From here
Peter wrote:
A question has come up somewhere asking if a flight plan is required to France, and it’s been suggested that you don’t need one at night
You always need to file a flight plan at night. This is required by SERA.4001 (b) (6)
It is also required by SERA.4001 (b) (5) (flights across international borders) except when prescribed otherwise by the states concerned. France requires FPL for all international flights. The fact that the airspace is delegated to Brest does not change anything wrt to borders.
Aviathor wrote:
You always need to file a flight plan at night. This is required by SERA.4001 (b) (6)
For cross-country flying yes. Not if you stay in the traffic circuit.
Airborne_Again wrote:
For cross-country flying yes. Not if you stay in the traffic circuit.
Is that strictly correct? UK recognises night VFR OCAS and other means of filing a flight plan including airborn and pre airborn by informing the tower doesnt it? It is a FP but not as other Europeans would undestand it. Isnt the same true inter island? I agree it would not be true of the UK to the CIs in any circumstances.
Is that strictly correct?
It is. Just read SERA Section 4.
Well if there is a tower then it is controlled and thus you need a flightplan anyways ;)
As i said it depends what you mean by a fp. If you mean filing a fp as you would for an international vfr flight then yes, if you mean telling the tower i am going from x to y just as you would during the day then no.
Telling the tower = filing an abbreviated flight plan.
We agree then its possible not everyone would recognise that as a formal fp. 
It is as formal as they come.
