This is not an uncommon scenario e.g. a pilot from one country flying to another country where you get free ILS practice.
If a FP is needed, how would such a route be described?
Based on my experience from doing exactly that (departing from Singapore and flying ILS approaches in Malaysia), I filed two FPs, one going there and one going back even if I didn’t touch down and only flew the missed approach. ATC would give me one IFR clearance to destination and give me a new IFR clearance back, either before or after the approach.
As far as I know, FPs are mandatory when crossing country borders unless specifically exempted.
In the above case, I also always had to clear CIQ on departure and arrival in case I needed to divert.
Wolfgang
In my experience, it is always required, even if you just fly over the another country for several miles. We have that when we go to the Rhein falls and officially we have to file an FP for Germany. However, they close their eyes when it is just a few minutes of flight. For an ILS training I would expect them to insist on the FP.
Peter wrote:
This is not an uncommon scenario e.g. a pilot from one country flying to another country where you get free ILS practice.If a FP is needed, how would such a route be described?
Yes. It is the border crossing as such that makes a flight plan necessary. A case which has apparently caught out some Swedish pilots since it was stressed in our ground schools is flying between the Swedish mainland and Gotland. You are never in another country, but you still need to file a flight plan as you are over international waters for much of the flight, thus crossing the Swedish border twice!
The route would look no different from what you would have filed if doing the same thing within a single country. Possibly you would need to provide EETs for the border crossing points — but not in the IFPS (Eurocontrol) area as far as I know.
Peter wrote:
This is not an uncommon scenario e.g. a pilot from one country flying to another country where you get free ILS practice.
If a FP is needed, how would such a route be described?
In Croatia FP is needed for any flight leaving traffic pattern. IIRC at Zagreb airport FP is needed even for flights in traffic pattern.
On particular situation you described above we have to submit two flight plans – the 1st one for arriving to the airport of training and practicing the approaches and the 2nd one for return to airport of origination after last missed approach. I do this regularly on yearly IR check: departing from LDVA (Croatia) flying to LJMB (Slovenia), performing several approaches and coming back.
I was always under the impression that any flight that crossed a FIR boundary necessitated a flight plan, so wether you land after said crossing or not is immaterial.
Strictly speaking only FIR boundary where that coincides with a country boundary as larger countries have often more than one FIR.
Wolfgang
wbardorf wrote:
Strictly speaking only FIR boundary where that coincides with a country boundary as larger countries have often more than one FIR.
You are correct, that’s what I meant.
Just to add a bit of spice:
What happens if I cross a FIR, do not land and return to departure airfield and I have my dog on board? Do I then have to submit the dog to quarantine laws?
(Only partially joking).
You need to file a FP.
But last time I did this, Lille info told me they had no FP for my flight.
Probably they didn’t receive it automatically since the departure and arrival aerodrome was in BE.
