@
keni010,
Even putting aside gliding distance considerationsm, flying IFR (or VFR on top ending IFR) was the only reasonable plan possible with this aircraft when you put the following facts together:
1.- The EGFF TAF was forecasting an arrival in conditions below VMC minima.
TAF was:
EGFF 211644Z 2116/2212 22012KT 9999 SCT035 TEMPO 2116/2120 7000 -RA TEMPO
2120/2124 23016G26KT 6000 RA BKN010 PROB30 TEMPO 2120/2124 27020G30KT 4000 RA
BKN006 BECMG 2121/2124 28012KT TEMPO 2208/2212 6000 SHRA BKN010 PROB30 TEMPO
2208/2210 3000 SHRA SHRASN BKN008 PROB30 TEMPO 2210/2212 SHRA TSGS BKN008
2.- Night VFR requires that the ceiling is at minimum 1500 ft in airspace F and G and minimum 2000 ft in airspaces B, C, D, E.
To me, all this means:
- if de-ice equipment inop or pilot not trained : no-go
- if de-ice equipment and pilot are ok : IFR flight plan with fuel for destination EGFF + fuel for a UK alternate (eg: Oxford EGTK) + fuel to come back to Nantes LFRS
That's not a problem with 2 POB : full tank range with economy cruise is +/- 1380 nm, plus 45 min holding
See SERA.5005 in
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ...01:0066:EN:PDF
The TAF at EGJJ indicated that the conditions would not be fulfilled over the Channel Islands:
EGJJ 211707Z 2118/2203 20010KT 9999 FEW015 BKN030 TEMPO 2118/2124 -RA BKN015
PROB30 TEMPO 2118/2121 7000 SHRA BKN012 BECMG 2121/2123 22020KT BECMG 2202/2203
31017KT NSW SCT015
3.- The weather maps on a LFRS-EGFF route shows that the tops were between FL100 and FL150 for most of the route with some scattered clouds higher right above EGFF
4.- VFR on top would have been possible but the Cardiff weather would have required an IFR arrival.
Highest possible VFR level being FL195 (in France, not sure if it is not lower in UK).
Of course, an IFR flight above weather was also possible with an arrival in IMC.
5.- In all cases, the di-icing equipment needed to be operational for the arrival, and the pilot trained to using it.
In case of de-icing equipment failure, the closest airport without icing conditions on arrival that I could find was the departure airport LFRS.
TAF LFRS 211700Z 2118/2224 VRB03KT CAVOK
BECMG 2123/2201 18010KT
BECMG 2202/2204 4000 -RA BKN012 BKN030
TEMPO 2204/2207 2500 RA BKN007
BECMG 2207/2209 32010KT CAVOK
BECMG 2213/2215 25007KT
PROB30 TEMPO 2215/2220 4000 SHRA BKN020TCU=