Debut UK/EU flight
Join Date: Feb 2007
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I agree with the others. There are too many "first" on this particular flight to make this a good idea. Build your experience slowly, one "first" at a time. But your journey is eventually well within reach of your average PPL.
As for the specific questions you have, a couple of answers and pointers.
First, the radio service you may get. Inside controlled airspace (which you *will* encounter on such a journey, by the way), it's easy. ICAO class A-D all perfectly define what sort of traffic/deconfliction service you're entitled to. Outside controlled airspace ICAO defines something called "Flight Information Service" which will give you info like the QNH and other relevant flight info, but NO traffic warnings of any kind. For that you will need something higher, but that something higher differs from country to country. Strangely enough, the two countries you have experience with (US and UK) are the odd men out in this respect. The US has "flight following" which is an IFR-like service and works really well. The UK has the system of ATSOCAS Services like Basic, Traffic, Deconfliction and so forth, which is well suited for the way UK airspace is divided up, and for the LARS services that can be provided by the military. But if you ask for "Flight Following" outside the US, or if you ask for "Basic Service" outside the UK, all you'll get is a sigh from a controller, and maybe the service that he provides to anybody else. Or a lecture...
Want to know exactly what services you can expect from a controller? Look at the country AIP, in the ENR 1.4 or 1.6 sections. But you can't go much wrong with asking for a "Flight Information Service" in general.
All AIPs for all European countries (*) can be accessed via the Eurocontrol site (Register, login, look for an application called PAMS Light) or via national sites such as these:
NATS | AIS - Home
AIS Netherlands
(*) For copyright/commercial reasons, the German AIP only contains data on big/IFR airports. For small/VFR airports you have to have a paid subscription of some sort to the DFS database. You can get this through various sources, including SkyDemon.
When you cross borders, in principle you've got to do four things:
- Take off from a "customs" airport (a designated airport that has part-time or full-time customs and immigration)
- File a flight plan, which contains an ETA (actually an EET) for the border crossing, and the point where you cross the border
- Contact the authorities by radio when you cross the border (via the aforementioned Flight Information Service)
- Land again at a "customs" airport.
If you cross the border into or out of the US the procedures are even more complex, and obviously in any case you are required to comply with all passport and visa regulations, and all rules and regulations concerning the export/import of commercial/dangerous goods and such.
EU integration, at various levels, have made things a lot easier, but sometimes a bit more complex as well.
Within the EU (which the UK is a part of) there is free movement of goods. So you don't need to declare the aircraft and its contents at each border crossing. But the UK is not part of the Schengen agreement, so if you fly from the UK to the Schengen area (mainland Europe in this case) you've got to show your passports somewhere.
At the mainland Europe end the principle is easy. You've got to land (when flying to the mainland) or take off (when flying to the UK) on/from a "customs" airport: An airport which somehow has immigrations officials available to look at your passport. Some airport have these 24/7 and there's no need for calling them in advance. Other airports need a heads-up (called either PPR - Prior Permission Required - or PNR - Prior Notice Required) because immigration is not present 24/7. Again, the AIP (AD section) is your friend and if you don't know, just call the airfield you intend to visit. In your case, Oostende EBOS would probably be a good airfield to fulfill your immigration requirements.
Of course most countries in mainland Europe are part of the Schengen agreement and are part of the EU, so once you're inside that area, you don't need to worry about customs/immigration anymore. You can just fly from any airfield to any other without worrying about customs/immigration procedures. (But you do need to file a flight plan; see below.)
At the UK end the same principles apply: You can fulfill your customs/immigration requirements at a "customs" airfield. But the UK has added a little twist to this. If you're not importing commercial goods, and all people on board have EU passports, and you meet a few other criteria (look at the fine print), then you can fly to/from any UK airfield direct from/to a foreign country, as long as you fax or e-mail the "GAR" form a certain number of hours in advance, to the relevant authorities. If you search for "GAR form" you'll get lots of info, but this is the most useful one probably: Early this year AOPA worked together with the authorities to allow you to file the GAR online. The result is here:
Online GAR System. I have also seen that SkyDemon is working on something that allows you to file a GAR form through them, but I don't think it is fully operational yet.
Furthermore, when crossing an international FIR boundary, you have to file a flight plan. This also applies when flying within the Schengen/EU countries, so it's also required when you fly from Belgium to Germany, for instance. Details on filing flight plans are in your Air Law/Operational Procedures textbook, and in CAA Safety Sense 20 (Safety Sense Leaflet 20: VFR Flight Plans | Publications | About the CAA). Pay particular care to the EET/ field and notation. Also, how and where to file a flight plan is a bit of a challenge in the UK, with various options available. By far the easiest method would be to get SkyDemon (either the Light or the full version) and let SkyDemon file the flight plan for you (1 UKP per plan).
