No IFR routing shortcut possible via another country's airspace

There is nothing difficult about crossing that bit of airspace, you must only

• go below 1200’
• switch off transponders and more such modern contraptions
• keep outside EHBK CTR
• never tune into any EHxx frequency, far less talk to them. Most don’t respond, anyway, even if you stupidly do try.

Not that I’ve ever done so myself of course.

.. a bit hard to do IFR, the above…

@Peter,

This should only occur if there is no plannable route, otherwise you would plan the shortcut in the first place.

Depending on the reason it is not plannable, you are out of luck. If there is airspace in the way – nothing ATC can do.

If it is a silly Eurocontrol RAD restriction (including unneccessary DCT restrictions) – given sufficient notice ATC can often help.

For example, there is an airway quite handy to go north of Maastricht to Germany, which is only open on week-ends, and then as some silly rules preventing use when going into Monchengladbach, which make sense for the jets coming down from up hight (too steep a descent), but perfectly fine for a piston aircraft flying quite a bit lower. No way to get that past the Eurocontrol computer, but when asking Brussels Control nicely if they could arrange as soon as coasting in near KOK, they can help – they have so far made this possible for me twice.

a bit hard to do IFR

Hm, there is that to it. Who wants IFR, anyway? (ducking) But IFR was in the thread title, yes.

only open on week-ends

That confirms my misgivings about an EBBL link: that airbase is less active during weekends, most of the time we can even fly through their CTR because it is not active.

While I would love to tease Peter that it’s just ATC disadvantaging him :) here are my last 3 trips:

If frequency is not busy one of those trips, why not ask (nicely!)?

I don’t see the problem…. :)

http://www.ing-golze.de/users/tracks/5210440468755681488.html

Of course, clever asking for shortcuts is the name of the game in European IFR flying. But Brussels ATC can be very tough regardig their routing ideas…

Noe wrote:

If frequency is not busy one of those trips, why not ask (nicely!)?

As bosco says, there’s a bit of an art to that. Generally, controllers will give you the next direct when they can. There are points on the route above when I know I can prompt for direct KENUM (going east) or direct COA (going west), but if you ask too often it becomes a nag.

In Belgium you have to be persistent. They can give you shortcuts but they are not really motivated to do so. I almost always get something negotiated but as bookwork says, the danger is that one becomes a nuisance.