Dear David
In your report there are some "gaps" or lets call it missing information.
Regarding Megara LGMG
This is the NOTAM (available everywhere) that specifies operation hours of the airport:
B0913/15 - MEGARA AIRPORT HOURS OF SERVICE AS FOLLOWS:
FROM 08/09 TILL 24/10
DAILY 0600-1530
NOTES:
-ON 08/09 TUE 0600-1630
-ON 09/09 WED 0600-1630. 08 SEP 09:50 2015 UNTIL 24 OCT 23:59 2015.
CREATED:08 SEP 09:52 2015
Any pilot who has
flown the Atlantic twice, extensively in the USA, and all over Europe, from Norway to Greece
I believe checks NOTAMs before flying.
The above NOTAM means that
the airport opens at 0900L not that it opens some hour earlier and you can take off at 0900L.
What made you believe that you would be done with formalities, start up, and taxi within 1 (literally) second for a 0900 departure as you write ?
You write that you informed GreekAir that you would arrive at 0815 for departing at 0900.
Your maintenance organization is by no means the airport authority.
Them acknowledging your information is by no way an approval for taking off at 0900. They could not care less what your flying schedule is !
They also open at 0900 anyway (access to apron restricted before this time) so I don't understand what they "acknowledged", the fact that you would be at the car parking lot for 45 minutes ? weird.
Also filling an IFR departure flight plan is not an acceptance of your departure time by the airport authority especially when at the time of filing the office is closed.
In August when I flew from tiny Straubing EDMS (your country I guess) to Croatia, Straubing airport was opening 0900, the all in one (office, AFISO etc.) gentleman showed up at 09:01 and/so in practice I could not take off before 0920~0930 until paperwork and preflight procedures were complete. Same case. I could take off earlier but at a much higher price for airport fees, is that money grabbing ?
The charge there was 24 Euro per landing (arrival) in contrast to your 7,34 Euro per day (1,63 for EU registers) for all airports once in same day in Greece; Not money grabbing ?
You write that 4 years ago you gave 5 days notice but do not specify where you sent it and if it was acknowledged. Basic communication policy from a
pilot is to confirm the message is received.
If for some reason the information needed (for your case) did not reach the airport authority, you then landed without permission granted.
What I do not understand is how did the Tower let you land since they have the list of approved visitors. They would have told you.
In Megara if you land for few hours stay (e.g. only for refuel and go) there are no formalities, anyone can visit. If the aircraft stays overnight though a PPR is required and in foreign aircraft/passengers they do ask identities etc.
So it is unclear who told you what and whether you landed there with a single direction communication without feedback.
Getting a fine for is not money grabbing, its penalty for breaking a law.
I never visit an airport abroad unless I have communicated (both ways) beforehand exactly for things I may miss.
Passport details in this airport are needed (even though Civil AIP may not state it) because it is an active
MILITARY airfield and (I assume) because you are not based there (to have your records), a "foreigner" and flying in with a non Greek/European register aircraft. I say again, the apron is Civil but all the rest of the airport is Military. Maybe you did not spot what are based there because they are hangared and supposed not to be spotted by definition ! They fly low and slow, mainly at night without navigation, strobe and cockpit lights, with the airfield in total darkness, to give you a hint.
The only point I consider odd about the behavior in Megara is asking about onward flights from Corfu. That is none of their business. It has never happened to anyone as far as I know.
You write about useless point of entering/exiting via Corfu as "Port of Entry" since a Schengen country. The requirement to enter/exit via International airport is a security law on national level which Schengen has clauses that allow such local deviations if a state wishes so. It is NOT a passport control per se. It is a situation that derives from Greece being the last European country to the southeast of Europe i.e. the actual BORDER of Europe. There are various checks done which you are not aware of regarding the "vehicle of transport", the physical persons on board (for example there are laws in Greece for pending court cases that forbid "exit" from the country) and various other security and illegal immigration issues.
YES, I know it sounds stupid since anyone who wants to do something illegal would not pass from an official check point with a private aircraft but, this is the law.
Schengen is about free circulation of individuals within EU countries.
In Greece they are extra cautious with PRIVATE AIRCRAFT as to who leaves the country towards Europe and who arrives to the country being the last stop before Asia and Middle East. Greece's sea border to the east and southeast help in building up this issue. Land borders are much different from sea borders in legal and practical terms.
Don't ask me why but private aircraft are considered means for providing easy access to non conventional practices ...
