This was an VFR flight as the whole tread is about VFR addressing.
I usually change from Manston Southend to Ostend Approach to cross their airspace C (120.6) and from there to Brussels Radar (131.1) for further climb.
Markus, we’re talking IFR here, aren’t we? EBOS has IFR operations. This only requires addressing to Eurocontrol, nothing else and the distribution to the individual sectors is performed by Eurocontrol. You can paste any flight plan into this and we tell you how we would address it when you file it.
Try filing with autorouter, I can then send you the log which shows you how Eurocontrol disseminates the flight plan to the individual sectors and what their responses are.
I have given up on Rocketroute.
Their addressing is always wrong. The worst part is they don’t listen. I called them about 6 times. Nothing changed.
It is costly sometimes.
On one flight Ostend Approach didn’t allow me to enter the country. I did, they cleared me to KOK then MAK, but ordered me back to KOK. I was in a hold there for more than 34 minutes! After that I got a flight plan and my angry level was higher than it should be.
I called Rocketroute after that and they told me to investigate.
Next flight: I was calling Rocketroute and asked them to make sure my flight plan is at Ostend approach. Guess what? It wasn’t there.
I called again and again. They confirmed me it is fine, but it wasn’t again! They didn’t understand my problem.
I will try Achim’s tool.
@Aviathor : Le Bourget does not manage all cross-border flight plans, if you make one for Belgium, apparently Olivia is supposed to send it to Lille, which forwards it to Belgium. I called Le Bourget, they had it, and Ostend called Brussels and Lille and they didn’t have it, so I had to call Brussels and file a new plan, and the man on the phone told me he could simple cut/paste the arrival flight plan for all the details. But Ostend was not really helpful, as they just told me to wait, as the flight plan might eventually get there. Lucky me I didn’t just wait or I would still be there now ;-)
But from now on, I’ll use EuroFPL, that seems to be more efficient.
Because it was in german instead of schwytzerdütsch.
The german AIS does its job quite well and is usually error-free.
Weeelll… many times I filed a flight plan in germany with destination switzerland the plan didn’t arrive…
Wait until we offer VFR flight plan filing on autorouter.eu / router.euroga.org Then you can see exactly where a flight plan is sent to and the database containing those rules is in the open and can be amended by the users.
There really is no point in every flight plan filing service (that is every country’s AIS + a few commercial companies) maintaining their own list of VFR flight plan addressing rules each with their own bugs, omissions and outdated information. The only sensible approach is to maintain a common database# and we’ve laid the groundwork for it.
@FredPilote, if you use Olivia for international flights, you may want to follow up with a phone call to the BRIA at Le Bourget which I believe handle all international (cross-borser) flights to or from France. Those guys are really helpful and eager to justify maintaining their jobs. When ever I have a (IFR) flight planning problem I cannot figure out any other way, I file it with Olivia. They have sometimes called me to discuss the flight plan! And they always find a solution.
I must admit I seldom fly to Belgium, but on those occasions I have never had a problem with ATC finding my flight plan. I previously used Olivia for VFR flight plans, but I now only use EuroFPL and usually file IFR or do not file at all.
Your problem may be a one-off. Flight plans do sometimes get “lost” or misaddressed. When departing Carpentras on my way back from Calvi, Orange Approach had a hard time finding my IFR flight plan. They eventually did.
I agree – like many pilots I already waste much of my day fixing IT issues in the daily job, and the last thing I am interested in is worrying if XYZ got my flight plan.
Mastering the system is a big part of the fun.
Mastering the “bloody girl” perhaps even better?
Sorry, off-topic and off-manners, couldn’t resist such a bait.
