Peter wrote:
would regard that Q as innocent, and is often used if you ask for a shortcut which cuts a corner off their MRVA, and they don’t want the form filling if you hit some granite
Yes, exactly. I had that on departure close to the Vosges mountains the other day… Asked if I’m VMC, affirm, gives me a climb and a nice direct to enroute point. Didn’t tell me to maintain VMC… but on a hunch, I called back a few seconds before entering IMC with that information, and the clearance was immediately amended to go back to the IFR departure route “recommended” in the AIP (not exactly technically a published SID), and direct enroute point after passing XXXX ft in the climb.
The one I get asked all the time by ATC when flying back to home base from Europe is “what is your destination”. This happens when flying back to the farm strip in the UK. The flight plan has the destination as ZZZZ as there is no ICAO code and I do add a remark explaining that “Dest is Upper Harford Private Site, 15NM east of EGBJ”. But on every such flight I get asked at least once and sometimes on virtually every handover.
I think it puzzles them that an aircraft flying non-stop from say Slovenia or Croatia and cruising at FL260 at 250kts TAS can be heading to a grass strip.
Buckerfan wrote:
I think it puzzles them that an aircraft flying non-stop from say Slovenia or Croatia and cruising at FL260 at 250kts TAS can be heading to a grass strip.
And what is customs and border police saying to a grass strip in the middle of nowhere?
MichaLSA wrote:
And what is customs and border police saying to a grass strip in the middle of nowhere?
That is one of the wonders of UK aviation. You can fly to a completely remote grass strip provided you file a GA x hours before departure to inform the Border Force. I usually email the Border Force directly as well just to be on the safe side. In over 10 years of flying into the grass strip here from ex UK (well over 100 times), the authorities have never bothered to meet me. It is fantastic.
That is one of the wonders of UK aviation
Absolutely 👍🏻
For once the UK offers a simple and honest system, how come the rest of European countries can’t follow suit? Too proud, and too stupid, national prides topped by national interests…
