Originally Posted by IO540
Spain: flight plans needed for controlled airspace only, not for Class G.
San Seb: a super place, tax free avgas if you show the plane is owned by a limited company, a great city to walk around.
Interesting - always thought it was for
every flight, but that may have to with the fact that way down South there isn't really any Class G (at least not with an airfield in it). They even demand a flight plan for T&Gs at places like Cordoba, where, if you stay in the pattern, you'd be below the floor of the overlying Seville Class E & D.
Anyway, IO540 is correct, I quote from the Spanish AIP
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SUBMISSION OF THE FLIGHT PLAN. A flight plan shall be submitted prior to operating:
a) any IFR flight or in part, independently of the airspace classification in which expect to fly;
b) a VFR flight: 1) Within controlled airspace class B, C and D; 2) Within controlled airspace class E, and non-controlled airspace class F and G across international borders; 3) Within aerodrome traffic zones of controlled aerodromes; 4) Within designated areas or through designated routes outside the airspaces indicated in 1), 2) and 3), when so prescribed by the appropriate ATS authority. 5) When the flight is coming from spanish territory and is going to operate in airspace of spanish jurisdiction over international waters (beyond 12 NM from the coast line).
c) any night VFR flight.
In reality I've always filed a flight plan, which, IMHO, is good practice anyway.
What's really interesting here is the reference to 'night VFR'. I'll have to investigate this further, but until now was under the impression (reinforced in writing by various sources such as Jepp trip kits), that this was not allowed in Spain.