A number of contributors have suggested PPR means prior permission required BY TELEPHONE – but why make that assumption? Unless I have missed something in this thread BY TELEPHONE is an assumption.
Moreover if an operator / owner wants pilots to call first why don’t they say so!
We do set off on a flight sometimes with nothing particular in mind, but decide “oh, it might be pleasant to drop into x”. In my opinion that is part of the pleasure of flying and a good reason for operators asking for prior permission but quite happily accepting that being requested in flight – after all if they really are too busy to accept you, the landing can be refused – and you have requested prior permission!
I can think of a case recently where I wanted to be at a particular airport at 10-30. Now that airport didn’t open until 10-00, and the journey was around an hour. I didn’t decide until that morning that I wanted to go. I asked en route for the station I was working to request prior permission and they gladly did so. When I arrived it was very politely suggested that I should ‘phone before hand, but in this case that was not possible. Of course they could have refused me and I would have turned back, but had I left latter the flight would have been pointless, and I would have missed the event I was going to see.
I can think of many airports where the guide says PPR but they are always happy to accept you and seem faintly surprised when you ‘phone first. It seems to me if owners / operators REALLY want you to ‘phone first THEN PLEASE SAY SO. It seems contrite otherwise to accept PPR airborne only to moan after you have landed that PPR should have been filed by telephone – if you cant accept the aircraft then say so because we all understand if an airport is PPR there is no guarantee we will be accepted however we file, and we also understand if we want to be certain it would be wise to phone first.