I am struggling to find anything specific in the Ireland AIP about their General Class C above FL75.
Would I normally expect to get transit from Wales towards Shannon at 105 or 125 VFR?
Should I talk initially to Dublin Information or Control?
It’s pretty seamless. Best thing to do is get London FIS to pass your FIR estimate to Dublin/Shannon and they will return with a freq/Squawk. On transfer you will be speaking to Dublin/Shannon control and given a VFR clearance. I do STU-Shannon quite a lot at those sort of levels, using SLANY as the FIR crossing point. They’re also extremely flexible in changing VFR/IFR and vice-versa if necessary. They may ask you to take an IFR level rather than a +/-500ft as this blocks two IFR levels.
It actually makes you realise how stupidly complex the UK has made itself.
But what if you don’t have a (pre-filed) FPL at all? Same thing?
Perfect, thank you.
The Class C is General, so from the FIR boundary, so you would always be arriving internationally, so you would always have an FPL, no?
I was referring to a (any) domestic VFR flight within the ROI.
But then you would be with FIS below 75, and get a clearance from them. The potential problem is crossing from outside the FIR, but Dave has sorted that for me.
Bosco, you also need to file a FPL for any flight within Class C CTR (basically all the airports) so the reality is that most people file FPLs most of the time. The upshot is that there is a very slick integrated system, far better than UK LARS/ATSOCAS/FIS.
Bosco, you also need to file a FPL for any flight within Class C CTR (basically all the airports)
I faintly did remember this. But it’s still a bit crazy. Almost like the Netherlands…
Why not just accept an abbreviated fligtplan filed via radio? I think it (requiring an FPL for every such flight in Ireland) only works because GA traffic volumes are so low. Germany would collpase if every flight in or through a CTR required a full-blown flightplan…
Timothy,
Do you plan on coming over Dublin itself? I ask because those altitudes might cause a difficulty for Dublin if you are VFR (ie potentially need to descend to remain VFR). They operate a point merge system, where they basically bring all traffic down to 8000ft and fly them around an arc in the CTA. They break them off for arrival as space is available.
I once asked Dublin ATC (during a tower visit ) about arriving into Weston from the UK, at an altitude above the 8000ft, to avoid being pushed really low over the Irish Sea. They didn’t seem very keen on the idea.
I suspect you might be expected to remain well north or well south of Dublin if you want to arrive VFR at those altitudes.
But I’ve never done that (always arriving or departing Weston, so being so high makes little sense), so I can’t say for sure.
As for the always needing a flight plan, those are the rules. But many people ignore it seemingly without consequence.
