ICAO airport designators have never been permitted to be used as waypoints.
I have to admit I use ICAO airport designators in my filed Afpex VFR flightplans.
My reason is that if I am doing a flight for a couple of hours:
- I can add them into my GPS routing.
- AFAIK the CAA 1:500000 charts dont show all intersections.
- Its easier and more error-free than working out VOR bearings / distances as waypoints.
- If I have any issues then I am close to an airfield which I can land at so I prefer to route legs close to airfields anyhow.
This wasnt a method I was taught (because I dont recall PPL training covering much of this), but it is the process I have adopted being a PPL who does a fair bit of IMC/IFR flying mostly outside CAS/Airways (because I dont have an IR).
I must admit I didnt know ICAO airport designators were not permitted officially, so this was interesting to read. Does this illustrate the differences between the overall understanding a PPL compared to a PPL/IR who wil be given much more (and more legitimate) forms of filing flight plans?