View Full Version : UK Class C airspace
englishal
26th Mar 2010, 09:34
All airspace above FL195 in the UK is Class C.....
Can one fly VFR in this Class C at say 20,000' ?
The CAA safety Sense leaflet says:
c) VFR flight is also allowed in Class C airspace, but in the UK this is all currently above Flight Level (FL) 195, where VFR flight is not normally permitted unless specifically authorised.
Why is that if you have the right kit onboard your aeroplane?
mm_flynn
26th Mar 2010, 10:19
Class C above F195 is one of those bizarre Eurocrat bits of logic. Most everyone able to get up there is going quite fast so visual separation is going to be problematic. Logically, one should have a positive control zone (i.e. everyone controlled - as in A or B). Most people would opt for everyone being IFR as it is simpler (so logically Class A). However, The military and gliders operate in random direction with wide altitude bands (and don't want to remain widely separated) so they can't be IFR.
Rather than picking Class A with restricted areas in which aircraft are not following the normal rules, It was decided to use Class C (but not allowing VFR - so Class A in all but name), with TRAs, where enroute traffic can't go.
So same result in having a 'special rules' area, but using clearly the wrong aispace class and fixing the problem by adding the no VFR rule
fisbangwollop
26th Mar 2010, 17:57
Wow! I never knew gliders could climb above FL195!
The UK record stands at about 37,000ft at the moment :cool::cool::cool:
fuzzy6988
28th Mar 2010, 00:08
Amazing! ;)
Halfbaked_Boy
28th Mar 2010, 04:21
Well the safety sense leaflet needs updating, because there is class C airspace from FL145 up between Melton Mowbray and Lyveden, and between FL115 and FL155 from Lyveden to west of St Neots.
;)
So same result in having a 'special rules' area, but using clearly the wrong aispace class and fixing the problem by adding the no VFR rule
It's because the implemtentation of Class C above FL195 is step one in the SES initiative to introduce two classes of airspace in Europe. (C and G)
Now....it looks like it will be more than two classes after all, but that was the intention.
Quite a few now have Class C from FL100 ish and up.
OpenCirrus619
28th Mar 2010, 15:55
Wow! I never knew gliders could climb above FL195!
The current record is 50,671'.
...found themselves flying well above commercial air traffic - a fact received with bemusement by pilots of passenger jets under the same air traffic control.
For more information see Project Perlan (http://www.perlanproject.com/recent_news.php?date=2006-08-30).
OC619