With regards to charts and navigating, yes, definitely get a GPS for trips like this, and learn how to use it properly and effectively before you set off. Also, get an up to date chart set that covers your whole route, preferably in the same format. My personal choices are an iPad with SkyDemon (with the navigation options of course) plus the Jeppesen VFR+GPS chart series. The advantage of the Jeppesen VFR+GPS chart series is that they offer a uniform presentation across the whole of Europe. And they're not laminated so they are easier to fold, and you can write on with a lead pencil.
So that's your questions taken care of. Now for a few other things you also may want to consider:
When planning your route, check landing fees and handling fees in advance, and check Avgas (100LL) availability. Along your route I don't think there will be many extremes, but the further into Europe you go, the more these issues may become "interesting".
In Germany and France, and perhaps a few other countries as well, aviation is not necessarily done in English throughout. There are a lot of fields that are designated as "German only" or "French only" (again, see the AIP). You need to speak a measure of German or French to get in safely, because even the circuit calls at those fields are done in German or French. Formally, you'd even need a level 4+ License Proficiency in either German or French on your licence before you're allowed to visit. If you only speak English, it's not a good idea to have pitstops at these fields.
You will want to make the Channel Crossing as high as possible, to give you options in case of an engine failure. If you consider airspace issues around the Dover-Calais or Dover-Koksijde crossing, the highest you can get is FL50. At that altitude the visible horizon is well over 30 km away. Which means that even in perfect VFR conditions (10 km viz) the horizon may not be visible, and the blue-grey of the sea will blend seamlessly into the grey-blue of the sky. For all practical purposes you may need to fly on instruments in those circumstances - although sometimes you can look straight down and orient yourself based on what you see below. It's not necessarily dangerous, but it is something to be aware of, and you need to have a plan to deal with it.
Furthermore, obviously you've got to think of survival equipment. I think the law requires life vests for all on board at least (and in the confines of a small GA aircraft they've got to be worn - it's too cramped to put them on only when disaster strikes). But you might want to consider additional survival equipment like life rafts, dry suits, PLBs and such if you're going to do this often. (And coincidentally your location is probably the easiest place in the whole of the UK to rent that sort of equipment, and get the training to deal with it. AFAIK Far North Aviation is one of the experts on trans-Atlantic ferry flight support.)
Let's see, anything else? Make sure you have plenty of money for a trip like this. Bring tie-downs, spare oil and other TLC items for the aircraft. Don't fly overweight - which will be a challenge in a C150/152 with 2 POB, full fuel and all the kit you'll need to bring. Bring a camera and let us know how you got on!
As for the specific questions you have, a couple of answers and pointers.
First, the radio service you may get. Inside controlled airspace (which you *will* encounter on such a journey, by the way), it's easy. ICAO class A-D all perfectly define what sort of traffic/deconfliction service you're entitled to. Outside controlled airspace ICAO defines something called "Flight Information Service" which will give you info like the QNH and other relevant flight info, but NO traffic warnings of any kind. For that you will need something higher, but that something higher differs from country to country. Strangely enough, the two countries you have experience with (US and UK) are the odd men out in this respect. The US has "flight following" which is an IFR-like service and works really well. The UK has the system of ATSOCAS Services like Basic, Traffic, Deconfliction and so forth, which is well suited for the way UK airspace is divided up, and for the LARS services that can be provided by the military. But if you ask for "Flight Following" outside the US, or if you ask for "Basic Service" outside the UK, all you'll get is a sigh from a controller, and maybe the service that he provides to anybody else. Or a lecture...
Want to know exactly what services you can expect from a controller? Look at the country AIP, in the ENR 1.4 or 1.6 sections. But you can't go much wrong with asking for a "Flight Information Service" in general.
All AIPs for all European countries (*) can be accessed via the Eurocontrol site (Register, login, look for an application called PAMS Light) or via national sites such as these:
NATS | AIS - Home
AIS Netherlands
(*) For copyright/commercial reasons, the German AIP only contains data on big/IFR airports. For small/VFR airports you have to have a paid subscription of some sort to the DFS database. You can get this through various sources, including SkyDemon.
When you cross borders, in principle you've got to do four things:
- Take off from a "customs" airport (a designated airport that has part-time or full-time customs and immigration)
- File a flight plan, which contains an ETA (actually an EET) for the border crossing, and the point where you cross the border
- Contact the authorities by radio when you cross the border (via the aforementioned Flight Information Service)
- Land again at a "customs" airport.
