Originally Posted by
ATC Watcher
To correct a few points : Guernsey is class D airspace at this altitude, so you need a transponder to enter, they normally do not give exceptions .. Any aircraft whatever its registration nationality that wants to fly in EASA airspace requires a mode S transponder . Mode A/C are no longer to be used,, In the USA you can still use the old A/C transponder but then you cannot enter, let alone be based in European airspace.
Is it 100% accurate? Last year I bought off the Jersey Aeroclub fleet, consisting of two fairly old, Mode C-only PA28s. Not only had they been operated daily in that Class D airspace chunk (mostly VFR) but when I ferried them out of Jersey, each time on an IFR flight plan, Mode C was never a problem.
Now, flying -DT through Belgium later was a completely different matter - I had to circumnavigate every bit of controlled airspace while there. I think it still varies by country, as I have recently flown -DT into and out of EPLL whose TMA is Class C.
Clear as mud.