what next,
do you have to accept that???
How do you react?
It’s an illegal ATC instruction. I would say “unable to comply due weather”.
That’s only two standard phrases, so ICAO -2 english language proficiency ought to work, or some Alitalia pilot can translate it 
Frequently one has to say “unable to comply”. Last Sept I had Swiss ATC trying to force me down by 1000ft (~FL170) to make room for a 737 behind me. I would have been collecting ice had I done that – not good especially when over the Alps. Most ATCOs are competent but you need just one bad one to kill you if you don’t keep the decisionmaking firmly in the cockpit. I never saw anybody on TCAS (~15nm range and +/- 3000ft vertically) so no idea where he really was.
But if he tells you that your IFR is already CANCELLED… i guess that’ll be tough in Italy to not comply, right?
But the Brits are even slyer, they just tell the uneducated foreigner “contact London Information” not knowing that while IFR might not be technically cancelled, the flight plan is and they got themselves into a situation only a British pilot can understand
But if he tells you that your IFR is already CANCELLED… i guess that’ll be tough in Italy to not comply, right?
NO – you say “unable to comply” and continue the flight. ATC has no right to cancel IFR for you.
If you get a complete farce (I am going to upset some people here if I mention the two countries where this might happen, but everybody knows who they are) then set 7600 and fly the filed route.
You might get intercepted… I probably wouldn’t do that unless within 5-10 mins of leaving the country’s airspace. A better solution would be to transmit “G-XXXX request radio check” a few times, and re-establish normal comms when the situation is a fait accompli in your favour 
Also you don’t need a PhD to realise that the phrase “to avoid” can be very useful, to set yourself up flying a handy shortcut, for long enough…
But the Brits are even slyer, they just tell the uneducated foreigner “contact London Information” not knowing that while IFR might not be technically cancelled, the flight plan is and they got themselves into a situation only a British pilot can understand
I don’t think this happens anymore in the “proper IFR” scenario i.e. London Control aren’t going to do that. They are really professional. You can still get it when e.g. leaving France, at low levels like FL080, where the French will hand you over to “London 124.6” which is London Info.. So the trick, coming into the UK, is to get handed over to London Control and not somebody less important. How you do that is another story… generally flying at FL100+ does it (used to be FL120 from Paris Control).
But if flying in the UK and not talking to one of these
then all bets are off and you are on your own, airspace clearance-wise. You need to be running a VFR map. Radar units like Farnborough will try to stop a CAS bust but not if they are busy.
do you have to accept that???
Certainly not. If the weather would have really bad and we had not yet been in contact with Marina di Campo (we knew they had almost CAVOK conditions) we would not have accepted the IFR cancellation.
How do you react?
In this case, knowing our destination had good weather, we slowly descended towards Elba end eventually came out of the clouds.
I don’t think this happens anymore in the “proper IFR” scenario i.e. London Control aren’t going to do that. They are really professional.
The little ATC there is, is excellent in both attitude and aptitude, no doubt. It did happen to me because as always when on an indirect course, I just asked “request shortcut”. The answer from London Control was “approved, contact London Information”. I was just about to dial that frequency when I remembered what I’ve read on boscomantico’s web page and changed my intentions. The UK can be tricky, it’s the one European country that differs the most from the rest when it comes to GA. Often in a positive way though.
But this Italian episode from “what next” is scary.
But this Italian episode from “what next” is scary.
I think that’s the way they do it with the scheduled traffic to Elba (during the season there are flights of Intersky and a Swiss company with Dash8 and Do328 airliners). Just release them somewhere to sort out their approach by themselves. And out of habit, he did the same with us.
I haven’t experienced the London Info ruse.
Normally, I would be cleared to leave CAS by descent and contact Southend, or London Info. London needs to shovel light GA below the STARs for City, Southend, Heathrow and Stansted, hence the progressive descent. The dumping outside CAS can be somewhat un ceremonious, unless you advise you want de confliction, e.g. if on an arrival to Southend.
If arriving further north they would typically ask when I expected to leave CAS and accommodate me, usually with radar vectors and leaving CAS somewhere north of Cambridge.
These are for arrivals to airports without approaches.
I also thought ATC wants to get on tape that you are no longer receiving radar services? i.e. The original ‘contract’ is terminated.
I think in general that the trick in the UK is to be as high as possible. It seems to me that your chances of being dumped are inversely proportional to altitude.
