Do you listen to ATC if they tell you the weather ahead is bad?

[piperboy84]

[quote once your at Montrose basin its nice and flat all the way to Perth][/quote]

Apart from the one hill (Turin Hill) my hoose happens to be on the side off !!

[quote if I'd been looking for a way up the coast and told well in advance that Leuchars and Dundee were 300' I'd be looking for somewhere to land][/quote]

Or possibly a reroute as its not unusual to get the Haar up the Fife and Angus coastline while the Strathmore valley and Mearns from Perth up to Aberdeen is clear.

[ranklein]

Controller Authority of refusing VFR traffic...

fisbangwollop,

Might be taking this thread sideways a bit..
My question (In regards to ICAO rules) is whether an airport ATC tower can deny access of a VFR traffic because of lower than VFR conditions exist?

In the US, if I correctly recall , you need 3 miles visibility and other clouds clearnces to operate VFR. Entering an airspace where these conditions are not met, the controler may advise you that less then VFR conditions are existing.You can ask for a SVFR clearnce if you meet the requirements.

The question though, can the controller deny access to that airspace if he knows the weather is beloew VFR conditions?
Can he file a complaint against a pilot who flies below these minimums?

Thanks!

[peterh337]

whether an airport ATC tower can deny access of a VFR traffic because of lower than VFR conditions exist?

Definitely if the airport is in CAS.

In the UK, each such airport has VFR minima in its operating rules. Generally 1500ft cloudbase, etc.

This can be a huge hassle if you are in say France and have no IR. 1200ft cloudbase but you are not departing. I was stuck at Biarritz like that for several days.

[bookworm]

MATS Part1 S2 Ch1
4 Effect of Weather on Operations
...
Class D
4.3.1
When the reported meteorological conditions at aerodromes in Class D airspace
reduce below the following minima, ATC shall advise pilots of aircraft intending to
operate under VFR to or from such aerodromes, and request the pilot to specify the
type of clearance required:
• Aircraft other than helicopters: visibility 5000 m and/or cloud ceiling 1500 feet.
• Helicopters: visibility 1500 m and/or cloud ceiling 1500 feet.
4.3.2
When the reported visibility at aerodromes within Class D airspace is below 5000 m
for aircraft other than helicopters, or 1500 m for helicopters, ATC shall not issue any
further VFR clearances to aircraft wishing to operate under VFR to or from such
aerodromes.
4.3.3
When the reported visibility consists of two values, the lower of the two values shall
be used when determining whether to implement the above procedures. Procedures
for operations into subsidiary aerodromes will be found in MATS Part 2.

Rules of the Air Regulations 2007
Reported visibility
26 For the purposes of an aircraft taking off from or approaching to land at an aerodrome
within Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace, the visibility, if any, communicated to the
commander of the aircraft by the appropriate air traffic control unit shall be taken to be the
flight visibility for the time being.

Note that neither of these apply to flights transiting airspace, only to flights arriving or departing from the airport at which the met observation is made.

There is no equivalent for class G, though an aerodrome operator is, of course, at liberty to set commercial terms and conditions for its use.

[peterh337]

I vaguely recall ICAO is 1500ft, though I clearly recall some French airports (Class D) used to be 1200ft and later went to 1500ft.

[bookworm]

I vaguely recall ICAO is 1500ft

Yes, it is. Under ICAO Annex 2, you need 1000 ft vertical cloud separation for VFR, hence a flight at 500 ft (minimum level allowed) needs a 1500 ft cloudbase.