If you cross the border into or out of the US the procedures are even more complex, and obviously in any case you are required to comply with all passport and visa regulations, and all rules and regulations concerning the export/import of commercial/dangerous goods and such.
EU integration, at various levels, have made things a lot easier, but sometimes a bit more complex as well.
Within the EU (which the UK is a part of) there is free movement of goods. So you don't need to declare the aircraft and its contents at each border crossing. But the UK is not part of the Schengen agreement, so if you fly from the UK to the Schengen area (mainland Europe in this case) you've got to show your passports somewhere.
At the mainland Europe end the principle is easy. You've got to land (when flying to the mainland) or take off (when flying to the UK) on/from a "customs" airport: An airport which somehow has immigrations officials available to look at your passport. Some airport have these 24/7 and there's no need for calling them in advance. Other airports need a heads-up (called either PPR - Prior Permission Required - or PNR - Prior Notice Required) because immigration is not present 24/7. Again, the AIP (AD section) is your friend and if you don't know, just call the airfield you intend to visit. In your case, Oostende EBOS would probably be a good airfield to fulfill your immigration requirements.
Of course most countries in mainland Europe are part of the Schengen agreement and are part of the EU, so once you're inside that area, you don't need to worry about customs/immigration anymore. You can just fly from any airfield to any other without worrying about customs/immigration procedures. (But you do need to file a flight plan; see below.)
At the UK end the same principles apply: You can fulfill your customs/immigration requirements at a "customs" airfield. But the UK has added a little twist to this. If you're not importing commercial goods, and all people on board have EU passports, and you meet a few other criteria (look at the fine print), then you can fly to/from any UK airfield direct from/to a foreign country, as long as you fax or e-mail the "GAR" form a certain number of hours in advance, to the relevant authorities. If you search for "GAR form" you'll get lots of info, but this is the most useful one probably: Early this year AOPA worked together with the authorities to allow you to file the GAR online. The result is here:
Online GAR System. I have also seen that SkyDemon is working on something that allows you to file a GAR form through them, but I don't think it is fully operational yet.
Furthermore, when crossing an international FIR boundary, you have to file a flight plan. This also applies when flying within the Schengen/EU countries, so it's also required when you fly from Belgium to Germany, for instance. Details on filing flight plans are in your Air Law/Operational Procedures textbook, and in CAA Safety Sense 20 (Safety Sense Leaflet 20: VFR Flight Plans | Publications | About the CAA). Pay particular care to the EET/ field and notation. Also, how and where to file a flight plan is a bit of a challenge in the UK, with various options available. By far the easiest method would be to get SkyDemon (either the Light or the full version) and let SkyDemon file the flight plan for you (1 UKP per plan).
With regards to charts and navigating, yes, definitely get a GPS for trips like this, and learn how to use it properly and effectively before you set off. Also, get an up to date chart set that covers your whole route, preferably in the same format. My personal choices are an iPad with SkyDemon (with the navigation options of course) plus the Jeppesen VFR+GPS chart series. The advantage of the Jeppesen VFR+GPS chart series is that they offer a uniform presentation across the whole of Europe. And they're not laminated so they are easier to fold, and you can write on with a lead pencil.
So that's your questions taken care of. Now for a few other things you also may want to consider:
When planning your route, check landing fees and handling fees in advance, and check Avgas (100LL) availability. Along your route I don't think there will be many extremes, but the further into Europe you go, the more these issues may become "interesting".
In Germany and France, and perhaps a few other countries as well, aviation is not necessarily done in English throughout. There are a lot of fields that are designated as "German only" or "French only" (again, see the AIP). You need to speak a measure of German or French to get in safely, because even the circuit calls at those fields are done in German or French. Formally, you'd even need a level 4+ License Proficiency in either German or French on your licence before you're allowed to visit. If you only speak English, it's not a good idea to have pitstops at these fields.
You will want to make the Channel Crossing as high as possible, to give you options in case of an engine failure. If you consider airspace issues around the Dover-Calais or Dover-Koksijde crossing, the highest you can get is FL50. At that altitude the visible horizon is well over 30 km away. Which means that even in perfect VFR conditions (10 km viz) the horizon may not be visible, and the blue-grey of the sea will blend seamlessly into the grey-blue of the sky. For all practical purposes you may need to fly on instruments in those circumstances - although sometimes you can look straight down and orient yourself based on what you see below. It's not necessarily dangerous, but it is something to be aware of, and you need to have a plan to deal with it.
