My 2 pence.
Whether you need a flight plan or not it’s always a good airmanship to file one, especially when crossing the borders. You want people, ATC, to know that you are out there, that you are coming, and in the unlikely event of emergency you will be found and they can send the SAR out to you.
It has happened many times that when people were found its often too late. Hence the flight plan comes in handy.
Safe Flying! Phil
Phil,
You can continue filing flightplans as much as you like.
But most people think (and should be free to decide) that a flightplan nowadays is an archaic nonsense in central Europe.
By the way, filing a VFR flightplan will not generally “let ATC know” you are there, at least not enroute ATC. VFR flightplans largely have only one effect: SAR. And with most VFR flights nowadays being conducted in constant radio contact with some ATC or FIS unit, this argument becomes obsolete as well.
filing a VFR flightplan will not generally “let ATC know” you are there, at least not enroute ATC
It does in France, from what I have seen. Anybody filing a VFR FP which goes anywhere in France, even not landing there, will be visible to any ATC unit anywhere in France. They seem to have set up a very unified ATC system. Obviously for a highly militarised country such as France this “known traffic environment” makes perfect sense.
To the Czech Republic, Austria or Poland a FPL is completely unnecessary for VFR, and if no value. Before i cross the border i greet the czech controller, he maybe gives me an advice or too, and before i land i say bye!
That’s good airmanship to me, to fly according to the regulations and not complicate things.
It does in France, from what I have seen.
And in Sweden. (At least if you have given a specific altitude in the flight plan. If the altitude is given as “VFR”, it’s not certain.)
In Poland talking to ATS is mandatory for VFR flights.
(AIP VFR ENR 1.2: Whenever possible, flights shall maintain two-way radio communication on the appropriate ATS communication channel.).
OK, so I should not need a flight plan once I’m in Belgium to go to Germany and Poland or to Czech Republic. I was thinking that it was useful for ATC to know where I am but I realised that my new Mode-S transponder makes a better job doing that, as I am radar identified and easily localised as soon as I say hello, and I get a much quicker clearance than when I have filed a FPL, so if I can just not make one, I won’t.
Now I’ve passed Leipzig, my stop in Germany, and I’m not sure where I can go, in Poland. Are there any Polish pilots or anyone who have been to Poland before and who could tell me, for exemple, if Legnica Airport or Tomaszowo Airport a good place to stop for lunch on my way to Praha ? (meaning there is a place to eat and a small airport fee) ? Thanks for your help
Among German ultralight pilots, Jelenia Góra EPJG has a good reputation, but that might well be due to the presence of German-speaking AFIS operators. Less relevant to you, probably..?
I think you should carefully consider the language issue, very few people speak French there so you would have to make sure the radio operator has English. I think this will restrict you to the bigger airports.
FredPilote wrote:
Legnica Airport or Tomaszowo Airport
Hopefully not too late…
If by Legnica you mean EPLE, this airport is formally closed: http://ais.pansa.pl/vfr/aippliki/EP_Sup_2014_01_en.pdf
If by Tomaszowo you mean EPZN, that one isn’t usable at all, stay away, even if you have one of these:
Both are ex-military bases which have been more or less left to rot, with Legnica possibly being “renovated”.
FWIW, I believe it is not mandatory to stay in contact with FIS while flying VFR, actually even a radio is not required in G airspace, except for a RMZ around EPWA. But the FIS folks are a helpful bunch, so it’s worth saying “hi”.
I guess EPKP is too far east for you, but if not, let’s do lunch!
