Yes, they do have Radar and I’m glad they do. There are so many Katanas flying around. They are hard to spot.
If you look at the map, you’ll find that a special VFR would have to be coordinated with not only Sabadell but El Prat also. Their class D overlaps, there is a VFR sector inside the El Prat CTR and so on. I can understand the issues.
On the other hand a simple delivery of a proper IFR clearance, while still on the ground, with void time would solve all that and improve safety and utility value. That whole business of flight rule change is not smart. We should really abandon that in EASA airspace.
The guys who wanted to taxi earlier just told me that they found a regulation and showed it to LELL Tower and then were able to taxi. :-) Another guy with EC registered Pläne did taxi earlier but without crossing the runway and probably without talking to Tower. One might argue about the taxiway he used belongs to the apron or not anymore …
LELL 211300Z VRB02KT 9999 BKN014 BKN040 18/16 Q1004
Better but the magical xxx015 is still missing.
SCT014 would also work, I reckon.
Not the only place where SVFR for fixed wing airplanes is not granted. LSZH as well.
This is the big problem with VFR-only airports which have ATC, or any ATC airport if you don’t have an IR.
I got stuck at Biarritz for several days, in 2003. They wanted 1200ft cloudbase for VFR. Now I believe it is the ICAO standard of 1500ft.
An IR is worth it just for this, though of course that doesn’t help at Sabadell which is rendered shut below 1500ft (except for the local on special deals like the police etc).
Peter wrote:
I got stuck at Biarritz for several days, in 2003. They wanted 1200ft cloudbase for VFR. Now I believe it is the ICAO standard of 1500ft.
Same, especially frustrating when you see blue sky over the sea, and the only reason you can’t depart is you are flying a non N-reg or not in UK airspace (FAA IR + IR(R) on board of G-reg).
They let us take off morning after, SVFR, BKN 900 ft.
As far as I remember, ATC are not allowed to suggest SVFR, one has to request it.
N-reg is limited the same way.
The old option for a zero-zero IFR departure in N-reg (if there is no ATC, or they don’t care) ended several years ago, but I don’t have the reference to hand.
If there is no ATC, and nobody around cares (e.g. it is a little club airfield) you can do a zero-zero VFR departure 
Those ops are common all over Europe. Zero-zero, or say OVC001, VFR arrivals, too. I have first hand accounts.
However the departure problem really relates to ATC+CAS. They have the VFR minima. (In the UK this is in MATS Part 2, AFAIK). Maybe ATC in OCAS airports enforces VFR departure minima in some countries but they don’t in the UK.
Stephan must have been able to depart, because he got awfully quiet
Aviathor wrote:
Stephan must have been able to depart, because he got awfully quiet
Maybe he has fallen asleep in the cockpit. Shame as it is finally now above his minima.