The fact that in Kerkyra (Corfu) LGKR they did not check your passport in practice even though that being the purpose of the requirement is another issue. The HANDLING agent (mandatory) may have "overseen" this in lieu of expediting your (and their) time and it has happened to me too. CAA do not know this since they get all the paperwork as it should. Police (passport control) LANDSIDE to AIRSIDE on the other hand may not be aware of it unless somebody tips them off since the handler knows how to move around keeping you always AIRSIDE.
They key here is that while HANDLER may do a "mistake" YOU are the one LIABLE to the violation of the legal requirement and its consequences.
When it happened to me I criticized the CAA for obliging us to pass via there for exit and when they realized this was a mistake of the handler all (CAA) hell broke loose against the handler.
Regarding parachute drops to Megara LGMG again I will refer to NOTAMs and the homework before any flight ...
A quick look at LGGG FIR notam's just popped me up the below:
B0935/15 - PJE WILL TAKE PLACE WITHIN MEGARA AREA RADIUS 1 NM CENTERED ON 375853N0232158E. ATHINAI TMA AND MEGARA MATZ AFFECTED. BEFORE COMMENCING ACTIVITIES PERMISSION FROM ATHINAI APPROACH AND MEGARA TWR MUST BE OBTAINED. DURING ACTIVITIES CONTINUOUS RADIO COMMUNICATION WITH ATHINAI APPROACH AND MEGARA TWR MUST EXIST. IN CASE OF RADIO FAILURE PJE FLIGHT HAS TO BE SUSPENDED. GND - 10000FT AMSL, OCT 03 04 10 11 17 18 24 0600-1530, OCT 25 28 31 NOV 01 07 08 14 15 21 22 28 29 DEC 05 06 12 13 19 20 25 26 27 0700-1500, 03 OCT 06:00 2015 UNTIL 27 DEC 15:00 2015. CREATED: 16 SEP 08:14 2015
B0968/15 - PJE WILL TAKE PLACE WITHIN MEGARA AREA RADIUS 3NM CENTERED ON 375853N0232158E. ATHINAI TMA, MEGARA MATZ, ELEFSIS MCTR, LGR21, LGR53, LGR55, LGD67 AND LGD75 AFFECTED. LGP7 SHALL NOT BE AFFECTED (REF AIP-GREECE ENR 5.1-1).BEFORE COMMENCING ACTIVITIES PERMISSION FROM ATHINAI APPROACH AND MEGARA TWR MUST BE OBTAINED. DURING ACTIVITIES CONTINUOUS RADIO COMMUNICATION WITH ATHINAI APPROACH AND MEGARA TWR MUST EXIST. IN CASE OF RADIO FAILURE PJE FLIGHT HAS TO BE SUSPENDED. GND - 10000FT AMSL, OCT 01 02 05 06 07 08 09 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 0300-2000, 26 27 29 30
0400-2100, 01 OCT 03:00 2015 UNTIL 30 OCT 21:00 2015. CREATED: 28 SEP 07:21 2015
During parachute drops in Megara they do not allow spinning propellers.
Some drops take 5' between them some 20' or more (MIL-CIVIL).
You can contact the tower tell them start up to take off time and depending on traffic ahead you may fit in between drops.
I guess the 45' delay it was 9am and other aircraft were waiting for start up and departure too.
Your parking fee was not a parking fee but an "Airport Usage" fee.
You landed and you took off from there.
If you park inside a hangar (private space) you may not be charged the daily fee for the days between next of arrival and previous of departure.
The fee is 1,63 Euro per day for EU registers and 7,34 for non EU registers.
If you park at the apron you get it charged once per day (and counts for all Greek airports in that 24hours i.e. no recharging in same day)
This is not "money grabbing".
The Declaration you had to submit is not for Customs, its used as a people on board manifest you deliver to next airport and is also used by Police for passport checks when you enter/exit the country for their record keeping.
The police did their job as they should and it was a mistake from your part to argue "a lot" with them. It could have ended up differently.
He was impolite, were you polite ?
They told you you cannot access the apron before 0900L when the (Civil part) airport opens because that is what is enforced at this mixed MIL/CIV use airport for security reasons by the agreement of Army Aviation with CAA to allow access to the field to Civilians (the CIV apron has no fence towards the MIL side, only from landside). Police allow entry only to people entitled to visit aircraft or businesses airside. For business the business rep. must be there (wasn't at 0815 as you write), for aircraft you must have the paper (manifest I mentioned) from CAA who arrive there at 0900.
So dear David before criticizing in general a whole system do your homework first and accept all systems and nations are not the same.
Don't expect a response by AOPA Greece. They respond to emails for help, for malpractice by Greek authorities but not to flaming without substance.
They have set up this page
AOPA Hellas Flying in Greece that answers all the questions to pilots who want to fly to Greece. Read it next time please.