Today I was doing the radio work, while a friend was flying westbound VFR in extreme VMC. I had been with Sweden Radar, handed off to Copenhagen Radar, who then handed us off to Billund approach. All seemed good, with Billund having provided approach instructions, with which we were complying.
I was reviewing the arrival (first time for both of us). My friend said something with a very startled tone, as he drew my attention to our 8 O'clock. I could just about count rivets on a southbound Mooney, which had passed alarmingly under us. I'm guessing that if he ever saw us, he wet himself. Our plane is extremely visible, with pulse lights, beacon and strobes on.
I called Billund approach to ask if he had that aircraft on radar. Nope, he did not - A Mooney with no transponder on? Possible, I suppose. Then approach said that he did not have us on radar either! Isn't that what approach is supposed to be doing? We were on someone's radar, as the TXP was indicating a return.
After a vector alarmingly close to a tall tower, and then two separate requests to orbit backward in the downwind, we were asked to follow a "Tomahawk" which I later recognized as a PA-28. Perhaps my expectations were a little high, I was new once... Though I admit to never hearing the remark "radar identified" from approach, nor did I hear "I don't have you on radar". He did also say we were not in controlled airspace, so I guess we were under the blue airspace box on the GPS, instead of being in it.
So I suppose I need to adjust my expectation that "approach" refers to radar information for arriving aircraft....