Jujupilote wrote:
I am looking for the quickest technical stop on my way to St mary’s EGHE. I just need JET A, wifi and restrooms.
I checked Newquay EGHQ and Land’s end EGHC. Newquay looks more expensive via flynqy but Land’s end looks super busy with all their CAT to St Mary’s in August. What do you suggest ? A friend of mine used flynqy last June and they were helpful.
flyNQY are super helpful and very nice people. It is a big airport but very quiet. No idea on Land’s End.
That works fine IME. Just visit the “tower” upon your arrival and let them know you want to depart on Sunday. Bring a copy of your insurance cert. You will have to fill out some form and that’s it.
I am looking for the quickest technical stop on my way to St mary’s EGHE. I just need JET A, wifi and restrooms.
I checked Newquay EGHQ and Land’s end EGHC. Newquay looks more expensive via flynqy but Land’s end looks super busy with all their CAT to St Mary’s in August. What do you suggest ? A friend of mine used flynqy last June and they were helpful.
I plan to use the Sunday 3 to 4 PM departure window at EGHE. Any feedback on this procedure ?
Thanks
I posted on this elsewhere here but the AOC flights which go between the Scillys and other airports in the west country, and the places nearer London, fly generally at FL200 which is Class C all over the UK. I checked this with a contact inside NATS. So they are above what we think is OCAS. They fly some pre-agreed routes and ATC knows all about them. They may or may not be Eurocontrol validated.
Obviously the climb/descent is in Class G but that is commonly done anyway. Normally they try to get a radar service and AFAIK their AOC requires them to ask for a “deconfliction service”.
This is one routing which validates but pretty obviously the AOC flights just “do their own pre-agreed thing”
I tried FPP (same software as RR) which finds “no solution” FL080-FL190.
If I had to file and fly this I would use a series of 99nm (below FL100) or 49nm (above FL100) DCTs.
good to see Justine is up flying again Peter
She does do shorter trips – max 2 or maybe 3 hours, in near-perfect wx. We went to Norwich yesterday (1hr each way) and that was nice.
I don’t think this is illegal in the UK. OCAS the pilot can decide himself whether he is IFR or VFR, and is perfectly entitled to do so without reference to ATC.
You are of course right. It is illegal only if the pilot thinks he is flying VFR during that time. 
I was in cloud for the first 7 minuets of the flight before breaking out on top at FL090. This was not a VFR flight, and everybody knew it. What an unsafe joke of a system.
Illegal? Yes. But unsafe? No more or less than if it were IFR.
I don’t think this is illegal in the UK. OCAS the pilot can decide himself whether he is IFR or VFR, and is perfectly entitled to do so without reference to ATC. The flight plan is irrelevant here.
As regards safety – in this situation ATC will treat you exactly the same as if you had an IFR flight plan.
joke of a system.
Can’t disagree with that. The whole thing is a mess for light GA. Eurocontrol (by and large) works well for the airlines, but not for us.
After filing the flight plan successfully 3 hours prior to EOBT, Swanick rejected it manually 10 minutes before the flight and via ATC (who were extremely helpful and friendly) told me I had to change it using a modified routing they provided me with. Unfortunately the modified routing would not validate via CFMU, and the CFMU helpline kept referring me back to my original flight plan which they said was valid.
I understand your frustration. It’s either a system driven by computers, or a system driven by humans. When the two mix, it creates havoc. We all know that the system is effectively computer driven nowadays (nobody can, nor wants, to create routings manually nowadys, with these gazillons of restrictions).
I was in cloud for the first 7 minuets of the flight before breaking out on top at FL090. This was not a VFR flight, and everybody knew it. What an unsafe joke of a system.
Yes, but come to think of it, what do you think is unsafe in that departure? The aircraft doesn’t know whether you have a V or an I in the flightplan. And since the flight is OCAS, you have to expect traffic in there anyway. Illegal? Yes. But unsafe? No more or less than if it were IFR.
I am going to the Southwest next week and will see how my IFR flightplans work out.
good to see Justine if up flying again Peter
Excellent write up Peter as usual.
I just completed a memorable trip from Bournemouth EGHH to St Mary’s on the Scilly Isles.
The outbound leg was uneventful IFR other than 50Kt headwinds at FL220. The landing was interesting to say the least, and reminded me of some of the more hairy ones in Asia!
14/32 is 600m asphalt but Rwy 32 has one hell of a steep incline and hump halfway up. The advice to complete a low approach before committing served me well, since I often misjudge the flare on upward sloping runways, and tend to plant it on. This time a post flight trip to the dentist was not required, but more from luck than judgment.
Parking is on the grass, which is also on a slope, but very level and firm underfoot.
We stayed 2 nights. Total bill including landing and parking GBP 36. The first 6 hrs parking are free.
St Mary’s and the surrounding islands are truly unique. Genuinely friendly locals, an abundance of wild life and reasonable prices make this a great destination.
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The weather is typical island variability with fast moving mists and fogs
The TAF’s were very accurate. The airport is PPR, open 8:30am to 8pm Monday to Saturday with uncontrolled departures only on Sunday’s between 3-4pm with a waiver and proof of adequate insurance.
Trying to get an IFR return leg flight plan approved was an exercise in futility. Prior to arriving I had had to use Autorouter to come up with a Z hack starting as VFR in order to get CFMU to validate. After filing the flight plan successfully 3 hours prior to EOBT, Swanick rejected it manually 10 minutes before the flight and via ATC (who were extremely helpful and friendly) told me I had to change it using a modified routing they provided me with. Unfortunately the modified routing would not validate via CFMU, and the CFMU helpline kept referring me back to my original flight plan which they said was valid. A suggestion that they coordinate directly with Swanick was not accepted and I ended up just filing VFR at FL190. ATC at St Mary’s told me they recommend not bothering filling IFR flight plans these days due to this mess.
I was in cloud for the first 7 minuets of the flight before breaking out on top at FL090. This was not a VFR flight, and everybody knew it. What an unsafe joke of a system.
The flight back itself was uneventful and I had radar service all the way in what appeared to me to be pseudo IFR control from London and Western. A handy 63Kt tailwind was also very welcome.
Tom my partner who is a photographer took these this shot of Hugh Town on St Mary’s and was struck with the similarity of the crescent bay with Ko Phi Phi back home in Thailand. Maybe they should be twinned! (you can always tell when he travels with me as there will be photos. LOL)
