I’ll amend that: any flight to the Isle of Man or Northern Ireland from the island of Great Britain and vice versa.
I run OnlineGAR.
My comments….
Every official that you ask will have their own opinion, and it will often vary substantially. Be careful believing all that is written here, it won’t always apply and even the same region has been known to contradict themselves.
1. You should always cancel a GAR If you are no longer flying. It’s dead easy to do and could save a journey for the border force or police. They might be a bit annoyed if you don’t! It’s courteous and correct to cancel.
2. If time changes by only an hour, don’t worry about it.
3. It is generally accepted that if you have complied with the notice period, and then make a last minute change, this is acceptable as long as it cannot be seen as deliberate or evasive. As such I recommend to people that they cancel and refile the GAR if the time changes substantially.
4. I have never called their phone number personally, as the above solutions have worked for every scenario I have encountered.
The relevant Manx law may differ, but in GB the Terrorism Act requirement is for the commander to notify a local constable in writing at least 12 hours before the flight. That’s all. There is no upper limit to that notice period so you can give notice a year in advance if you like. Nor is there any statutory requirement as to the information to be provided in advance of the flight, but by implication it should include the aircraft registration number so that the owner or agent can be identified (see below).
So at its simplest, one can hand a postcard to any Scottish constable saying that, weather permitting, one intends to employ G-ABCD on flights to and from the IoM during TT week.
Upon receipt of such notice, the police may write to the aircraft owner or agent requesting certain passenger information (the scope of which is prescribed by law). The owner must comply as soon as practicable, typically after the flight.
Of course, it may be convenient to anticipate such a request by filling in a non-statutory GAR form, but that is clearly not what Parliament intended.
For sensible delays 1-2 hours I don’t bother to refile. Particularly if the delay is imposed by Eurocontrol.
Also if up to an hour early I don’t bother. If they are that keen to see me they will get there a little early or worst case get the airport to ask me to wait.
I always cancel if there is a cancelled flight or a material change.
boscomantico wrote:
If somebody else understood it, please speak up.
Just to reply to that (a bit out of scope though)
I think what Vieke meant is simply that short of being able to contact UKBF he/she (sorry not familiar with this first name) asked Belgian immigration considering that immigration/border forces certainly interact with each other a lot and therefore the people at EBAW would know despite it being a UK thing.
Every official that you ask will have their own opinion, and it will often vary substantially. Be careful believing all that is written here, it won’t always apply and even the same region has been known to contradict themselves.
That is true, and that has always been a characteristic of the UK police force (and probably every other police force in the world), but there is only one law.
So if a UKBF policeman calls you at 4am with a “permission to fly number XXXX” there is no legal basis whatsoever for any of that.
And if the law doesn’t require you to notify a cancellation, you can’t be prosecuted for not doing it. After all, if the police can’t see flight plans, or contact airports to see if X has departed, they have zero hope of doing their job anyway.
The exception might be a country where you get arrested and looked at later, maybe after you have found yourself a lawyer (which might be tricky if you can’t speak the language) and these do exist in “modern” Europe, but the UK isn’t one of them. Here, you might get a lot of pomposity and the obligatory crash course in sarcasm, and I’ve had that myself after following an error in the GAR form notes, but they know better than to actually prosecute. And if the law doesn’t provide for an on the spot fine then they can’t do that either – that’s another difference with some countries where they have you over a barrel.
So, yes, don’t believe all that’s written on forums, but equally don’t buy into the FUD of which there is an infinite spectrum. Comply with the law…
OnlineGAR is a good facility and AFAIK the only one which gives you a rock solid proof of delivery of the GAR. I have been emailing my GARs “for ever” and never had a problem but common sense tells me they must lose some, because no email system with a published address can work without a spam filter.
Peter wrote:
OnlineGAR is a good facility and AFAIK the only one which gives you a rock solid proof of delivery of the GAR
And this is one of the reasons I like it and find it good value for money – it’s well designed, quick to use, takes all the pain-in-the-backside out of the GAR (well, except for the really irritating and needless 12 hour notice thing for CTA flights of course!) and gives solid proof that they got the form. The closest you could get before this was a fax receipt.
