Of course, if any NAA had any sense, they would allow the carrying of a good PLB in place of an ELT on light GA.
Per my post #45 I have now checked and Australia is still one of those NAAs with sense (on this issue!)
Does anyone know of a good source of information about the requirements to fly from the UK to the Czech Republic? I have life jackets and a portable PLB. Is that enough? Are ELTs mandatory in Germany? I found comments that they are and that PLBs cannot be turned on in the Czech Republic. I am looking for some clarity in the regulation haze.
I know that paper maps are required and I plan to buy them.
I can access airport information from www.airports.de but does anyone have any recommendations for a customs airfield near Essen/Dusseldorf that is GA friendly? I just want to close my flight plan, refuel and file my next flight plan.
Duncan,
last time I checked, the Netherlands required a 406-MHz fixed or portable ELT (a PLB was not sufficient). That may have changed, but I don’t know.
France also requires a 406-ELT. Don’t know about Belgium, though. Germany is interesting…the ELT-requirement is coded into the LuftBO, which applies only to D-reg. aircraft, not to aircraft crossing through Germany. Don’t know about the Czech Republic.
If you are touring a lot, I think it would make sense for you to just get one of those ELTs. They are not that expensive any more.
OTOH, in practice, nobody will ever check if and what type of ELT you have on board….
From rumour only: ELT absolutely required in Austria, not in Germany.
ELT transmitting on both 121.5 MHz and 406 MHz is required in the Czech Republic. You need Mode S for any IFR flight or VFR above FL95.
Airspace equipment carriage requirements are in each country’s AIP GEN 1.5. Often there is just a one-liner pointing you to another bit of their
AIP, depending on whether VFR or IFR etc.
Also the “VFR Europe” presentation slides here may be useful. I spent an awful lot of time on those slides, and got them checked by a number of people. I really suggest anybody who wants to fly around Europe has a quick scan through them.
Paper maps are not required anywhere in Europe AFAIK. What charts you actually use is another discussion… I cover these in the above slides.
The Jepp ones are published in 2013 for the last time ever – to be replaced with this Ipad product, but it has very poor coverage currently.
For that part of Germany, consider Essen-Mühlheim (EDLE). Customs merely requires a prior phone call. Try to follow the published traffic circuit as accurately as possible and mind the surrounding controlled airspaces. No IFR, though. There is someone based at EDLE here on the forum.
Otherwise Dortmund (EDLW).
Avoid Mönchengladbach (EDLN). A weird place.
In France a 406 + 121.5 MHz PLB is sufficient.
Thank you to everyone for your advice. I have been researching the fitting of an ELT to my aircraft and found some useful information.
I plan to use a PLB because it would come with me in the event of ditching.
… not exactly. For German registered aircraft you need an installed certified ELT from a certain date on ( 2002) – aircraft built before that date are legal with a portable ELT (406 and 121.5) which must also be a certified one. And the ELT must be registered with SAR. PLB is not sufficient. As it was mentioned before those requirements concern only German registered airplanes.
