VFR across Alps

[glazer]

I am planning a trip to Milano, and I have been told that there is a VFR route possible through the Simplon pass. Can someone give me the waypoints for such a route?

[QDMQDMQDM]

Buy the Swiss ICAO VFR chart.

GPS-fiend that I am, even I don't advocate waypoint GPS flying in the mountains.

QDM

[IO540]

Be very careful with the "Swiss ICAO chart". It contains a mixture of feet and metres for its terrain elevations, and a lot of the numbers are far from obvious. I bet a number of people have died as a result.

I was lucky.

Better to stick with Jepp VFR charts.

I've done the Alps, straight over the top at FL140+. Forget all the canyon flying - unless in a type which can't go high enough.

[QDMQDMQDM]

I think the Swiss ICAO chart is extremely good and very useful for mountain flying, much better than the Jepp chart for Switzerland.

[glazer]

I think I didnt make it clear enough. I have no intention of flying GPS waypoints in the Alps. I shall probably go IFR over the top at 15K in the end, but I have heard that there are a couple of VFR lower level routes through passes that can be used. I was really enquiring as to the routes.

[IO540]

http://www.nelly.ch/ is a great resource for Swiss flying.

[FullyFlapped]

A couple of months ago, I did both : went over the top heading South (most of the way, anyway, until we had O2 failure but that's another story!) and came back northwards at lower level.

You can get through from lake Maggiore to Zurich, but - and I mean BUT - I've done it, and frankly I wouldn't want to have to do it again. The weather closed in on me, we had serious problems with both radio and GPS reception, and I can honestly say it's the most breathtakingly beautiful and breathtakingly frightening place I have ever flown in.

If you're going to do it, I seriously advise you to get some advice from local flyers who are used to it, and stick to it rigidly - no matter how good a pilot you are.

FF :ok: