The first edition was here, in the middle of winter.
Today was the day for the second edition. This time, the aircraft was the Cardinal RG, which is ideal for this kind of mission. Takeoff and landing were both at Mainz (EDFZ).
Mainz:
Approaching Frankfurt city from the west, passing by the big airport (EDDF).
The train station in the foreground. Messe (Frankfurt Trade Fair) to the left.
The Messe and the Skyline Plaza Shopping Centre.
The main financial district.
Japan Centre, Commerbank, Maintower, etc.
City: Hauptwache, Eschenheimer Tor, Zeil.
Zeil, Konsti and Friedberger Landstraße. Nordend in the background.
Sachsenhausen (= left side of the river Main):
Bad Homburg:
Taken from the terrace of the (very nice) airfield restaurant at EDFZ:
Track flown:
Thanks for sharing.
Do you just ask for a transit north of the river (or so) from EDDF tower? Is it routinely given?
Amazing pics! How is it done? You could not do this over London in a SE aircraft, although that is largely because the CAA here has rules that the river Thames is not suitable for ditching 
What altitude did you fly at? With class C beginning at 1500ft and the terrain clearance making anything less than 1500ft difficult, do you have to ask for class C transit or is this irrelevant because you’re inside the CTR and talking to Frankfurt tower anyways?
Great pictures!
How is it done?
Germany does not have a glide clear rule for certified single engine planes. If any plane is allowed to fly somewhere a certified single can go there also.
Do you just ask for a transit north of the river (or so) from EDDF tower? Is it routinely given?
Yes, just call up the tower and ask for a transit along the river Main. It usually works out fine.
What is a little more difficult is north/south crossings of the CTR, which involve either a midfield crossing or crossing over the runway thresholds. But even that is sometimes approved. If your RT is good and concise, they can be very nice people.
What altitude did you fly at? With class C beginning at 1500ft and the terrain clearance making anything less than 1500ft difficult, do you have to ask for class C transit or is this irrelevant because you’re inside the CTR and talking to Frankfurt tower anyways?
Yes, these flight are usually done right at 1500 feet MSL. Any higher would involve coordination with “Radar” and would make it more complicated.
How is it done? You could not do this over London in a SE aircraft, although that is largely because the CAA here has rules that the river Thames is not suitable for ditching
Germany does not have a glide clear rule for certified single engine planes. If any plane is allowed to fly somewhere a certified single can go there also.
Well, AFAIU, the glide clear principle (i.e. route and altitude must be such to avoid undue dangers to third parties) is a general ICAO rule and and such, is also in the German airlaw (and also in SERA now).
The differences are in how obsessed the single CAAs are in relation to that rule. The UK CAA is one extreme example, leading so far that ATC even engaged as “air police” to some degree. There is also France, which is quite obsessed with the minimum overflight heights for towns and cities. On the other extreme, most other countries don’t care much about glide clear (as long as nothing happens) and anyway, they don’t engage ATC as air police for that.
But yes, this transit along the river Main is more risk than some others. That’s why, as I mentioned in the other thread linked above, I don’t do this often. There are a couple of minutes where, in case of a major problem I might have to put it in the river Main. Not a huge problem in summer (water temperature is 24 degrees at the moment…), but a bit more so in winter.
the glide clear principle is a general ICAO rule
yes
and and such, is also in the German airlaw
no, ICAO rules do not apply automatically.
(and also in SERA now)
Yes.
SERA.3105 Minimum Heights
Except when necessary for take-off or landing, or except by permission from the competent authority, aircraft shall not be flown over the congested areas of cities, towns or settlements or over an open-air assembly of persons, unless at such a height as will permit, in the event of an emergency arising, a landing to be made without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.
This is new in Germany, but also different from the previous UK rule which required a single aircraft to glide clear of the congested area, and bits and pieces for emergency landings within the congested area did not count. They do now, so it boils down to if ditching in the river is without undue hazard to people on the surface.
In the Hudson, it was fine.
no, ICAO rules do not apply automatically.
Sorry, possibly my choice if words was poor. I didn’t want to say it was automatic (I know that, of course!), but that Germany had aopted this in their airlaw (even before SERA), as, I think, most (or even all) countries did.
But yes, SERA 3.105 and the UK glide clear rule are slightly different things, the latter being more prescriptive.
On a tangent, it’s slightly sad though that each and every posting of pictures like mine invariably evolve into a discussion of the involved legalities. I think the practical aspects (precautions to be taken, passenger brifeings, etc.) are much more interesting.
But then again, in this case, we are talking three or four minutes where an emergency landing would have been a difficult choice. I guess, if you do you these flights once or twice a year, the chances or you getting a complete engine failure, out of the blue, are much smaller than those for winning the lottery.
Last spring we did the transit over Berlin, stunning views as well. I will dig those pics up and maybe publish them here.
Great pictures, thank you! Haven´t done this flight from Mainz yet, but that´s another one for my bucket list.
