Design4p wrote:
Can anyone suggest anyway of obtaining the AIP’s or the same info with any cost.
If you don’t mind the media break, you may use paper. The Flugplatztaschenbuch costs 22€ incl binder. I prefer it over the AIP content-wise. However, I barely use it anymore in Germany as SD (without the AIP) works for me. It is handy for the occasional PPR and tel numbers, though. The German vocabulary used is self-explanatory.
A plus if you are flying a TMG or an UL: it includes glider airfields too.
When going to Germany keep in mind there are three AIP parts in a somehow messy configuration.
The AIP part covering IFR flights according to ICAO standards is free as it has to be by international standards. Solutions like Skydemon or FF will have the IFR-AIP included, but be careful, those are not always complete.
The AIP part covering VFR is a paid DFS product and you get it by paper or by paid subscription in a moving map application. As the moving map solutions pull quite incomplete structured data, reserve some time to browse and check the presented VFR-AIP. VAC purchases are mostly only that, the visual circuits, which can be ‘interesting’ btw. Again, many solutions present incomplete data.
The third is the MIL-AIP part you have to know and which is also free on the net. Some examples of strange things: #1 you find the minimum vector altitudes for IFR not in IFR-AIP, but MIL-AIP, together with the geomap of RADAR frequencies #2 the night flying military ED-R150 is in MIL AIP, so beware of flying NVFR without proper preflight preparation.
For airfield information and VFR day operations, the hint to Fliegertaschenkalender is a very good one.
When using moving map software, make absolutely sure to read all NOTAMs! They are not always depicted usable in the different software solutions and there is almost pestilence of NOTAMs in some areas.
If you need a small part of the AIP-VFR AD2 (a few aerodromes), phone the AIS-Centre (AIS-C) number on https://secais.dfs.de/pilotservice/home.jsp?lang=en and ask nicely. They will email it to you. Next time you go to the same aerodrome, call, say you have version last revised (date on the plate), and are there any newer ones or are yours still good? They will also send you the whole AD1 section if you ask. I never asked for other sections (GEN and ENR); maybe they would also send them wholesale.
If you zoom in in SkyDemon you will see that a lot of fields, even really big ones, have their VRPs and VFR paths to the pattern. Add a phone call to the airport before takeoff, I have not bought the DFS pack yet.
