I’m amazed that any of this is possible. Sure the Dragon Rapide is a twin, and you know what they say about engine failures in a twin. That said, now I know about it, it’s on the list!
I’ve done a London overflight once, the way it IS permitted – in a helicopter. An R44 out of Redhill. It was an incredible flight – overflew Heathrow, then the designated heli routes basically down the A40, North Circular and along the river almost to LCY. Probably the only time in my life I’ll ever get to talk to Heathrow Tower!
Details here if anyone is interested: http://n5296s.blogspot.com/2016/05/flying-london-helicopter-routes.html
The rules are 2 engines, so a totally shagged piston twin is legal but a brand new PC12 isn’t.
The twin doesn’t need to have any OEI performance.
You comply with the rules and you are legal 
Vintage SE overflights (Spitfires etc) are allowed but I don’t know if there is a permission involved.
You can get LHR CAS transits in a SEP without glide clear issues; never done it myself though.
Having flown in a Dragon rapide, not empty but below mauw, we were 8up, I’d rather cross London city in one of those than a Seneca I, with 6up or any SEP.
I had a fair bit of time on some nice photo or AtoA AOC in a Seneca 1 over London. Fuel load was typically just 60 USG, and only four pax, and OEI climb performance at those weights were fine (400 fpm).
The Seneca 1 is a good workhorse with excellent single engine manners, admittedly in low density altitude conditions.
The Dragon Rapide ride sounds quite fun, although when the AOC was running the ride round London was around £75 per pax in a Seneca 1.
Of course between Canary Wharf & Vauxhall bridge there is no way you can make that legal a single and you need a twin (maybe with 70kts winds at 2000ft amsl or +300kts ASI on spitfire?), Thames/Heathrow sometimes do remind single pilot who ask for that clearance, I heard that once, but I also heard them offering that clearance to DA40 (confused with DA42) or SR22 (maybe the chute works)
West of Heathrow and East of Canary Wharf, there are two runways down bellow your wing and they count for compliance if you are happy to pay the landing fee one day
Now can you a lap of the Shard in a Cri-Cri? yes and someone already did it !
There is no problem with a special clearance all the way down the Thames, I have done it a few times in the twin and its very scenic.
I use to do the Lea Valley all the time to check up on my birds with a feather in a single, but that was many years ago, and since the rules changed I shant be going that way again in a SEP. I never saw it as a problem unitl perhaps you got south of the Thames, when for a short distance, and forced landing would have been interesting.
Low level throught Heathrow is still available, safe enough and with some good scenery.
To follow up on this, I have seen the Cessna 172 a couple of times since my first post, so it was not a one off. It also showed on FR24 with the registration (which I won’t post here :-)).
Also, last week was the formation flypast with 3 Spitfires and a Hurricane, all at low level. I guess they get an exemption through the special process .
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54222321
Canuck wrote:
I guess they get an exemption through the special process
I see 4 engines with 4000hp not a single C172 with 160hp, so what was your question? 
Plus the right to overfly Westminster for those birds is grandfathered since 1940 !
Ibra wrote:
Plus the right to overfly Westminster for those birds is grandfathered since 1940 !
Haha. Yes, WWII military aircraft are of course unaware of lines on the map drawn by contemporary administrators!
Ibra wrote:
Plus the right to overfly Westminster for those birds is grandfathered since 1940 !
Would a Bf 109 or a Stuka also qualify, for the same reasons ?
