Belgium Free again -- EFLEVA
 

PRESS RELEASE – 21 June 2017 For immediate release In a joint effort the European Federation of Light, Experimental & Vintage Aircraft (EFLEVA), the Vereniging Vlaamse MotorVliegclubs (VVMV) and the Belgian Aviation Authorities we are pleased to announce that amateur-built and certain historic aircraft registered in European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) member states no longer require a permit to over fly Belgian territory for 30 days in a calendar year. A Royal Decré has been published on 21 June 2017 which confirms and details this change. It comes in effect on 1 July.

Not if you have a factory built permit to fly aircraft, which leaves the UK and Belgium as the only EU countries to charge for the privilege of flying those types in their airspace.

And neither for ultralights, as far as I can see after reading diagonally.

Mind you, the rationale behind this regulation was to discourage Belgian ultralight operators to register their craft in France, at which it was never particularly effective. But it was never intended to disturb experimentals, so the present change is a step forward, aligning the letter of the law to its spirit.

Jan,

I don't agree that the exemption excludes all microlights. Homebuilt microlights are exempted in my view, in spite of EFLEVA's email stating "For ultralights the existing procedures and regulations remain in effect."

I can't get links to the Royal Decrees of 8 June 2017 and 16 March 2009 to work, but you will know how to find them.

Have I misread something?

No, I think you are right. Homebuilt ultralights are rather rare down here - actually I am unsure whether they'd be registered as ultralights OO-[A-Z][0-9][0-9] or rather as experimentals OO-[0-9][0-9][0-9]. It might well be there is no official category dedicated to them, so that their builders have no option but to register them as generic "ultralights". Anyway, the "permit to fly" document for both categories is under the hands of one and the same person.

Good. Homebuilt three-axis microlights are very popular here. For example, there are about 250 Skyrangers on the register.

bummer.... does not seem fair that I have to pay flying my factory made Eurostar and my mate in his kit made Eurostar flies free..... both are roughly the same age.

It is just as fair as a Belgian pilot in a factory built Eurostar having to pay £64 to visit the UK, while his friend in a kit built Eurostar pays nothing.

Factory built aircraft are not all excluded. If your aircraft was designed before 1955 and built before 1975 you are ok. This would include most Jodel aircraft for example.

Rod1