I believe ELT is now a requirement for any international flight. PLB will not suffice.
Mode S was mandatory in the Netherlands but I am not sure now. I have a vague recollection that this was abandoned last year ... after everybody had already upgraded but I am unsure.
This was the original document
However in the AIP I do not see any requirement
Just found another text..
below 1200 ft in class G you are okay... However ... once you enter a TMZ (like Rotterdam) you need mode S.
This is as far as I can find it.
The Netherlands, home of the former JAA, leads the way for killing GA activity in Europe:
Lots of Class A airspace, lots of overpriced fuel, lots of overpriced airports, and ELT needed just to cross the border even though their land is flat.
How do you depart Schiphol CTR (Class C ceiling of 3500ft), when the TMA has a Class A base of 1500ft? Do you go up and then come down?
It explains why all their student pilots go to the USA instead.
Simple. VFR routes to/from Schiphol are at 500 and 1000ft.
I believe the Elt is a eu reg .. not in particular Specific for the Dutch. But as we are a small country and so easily go abroad I can imagine it being a non issue for us as All aircraft have already been equipped where as an old c150 of a small local club in the middle of anywhere .. far away from the border would likely not be fitted ?
p.s. actually the Dutch are very favourable to FCL008, the Basa, etc..
The problem is that Schiphol is a huge airport with 5 runways going a lot of directions (thankfully) .. a bit comparable to the LHR.
this means that the arrivals are all class A .. and thus about 10% is class A above 1500, then a small part is above 2500 .. else it is 6500
It is quite easy to fly VFR (or IFR) to Schiphol. VFR you have to stay below the TMA but can fly via some VFR reporting points to Schiphol East. IFR is simple as well. I agree that the fuel prices are high here as compared to the price in some countries around us. Countries like Belgium and France are much more GA friendly with cheaper prices for AVGAS and less complicated.
VFR routes to/from Schiphol are at 500 and 1000ft. We don't want to scud-run in marginal VMC below MSA. In other countries, Class B or Class C is the standard for a similar class airport which permits VFR transits at higher altitudes.
I've just got back for a trip to Hilversham, where I flew in an old client and his chums for the Chelsea game in Amsterdam (I chose to sightsee instead, as I've never quite 'got' football). What a very nice airfield with helpful and pleasant staff!
But I do wonder at the wisdom of stuffing all the GA VFR traffic down below 1,500ft. I found myself routing in south of Rotterdam and transitting overhead the town, container port and the largest oil refinary in Northern Europe at 1,200ft and thinking to myself WTF?
But I do wonder at the wisdom of stuffing all the GA VFR traffic down below 1,500ft.
Where else should GA VFR traffic be stuffed? There is high density airline traffic at 2000ft approaching Schiphol and Rotterdam...
Did you ever see the low vfr traffic in New York?
Well, since the country is very, very flat, it generally is no problem to fly just below 1500 feet to stay below the TMA of Schiphol. Most of the time, flying at 1000 feet or even 500 is no problem (not going over buildup areas) as it is at these altitudes still hard to hit a mountain or hillside in Holland as they simply are not there. The towers are well known to most Dutch pilots and are on the map. The rest is flat. Alternative is to just file IFR. Then you can fly int the controlled airspace. I don't see the problem here.
