going to be more assertive in future about getting a positive clearance to start IFR
Good luck!
aart wrote:
little disconcerting this vagueness in Spain sometimes about your status. I think I am going to be more assertive in future about getting a positive clearance to start IFR and one to cancel it.
Yes. And that actually reminds me of a strange thing on my last flight.
The controller from Barcelona did cancel IFR for me using the phrase “IFR is canceled” without me asking for it. I believe that is not supposed to happen.
After PUMAL I was at FL160 and descending towards Sabadell. The sky was clear after those cumulus I was talking about in another thread. So I could see everything from far away. At probably 6000’ the controller said “IFR is canceled”. That’s not really a problem as I was approaching a VFR only field anyway for the landing but it is not by the book – right? I also had a feeling that she doesn’t really speak English. She did repeat the question “are you visual with the ground” several times and I was responding in loose conversational terms. After two or three loops I repeated “visual with the ground” and then her response was “IFR is canceled”.
aart wrote:
Stephan, if you have not already done so, you may want to go there soon. 20 mins from Sabadell!
The controller from Barcelona did cancel IFR for me using the phrase “IFR is canceled” without me asking for it. I believe that is not supposed to happen.
I think that is very bad, and I think i would have told him – online – what I think about that. No way can ATC cancel IFR without the pilot accepting. I think that this would be a good reason to write a letter to the right ATC manager.
ATC cannot cancel IFR for you, but in some places things happen differently 
Super pics, Aart I am thinking of doing a trip to Spain before this year is over, maybe October. I did one to Salamanca a year ago. Maybe we could do a meet-up down there? There aren’t many places in Europe where one can fly in Oct/Nov and get decent wx.
