France also has a deviation for flight above congested area. The minimum altitude depends on the size of the area and I’d memory serves me right goes up to 3300’. This means that in the Paris area, when squeezed below the TMA you actually cannot overtly any build-up areas. The minimum altitudes are color-coded on the charts.
Unfortunately SERA is far too restrictive but fortunately the UK has been able to deviate from it. If SERA were implemented as it stands, the UK would lose about 3/4 of its VFR flying days.
Why do you say that?
Even allowing for some hyperbola, it’s hard to see that it would make that much of a difference. Do many people really go flying VFR when the cloud base is less than 500ft AGL? The rule doesn’t seem to cause much issue in Ireland where the weather is hardly better than the UK.
Or are you getting at some other restriction in SERA?
SERA requires you be at least 1000’ below cloud in controlled airspace. If followed to the letter, this would mean practically that you’d need at least a 2000’ cloud base (not ceiling) to be able to fly VFR in controlled airspace (there’s usually congested areas on the ground in controlled airspace areas) While away from congested areas, it would mean you could fly with a 1500’ cloud base but do you really want to be flying at 500ft, dodging around any populated areas, to keep legal cloud clearances? At my nearest airport with controlled airspace (Ronaldsway) there is almost always some cloud at around 1200’, mostly just a ‘few’ layer. SERA without the ‘clear of clouds below 140kt’ exemption would mean VFR days at Ronaldsway would be almost nil.
I hope the Irish have similar exemptions otherwise legal VFR out of Weston is going to be difficult on a lot of days.
SERA requires you be at least 1000’ below cloud in controlled airspace.
The 1000ft from cloud can be replaced by “clear of cloud and in sight of the surface” when below 3000ft. So below 3000ft you can fly right up against the cloud base. Once you go above 3000ft, then you need to ensure 1000ft seperation from cloud (vertically).
It’s like that everywhere else for years.
The 1000ft from cloud can be replaced by “clear of cloud and in sight of the surface” when below 3000ft.
Not in controlled airspace.
SERA doesn’t have the “clear of cloud and in sight of surface” when below 3000’ except in class G airspace. If you’re in controlled airspace class E,D,C,B, even if you’re below 3000’, you must be at least 1000’ below cloud.
The UK has (until August, what happens after then I don’t know – I hope it’s extended otherwise Ronaldsway becomes functionally IFR only) an exemption to this, which allows you to fly clear of clouds, in sight of the surface in controlled airspace below 3000’ if you’re < 140 knots. See the exemptions summary here: http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=2884&pagetype=90&pageid=16723
Agreed re controlled airspace. But that hardly makes it unflyable. It just means that to go through controlled airspace you need a minimum cloudbase of 1500ft.
500ft above ground level and 1000ft below cloud base.
If you still can’t meet that, you can always request a Special VFR clearance.
In my experience ATC rarely get too bothered about this rule, probably for two reasons:
1. They can’t tell what the cloud base is where you are (unless you are landing or taking off there)
2. A Special VFR clearance is more hassle for them.
I’ve been based within class C for over 10 years now, and can’t recall ever cancelling a flight because I couldn’t mee the cloud base criteria.
A minimum cloud base (note not ceiling – a few layer is enough) of 1500ft is not common in many places as I was saying. It’s rare there’s not some sort of cloud at 1200’ at Ronaldsway – probably 90% of the time, which legally makes VFR impractical there if the SERA rules are implemented as written. Besides I don’t want to be flying along at 500 feet when for decades it has been perfectly safe to be clear of clouds and have a reasonable height above the ground. In any case ATC at an airport in controlled airspace will have a weather report, and will know that everyone’s busting VFR minima, and it will only be a matter of time before someone somewhere points at the METAR, sees someone flying the circuit at 1000’ with a few layer at 1200’ and decides to prosecute.
While I’m sure in practise this rule will be ignored in the UK (if the exemption is not extended past August) it strikes me as exceptionally poor legislation, setting up rules that people are just basically going to ignore because it’s impractical and/or unsafe to comply with them.
The 1000 feet vertical separation from cloud in controlled airspace is the standard ICAO rule which most European countries applied even before SERA. (I would have expected all of them to have done so, actually, but apparently not the UK.) I’ve never heard that to be taken as a problem.
Note that it does not apply to special VFR in control zones.
Minimum cloud ceiling in controlled airspace for a VFR clearance is 1500ft.
Allowing 1000ft for avoidance of built up areas would require a 2000ft ceiling unless you want to fly around avoiding every tin pot village and settlement.
Oops! Someone has already pointed this out!