Furthermore, obviously you've got to think of survival equipment. I think the law requires life vests for all on board at least (and in the confines of a small GA aircraft they've got to be worn - it's too cramped to put them on only when disaster strikes). But you might want to consider additional survival equipment like life rafts, dry suits, PLBs and such if you're going to do this often. (And coincidentally your location is probably the easiest place in the whole of the UK to rent that sort of equipment, and get the training to deal with it. AFAIK Far North Aviation is one of the experts on trans-Atlantic ferry flight support.)
Let's see, anything else? Make sure you have plenty of money for a trip like this. Bring tie-downs, spare oil and other TLC items for the aircraft. Don't fly overweight - which will be a challenge in a C150/152 with 2 POB, full fuel and all the kit you'll need to bring. Bring a camera and let us know how you got on!
Last edited by BackPacker; 4th Aug 2013 at 10:30.
Fly Conventional Gear
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Great post BP, I'm sure the OP appreciates someone taking the time to write something so extensive.
Just one little point of clarification the UK itself does not have exit controls so it is not necessary to depart from a customs airfield or indeed file a GAR for the outbound flight expect if departing to areas designated under the Terrorism Act 2000 like Northern Ireland and the Republic, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
Most other airports in Europe yes if leaving the Schengen area (to go back to the UK for example) must be from a customs airport.
Just one little point of clarification the UK itself does not have exit controls so it is not necessary to depart from a customs airfield or indeed file a GAR for the outbound flight expect if departing to areas designated under the Terrorism Act 2000 like Northern Ireland and the Republic, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
Most other airports in Europe yes if leaving the Schengen area (to go back to the UK for example) must be from a customs airport.
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An excellent post from Backpacker. I fully concur with everything he has said.
The only thing I would add is to allow yourself plenty of time. Everything may take far longer than you expect. Allow a day (or two) extra for your return journey to avoid get-home-itis, which can be a killer. Un-forecast weather, for instance, can pop up any time.
The only thing I would add is to allow yourself plenty of time. Everything may take far longer than you expect. Allow a day (or two) extra for your return journey to avoid get-home-itis, which can be a killer. Un-forecast weather, for instance, can pop up any time.
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I'm not sure 'licence to learn' had been really instilled in me either and I doubt you would get that from a typical US based schoo
Like the OP all my flying was done overseas then tried l adapt to flying here (Northeast of Scotland) by myself by reading as much as I could. If i had it to do over I think 3 or 4 hours with a CFI would have helped cut to the chase.
The biggest issue I came across was weather. In the SW USA, what was advertised was for the most part what you got, here in Scotland however, due I assume to it being a narrow rocky outcropping in NW Europe surrounded by the seas things can and do change QUICK, I have learned to expect the unexpected.
As for what flights are "possible", that crazy bastard Mathias Rust proves anything is possible, he took a rental 172 right after passing his test and flew it for hundreds of miles over the North Sea then into Red Square. Is it possible? Sure. Is it advisable? probably not.
TheFirstDohrnPilot next time your down in this neck of the woods stop in at my strip at Forfar for a coffee.
Last edited by piperboy84; 4th Aug 2013 at 09:21.
My dad might re-validate his PPL and it would therefore make economical sense.
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Germany Trip
Just to add my two penny's worth, I think without building up to a solo trip like this you are pushing your luck. You are talking about a lot of firsts here and a trip like this can bring up things you have not even thought of. I hate to be negative but please get yourself some airtime and advice. I am sure wherever you are in England there will be someone who can help you. I fly a lot into Europe and operate a rotax powered aircraft. I would be happy to give you some help and advice and perhaps do a cross channel trip with you just get in touch. There is always someone out there who will help.
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Letpmar
That's a kind offer but I think you are nearer to Germany than to him
TheFirstDohrnPilot. I hope you enjoyed your flight with T. A bit windy, eh?
That's a kind offer but I think you are nearer to Germany than to him
TheFirstDohrnPilot. I hope you enjoyed your flight with T. A bit windy, eh?
Last edited by dont overfil; 4th Aug 2013 at 15:11.
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Trip
Perhaps true but I am on the way well positioned for routing out GSA Cherbourg or le toque I know that's spelt wrong cant be bothered to look it up. My offer still stands.
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Wow, thanks for all the offers of help guys! When I do get going with my trip, I'll definitely take you up on your offers!
Yes, BP cheers for that very detailed post. I would leave myself lots of time, and do it right... proper fuel planning alternates, etc etc.
D.O... how do you know that? haha And who's T.A.? Do you mean T.S.?
Yes, BP cheers for that very detailed post. I would leave myself lots of time, and do it right... proper fuel planning alternates, etc etc.
D.O... how do you know that? haha And who's T.A.? Do you mean T.S.?
