They pass the regional or london qnh, to stay out of controlled zone.. So, happy tot be in contact.
Be very careful about using regional QNH. You will almost always be higher than your altimeter shows, and this could actually put you inside controlled airspace when you think you are below.
It’s a terrible concept and should never be used in my opinion.
Nick
One UK thing to be aware of is that most airports are “PPR” – or prior permission required. For some of the mid sized ones upwards, something like a flight plan is fine for PPR, and some are fine with PPR by radio. However, Southampton has been PPR by telephone for many years. You phone them and get a PPR number, and I have been asked for it in the past on my initial radio call.
The main problem with Southampton is limited parking and this is the reason for PPR. Whether you get it or not will depend on whether they have a stand available when you want to park.
It used to be the case that visiting aircraft were prohibited from parking overnight. You will need to call ops at EGHI to find out if that is still the case. The only other parking is with Signature, so whilst handling is not mandated, it is in effect if you want to stay overnight.
The other problem with Southampton, in my opinion, is that they are a typical UK regional airport that when faced with a regulation will create the most complex and inefficient solution possible to the misery of both airport staff and users. The ops staff at Southampton will really do their best to help you, but they are working under circumstances that simply do not appear to be necessary in other parts of Europe.
To be clear, there are some excellent UK airports, but I have to say that Southampton would be on my list of one of the bottom five. If I’m out of order with this comment, or out of date, would someone please correct me.
The upside with Southampton is that it is a short walk to car hire or to the station, and they have long opening hours.
Note that Lee on Solent is also PPR by telephone. They close at 1630L, but it would appear to be possible to get permission to operate out of hours as a visitor.
You can get traffic information from Farnborough. Google it for coverage.
I’ve used both airports in recent years and would use Southampton, but only if I really needed to be there or if low IFR.
It’s a terrible concept and should never be used in my opinion.
Out of curiosity, could you please explain that?
I asked London info for a handover to ostend approach.
Now just imagine you would have switched to EBOS APP without ever telling London Info… They might feel sad and abandoned about such ungentle(wo)manlike behaviour, but would it matter for the safety of your flight?
Again and again I am amazed at the vast majority of pilots requesting frequency change from FIS – FIS can not authorise anything, can not issue any kind of clearance, how could they give permission to leave their frequency? They do, though, all the while, very nice, very polite. Some will even say “QSY approved”, nice but not really correct imho. Myself and a handful of fellows will inform them, equally politely: “Brussels Info, the Oscar Oscar …, Hasselt in sight, switching to Hasselt Radio 118.325” and Brussels Info will remain nice and polite.
That’s correct; you should tell them you are changing, but you don’t need to ask for their permission.
The reason for telling them is that they keep little strips of paper (or whatever modern equivalent) for each plane they are talking to, and they need to know when to bin them.
Do you need Southampton for some special reason? Because there are several other airfields that are cheaper, convenient, and friendly. Popham springs to mind, or Shoreham, Goodwood, Lee on Solent, White Waltham, Blackbushe…. I’ve always managed to arrange a hire car wherever I am, most firms seem to be happy to come to me.
Personally I favour Popham inbound, but don’t get stuck there overnight, the village pub is pricey and a fair walk. If you need a hard runway then Blackbushe might be a good option.
Worth a mention that there is a direct train from Shoreham to Southampton. The Shoreham station is about a 10 min walk from the airport. I think Lee on Solent needs a taxi – been there a few times myself.
You could also consider Thruxton – pretty sure you could arrange a hire car if required or there is a railway station at Grately and nearby Andover.
I called Southampton Operations today, still no overnight parking with them. I also got word back from Signature, their charges are as follows:
Landing Fee: £10.86 per half metric tonne or part thereof
Handling Fee: £140.00
Parking: 1st hour free then £6.82
Out of hours: Any landing/departure after 1830 UTC £35 charge every half hour
This mounts up to more than £200, which is out of my budget.
So it looks like it’s going to be a same day return. I changed aircraft type to the C172, giving me enough payload to take a copilot as well.
Lastly, thank you guys for the valuable info, EuroGA is a great source for stuff like this!
OK, so in reality, nothing seems to have changed at Southampton. What a pity.
But why don’t you consider landing at Lee? It’s really not far from Southampton (30-40£ for the taxi maybe) and an airport in a beautiful setting.
