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Flying under controlled airspace with limits AGL - Spain in particular

Just one more question (promise!)

Hmmmmmmmm ;-))

I would file manually in La Rochelle. I would definitely input the FIR crossing waypoint. Also, do you intend to overfly all these towns/airports? If not, it makes no sense to put them into the FLTPL. In any case, getting the spelling of the places right might also help (couldn't resist).

Doh! Zaragoza !!

Ok, sounds like a plan

Flying a Commander 114B
Sleap EGCV Hawarden EGNR

so I am thinking of putting LaRochelle, Biarritz, Pamploma, Zaratoga and Valencia manually into the addressing

No; you would not send a flight plan to any airport except departure, destination and alternate(s).

The full rules for VFR addressing are way too complicated to explain here (even if I knew them) but in essence you send the flight plan to the above mentioned 2 or 3 airports, plus the FIR regions through which you will be flying.

There are many weird details one does (or doesn't) need to know about. For example, I believe, that a flight plan sent to any airport or region in France is automatically distributed to the whole of France, so that any ATCO who happens to talk to you can call it up. That is certainly my experience from my pre-IR (pre-2006) VFR flying in France. At the other extreme you have e.g. the UK where every ATC unit works alone - except the Eurocontrol IFR controllers (London Control, Manchester Control, etc) who are properly computerised, but as a VFR pilot you won't ever be speaking to them. Then you get even more weird things e.g. flight plans involving Blackbushe are (were?) supposed to also be addressed to Farnborough. No pilot can keep track of all that crap...

I would therefore suggest you either use a proper flight plan filing tool or service, which does the VFR addressing for you, or simply hand write the flight plan on the standard form and hand it in at the departure airport tower which is what pilots had been doing for decades.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

For example, I believe, that a flight plan sent to any airport or region in France is automatically distributed to the whole of France, so that any ATCO who happens to talk to you can call it up.

I believe that to be true. On my recent flight to and from La Rochelle from the UK, most controllers appeared to have picked up our VFR flight plan based on the aircraft call sign and the destination. I believe it in the sense we didn't tell them our routing, but at various junctures they handed us over to the appropriate controller enroute and not one going off in a tangental direction. Could have been a wild guess on their part ....

Not a guess; France has a 100% joined up radar coverage.

Every French ATCO is radar qualified (I am told by a French pilot) and thus permitted to see a radar screen.

In the UK, many are not radar qualified (because they would be on a higher pay grade) and e.g. the London Info people are FISOs and thus not officially allowed to see a screen (though as of a few years ago they do now have screens, but are not allowed to say anything on the radio indicating they can see you).

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

In the UK, many are not radar qualified (because they would be on a higher pay grade) and e.g. the London Info people are FISOs and thus not officially allowed to see a screen (though as of a few years ago they do now have screens, but are not allowed to say anything on the radio indicating they can see you).

That is true and I have visited NATS UK just over 1 year ago, but I wonder (because I didn't have time to observe), whether it is filtered on people squawking code 1177 (for non UK people's benefit, the generic squawk assigned to all traffic in communication with London Information) and therefore doesn't really allow them to even attempt to offer any kind of official or unofficial traffic service ?

Normally for France or Channel islands Skydemon completes the addressing very nicely but for the La Rochelle - Valencia leg it only put in Bordeaux's address .... go figure...

Flying a Commander 114B
Sleap EGCV Hawarden EGNR

Phil, what you could do is use the French online filing system, they normally do the addressing themselves (the fpl gets sent to a 'human' who does the addressing etc). http://olivia.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/index.php?lang=en&ref=sia

only works for flight plans to and from France, but it is very easy to use.

Re Spain I'd look at some of the smaller airfields rather than the bigger Aena state run ones. Near Valencia , Castellon la Plana is pretty nice and laid back. There a plenty of smaller VFR fields that are not in the official VFR guide. I found the Bottlang guide and Jepp VFR charts the best for Spain.

ORTAC

That is true and I have visited NATS UK just over 1 year ago, but I wonder (because I didn't have time to observe), whether it is filtered on people squawking code 1177 (for non UK people's benefit, the generic squawk assigned to all traffic in communication with London Information) and therefore doesn't really allow them to even attempt to offer any kind of official or unofficial traffic service ?

This was claimed to be the case, but when I visited NATS about 2 years ago for a seminar, the two ATCO presenters said London Info can see all traffic.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Is Castellon la Plana the microlight site to the North of Valencia?

I saw this and thought, microlight site, 400m of grass, not going to work with the Commander! Just taken a closer look and its 1000m of Tarmac ... Happy days, will def check this one out.

Thanks

When we get back I will post up a trip report !!

Flying a Commander 114B
Sleap EGCV Hawarden EGNR
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