flyingmatt wrote:
Finally, what are the best resources for learning how things work over there?
One good resource is the CAA Skyway Code. It’s fairly VFR orientated so you’ll need some other source for IFR. Also it is a mix of the law, rules, interpretation and advice, so if things seems over the top or too nanny-state you need to find out if it is a rule or an advice.
Hi Matt, I’m sure you’ll find flying in the UK enjoyable, especially if you’ve been flying in some of the wide expanses of the US. We have quite a lot to see in much easier distances.
Generally the UK is regarded as a pain in the a…
Flying wise, and much more so when compared to the US. It’s quite true, but not to the level that will spoil your flying once you have the paperwork BS sorted.
What part of London will you be in? It will affect your direction of travel toward airfields and in turn will affect your choices and experiences a little.
Other than instructors, I’d be surprised if you weren’t able to get offered a few right seat flights for fun which will greatly help you to adjust to some of the differences.
Generally without any of that you’d be safe, and get-by, but you wouldn’t be fully integrated.
I’m in the east if that becomes relevant.
Peter wrote:
Flying abroad is IMHO the great attraction, and the UK south east is very well located for that. In a C172 type of aircraft, most of France is accessible in one leg.But there is much to see in the UK also. Different people like different things; I like to visit historic old towns and they tend to make a very nice day trip. Then there are the islands e.g. Channel Islands, Isle of Wight, Scilly Isles.
It wasn’t my original question, but while you’re mentioning it… any resources you recommend for ideas of trips from London (either domestic or international)?
Xtophe wrote:
One good resource is the CAA Skyway Code. It’s fairly VFR orientated so you’ll need some other source for IFR. Also it is a mix of the law, rules, interpretation and advice, so if things seems over the top or too nanny-state you need to find out if it is a rule or an advice.
Thanks! Looks like this should help with getting familiar and give me something to read while I get excited about the move. Seems a bit too high level to use to study for any tests I’ll have to take though — but I suppose that’s what flight schools are for :)
GA_Pete wrote:
What part of London will you be in? It will affect your direction of travel toward airfields and in turn will affect your choices and experiences a little.
Still undecided, but likely near Regent’s park area. I probably won’t have a car, so I’ve mostly been looking at places accessible via train, which seems to still leave a good number of options.
Other than instructors, I’d be surprised if you weren’t able to get offered a few right seat flights for fun which will greatly help you to adjust to some of the differences.
I’m definitely planning on trying to be as social as possible while at the airport; I’ll definitely be on the lookout for people who want a passenger :) Beyond just hanging out at airports, any advice on where to meet other local pilots (other than this forum of course)?
flyingmatt wrote:
Still undecided, but likely near Regent’s park area.
From that area you can pretty easily get to all the perimeter airports. One that I use a lot is Denham, due west. You can get there on the tube with a 5 minute taxi ride at the end. Cheerful place with some busy flying schools I think.
There are one or two due north, which others will know.
A suggestion. As soon as you get here book a couple of Wingly flights. Very cheap way to get some UK experience in the air. Wingly is a a web based app to arrange cost sharing flights. Wingly.io
Dan wrote:
and the quadrantal rules if flying VFR
The quadrantal rule went away a few years ago – VFR cruising altitudes are now semicirular, and apart from the flight levels starting fairly close to the ground, VFR cruising altitudes are the same as in the USA.
For the OP – I would suggest flying with Jon Cooke who is a UK based FAA instructor and UK instructor/examiner at Wellesbourne (look him up at OnTrack aviation) who knows both the FAA and UK/EASA systems inside out. There are also FAA AMEs in the UK (I use Dr. Nomy Ahmed of flyingmedicine.uk – they have a number of locations including ones near London).
You can still fly some G-reg aircraft on an FAA license without any additional paperwork (“Annex 1” or non-part 21) – things like certain vintage aircraft, homebuilts etc. but generally to get access to one of those you’ll have to be a part owner of one (you don’t have to be a UK citizen to do this, by the way).
Yes quadrantal went away and replaced with semi-circular to be aligned with SERA but legally speaking, they are no quadrantal rules and no semi-circular rules for VFR OCAS in UK
Actually there is no legal requirement to set 1013 for VFR OCAS (you can stay on QNH and fly any altitude up to FL195), there is no legal requirement to give or set aerodrome QNH and with lack of ATS services OCAS one has to come up with his own transition altitude and calculate own transition level, this is ignoring the load of people flying VFR on QFE or RPS…
For IFR OCAS, semi-circular applies and TA/TL is given by ATC or from nearby ATIS or listed in IFR plates or calculated by the PIC
However, it’s a good idea to use 1013 or the QNH as appropriate to avoid accidental airspace busts (e.g. if I’m beneath airspace that’s charted as FLxx, I’ll use 1013, if I’m beneath airspace listed as an altitude, I’ll use the QNH of whoever the airspace belongs to off their ATIS). Obviously within reason, I’m not going to set 1013 if I’m mooching along at 1500 feet and the airspace above starts at FL95 :-)
But fiddling with altimeter in UK while OCAS is one way to make that jackpot: I always keep my altimeters on aerodrome QNH, I can read my FL on GTX transponder screen (it is what matters at the end of the day not the 1013 that you set on altimeter 
), QFE or RPS, I just disregard them, I prefer not to pollute my pannel with such ugly numbers
Usually on VFR days (high pressure and warm), the FL are pushed higher than Altitudes, so flying on QNH is always conservative…
On IFR, I use two altimeters for that task, still not sure who flies uncontrolled in clouds in days where QNH is +/-40hp or temps ISA+/-30deg to hit the other IFR guy +/-1000ft bellow?
It used to be possible to fly non-commercial, day VFR in a G-reg aircraft in UK airspace with any ICAO licence and without any extra paperwork. I used to carry around a letter from the CAA stating exactly that. There was a type of general validation allowing this. It isn’t clear to me if this still exists. I have written to the CAA twice asking the question, but never received a reply. The relevant wording on the CAA website is:
Your licence/certificate will either need to be validated (short term) or be converted into a UK issued licence if you wish to:
exercise more than private privileges or
do a specific activity such as aerial photography or
fly complex powered aircraft which fall under Part-NCC or
ferry an aircraft under IFR or
any other specialist activity
Contact us at [email protected] for more information
and the website page is https://www.caa.co.uk/Commercial-industry/Pilot-licences/Non-UK-licences/Recognition-of-ICAO-third-country-licences-in-UK-airspace/
Part of the website page makes it sounds like you need a formal and time limited validation for any flying, and part suggests that is only needed if you want to exercise additional privileges.
It might be worth applying for the validation in any case, and that would be one way to give yourself some time to fly in the UK before you decide if you want to convert your FAA licence to a UK one.
One word of warning, as a result of Brexit and Covid, the CAA licensing department is very, very, very slow and, in my experience, many of the employees do not have sufficient training and either can’t answer your question, pretend to answer with a non-answer, or ignore you. They are also exceedingly expensive.
