PPR, What's the deal?

[Katamarino]

Reciprocally, it is not clear to me what Katamarino means with "UK style PPR"

PPR as I know it amounts to me dialling the published number, then the conversation goes something like "aerodrome EBxx - good morning, lady, I am xyz from EBZH, I intend to fly to yours, is it ok? - sure, we have runway xx in use, all clear" .

Fair enough Jan! Actually, we both have the same definition of PPR here, and I recognise your typical conversation as one I'd usually have to have in advance with a UK airport.

Almost nowhere in the Netherlands required that (neither did any of the French, Belgian, or German airports I visited although some such as Antwerp I would call ahead anyway and check out fees and handling requirements). I just checked Texel, as a random example, and nowhere in the AIS or on their website do they mention any requirement for PPR.

So while there's no rule against calling them, there's certainly no need as in the UK where many airports seem to treat it as the most important thing in the world!

[172510]

One good thing with phone PPR is that someone is supposed to answer, and to give you useful information (Fuel available, tie downs available, café open etc.). In France, airfields are generally not PPR, unmanned, sometimes completely deserted, and getting useful information for your preparation is difficult (I'm sure some of them would have more traffic if they were PPR, as you're not going to choose a destination you don't know enough about).


With a bluetooth headset, you can get a phone PPR while airborne. You can also order your taxi once you know with a good precision your time of landing. You can get your clearance to enter controlled airspace under IFR while ready to depart at an unmanned airfield. It's a really a good feature

[On Track]

Why can't you just fly from one public airport to another, as we do in the rest of the English-speaking world?

[Jan Olieslagers]

Because only the fewest fields round here are public. Most are private, with severe limitations on their operating conditions. It is vital to operators to make sure visiting pilots respect both operating hours and local procedures. But even the public fields have very strict operating procedures, the circuit precisely defined with several VRP's. Check the EBAW VFR chart in the AIP for one example.

Europe is densely inhabited, in some places even very densely, it is impossible to fart here without offending one or the other neighbour. Much worse to fly an aircraft.

Disrespecting the given rules may not have much impact on the pilot, especially if he's a foreigner on a single visit, but may be all the worse for the a/d operator.

And you have no idea how stupid and stubborn some pilots can be. I remember well listening in to EBGB AFIS, a couple of years ago, when a chap with a heavy US'an accent cheerfully announced his arrival in an absolutely illegal way - the poor AFIS operator had to do all he could to get him into the official approach procedure, via LONDI. Had even to remind him he risked having his plane impounded if he continued as announced.

[Jan Olieslagers]

I'm sure some of them would have more traffic if they where PPR, as you're not going to choose a destination you don't know enough about.

Nobody stops you from calling them if it is not mandatory.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Because only the fewest fields round here are public. Most are private

We don't go in much for "taxing the poor to pay for rich men's hobbies", as it would appear in the press.

[Redbird72]

I have no problem with phone PPR, but then I'm pretty low on experience and currency, so I prefer to hear about odd procedures and warnings on the ground first. To be fair, most PPR allows PPR by radio (given by the fact that airfields that require PPR by phone say so very clearly).

Many UK airfields are constantly under threat from councils and re-developers, and most have some amount of noise abatement procedures and/or movement limits (even larger airfields) to keep the neighbours happy - PPR is the easiest way to disseminate the information early on.

[On Track]

Having frequented this forum for many years I've come to the conclusion that Britain is not an aviation-friendly country.
I'm very glad I don't have to put up with most of the nonsense that you British pilots have to endure (although the authorities in Australia keep throwing up new and unnecessary challenges; the New Zealanders are slightly less anal).
Obviously you guys are passionate about your flying and are willing to make all sorts of sacrifices to pursue your dreams. I admire your dedication and wish you well, but I'm grateful that I don't live there.