Differences in aviation culture around Europe

Airborne_Again wrote:

Peter wrote:
Almost everything negative about some UK airport can be found elsewhere in Europe [….]
The UK gets picked on on EuroGA regularly for various reasons e.g.
Fair enough, but this picking certainly did not start with Brexit and I have no feeling it has become more intense after Brexit. So I don’t feel it is appropriate to dismiss criticism (deserved or not) of things British as simply a “swipe over Brexit”.

Peter, I may live here but the UK aviation scene is weird I am afraid to say. It is the cradle of much that is good but has developed a very strange mode of operation. Regulation is completely unique and far from any sort of standard. The rest of Europe is more uniform IMHO.

It’s been a decade almost, but that’s my perception as well. The UK was/is the odd one out a bit.

IMHO the only aviation scene that isn’t weird is the USA.

Some detail examples would be interesting

Not much experience, but a few generalisations:

• UK silly outdated rules, pilots generally don’t go very far, but an odd system has been made to work
• France laid back, friendly and helpful, but don’t expect anything in a hurry or anyone to pump avgas
• Slovenia very high standard of flying and English language in the schools, small country so international flying guaranteed, not many big aérodromes, a lot of ULM grass strips
• Croatia ok, but only been twice, to one airport
• USA probably best way of doing things, but not Europe though

alioth wrote:

IMHO the only aviation scene that isn’t weird is the USA

Oh, don’t worry, there’s weirdness there too. Like the ‘Renters Insurance’, insisted on by many FBO’s, that can only be obtained (in the most popular case) by giving a fake address.

But yes, in general there’s a good deal more commonsense and clear thinking over there than can be found in Europe!

Peter wrote:

Some detail examples would be interesting

Sure. The issues I see in the UK are:

• I would read the applying for a CAS transit via email thread for a start. That is absurd.
• No lower level reliable RADAR service of any note unless they happen to feel like giving you a LARS.
• Basic/traffic/deconfliction service contracts
• Very expansive view of controlled airspace
• A lack of trust of GPS which pervades all appoach design discussions
• A heavy PPR culture.

Isn’t it more a situation where cultural idiosyncrasies simply also manifest themselves in aviation ?
Examples and not only in aviation…

France has pretty strict rules by the book and shows a surprisingly pragmatic practical approach. Downside: can’t fully rely on what you read (fuel or not, language, opening times, restricted areas). A lot of things you have to experience as you go along.

Germany has less rules but they are obeyed more closely. German club airfields will state PPR, even if they are open daily 9-19 local time. Just to not give a false impression. You can plan your trip by the book… and a restricted area IS restricted ;-)

Etc etc

And isn’t it easiest to just accept these things, explore what is out there and what is possible?
That is one reason why i am here, NOT to learn what the others do WRONG/BADLY, but to learn how i can enjoy my favourite pastime even more ;-)

Jujupilote wrote:

If UL pilots were all free to travel across Europe, it could create a HUGE community which would be very powerful.

I think you are quite free to do so today. Some countries require an overfly permission, but most of the time it’s just one email to arrange this. I fly both UL and ‘the normal GA planes’ like Cessna etc and I don’t notice any difference in how ATC or airports are treating them.

Peter wrote:

the €200k machines are not really selling.

Maybe not in the UK, but Aerospool sold 700+ WT9’s, JMB aircraft sold 300+ VL3’s, ….
Well they are not 200, but +/- 150k.

I would not say they don’t have the range etc etc. Last week a friend of mine flew non stop from Prague to the west of Belgium at 145kt in a VL3, he had 2 hours of fuel left.

And what’s with the million different squawk codes for each new controller? Surely we have the technology to hand off an airplane to another controller and keeping the code?