The new (June 2014) GAR form – a total cck-up?*
Just played with the new (June 2014) GAR form once again. Am I the only one to have done that?
Anyone noticed that it’s junk? The aircraft type now has to be chosen using a drop-down menu. Well, while there is a handful of entries for the C182, the C172 is completely missing!!
Now that’s another way of moving people towards electronic submission…
It is strangely constructed, that’s for sure. The list of ICAO types is on the tab ‘ICAO 8643’ – you can see why there are duplicates of many entries, but interestingly the C172 is on that list, so clearly it has not been used as a lookup table. Weird. The aircraft ICAO code should have been free text.
At least the SR-71 Blackbird made it into the list. I will able to fill in GAR forms when the nice people at Duxford agree to let me borrow their Blackbird. 
For those who haven’t seen it, the new form can be downloaded here.
It doesn’t appear to give information on where to send it. It appears that they still want you to email it to the old ncu@ address, which means that unless you attach the .xls file they will still have to transcribe the information.
It doesn’t appear to give information on where to send it.
Well, that information is on the separate instructions sheet (available on the same site as above). But yes, they could also put that information directly on the form…
It appears that they still want you to email it to the old ncu@ address
Yes, unless one uses onlinegar or one of its derivatives (AOPA, Skydemon)
which means that unless you attach the .xls file they will still have to transcribe the information.
How else could one send a GAR via email other than by attaching the xls file?
How else could one send a GAR via email other than by attaching the xls file?
I could imagine somebody printing it to a PDF and attaching the PDF to the email.
In any normal business context that is 100% definitely what I would do – because it avoids the presumptious behaviour of sending say a Word 2010 or Excel 2010 document and forcing everybody further down in the food chain to upgrade their otherwise perfectly working Word 2003 or Excel 2003 programs
I’m pleased to see that they have various types of MIG on there. Have to admire the faith the UK Border Force (or whatever these plonkers call themselves) put in the Russians to self-announce airstrikes. Alas, no B2 – bummer….
I’m pleased to see that they have various types of MIG on there. Have to admire the faith the UK Border Force (or whatever these plonkers call themselves) put in the Russians to self-announce airstrikes. Alas, no B2 – bummer….
That’s funny, but then again, they also assume that anyone looking to traffic illegal immigrants to the UK or wanted criminals to the Channel Islands, would put the full details in the GAR form. I would like to know exactly what they do with the information (bin it immidiately, is my assumption) and how many bad guys have been caught by the system.
IMHO, as a former KGB agent 
(well I’ve read all the books) I think the reason they collect this stuff is that there will be loads of bad guys who are known to the security services but who don’t know they are known. These guys travel under their real names and real non-forged documents (always the safest way) and are thus easily tracked and the security services can build up a picture of their networks. Mostly they will travel on airlines but if they fly GA they may well put their details on the GAR form just in case there is a ramp check.
A bad guy who has been blown (or has a police record for anything else) is not going to be putting his name on the GAR etc, but then he is running a much bigger risk travelling with fake documents. His best option is a boat – at night Anyway, once you have been blown you are useless (for travel) to any criminal organisation and may as well stay at home.
The B2 would be a difficult one. It is over 1999kg but they won’t be able to bill the route charges because it won’t show on radar However I am sure the B2 does have Mode S, for when this is “appropriate”… so you will get a secondary return but not a primary return. However that also means you will never get a traffic service on it because AIUI that needs the primary return to be present
UK GAR – no more flying between a “strip” and a non EU (or C.I.) airport
The new guidance notes here, on page 3 state
Such flights were possible for many years, but no more.
So if you are based on a strip, you can still fly abroad but it has to be to/from an EU country.
