The flight was a completely different story: I was radar identified (means cleared IFR in France) at 1000ft amsl before entering 1500ft amsl airspace, I was asked to remain bellow 4kft on a vector, I was in clouds at 2kft…
If you find it odd to be given VFR in Class A TMA with I-FPL for IR pilot, wait untill you go to Spain, you get vectored with PPL on V-FPL into Alpha in Alicante and you have to keep it for yourself: the more you talk, the more you create confusion (ATC just did not get it, so I had to assume SkyDemon map was wrong about 1/2 bit of airspace)
started to fine pilots that flew according to such a clearance (in cases of low approaches at airports)
Yes I know and it’s a really interesting case
Peter wrote:
In the UK, the answer for a Class G non ATC airfield is generally “immediately”.
A trap exists at airfields that sit OCAS but under a CTA.
Take North Weald EGSX as an example. VFR only, A/G.
Depart to the west or north-west and you are under a CTA with base 1500 for up to 8NM. The MSA is 2300. When you level out at 1400 (because you have no clearance to enter the CTA) in IMC, waiting for a gap to get your message to London Control and subsequent clearance for further climb and to enter CAS, you cannot legally be IFR because you are straight and level below MSA.
Departing to the east the restriction does not exist, because the CTA extends only 1NM east of the airfield, so you can get up to 2400 (CAS base 2500) and comply with the MSA requirement.
Yes it’s a good point on takeoff/land you will have to remain OCAS but the task is as tough in VMC as in IMC, however, climbing to IFR MSA gets you quickly inside, there is not much terrain to CFIT in UK but there are hills & cliffs of airspace around and CFIA, controlled flight into airspace is likely to be the main risk, especially on on going missed, anyone who just load “Visual GTN” or “Visual in Perspective” does not have SUSP button and probably does not know what he is doing on missed
There are load of examples,
- Luton & Stansted CTA, Manchester LLR
- West of Biggin (2400ft MSA, LTMA at 2500ft)
Ignoring departure & arrival, say on VFR trip, what an IR rated pilot should do if he gets into less than 1.5km visibility or into clouds in these corners?
I saw SID & IAP & MAP plates for IFR to Fairoaks ATZ, Local Flying Area LFA under Heathrow CTR…some pilots are way more sophisticated with their DIY but apparently the guy seems to know very well what he is doing way more than most of us (I think the sophistication is at par with mix of RNP+Radar+ILS when doing IFR and visual circling at LeBourget/Toussus followed by missed RNP+Radar+VOR)
MarkW wrote:
you cannot legally be IFR because you are straight and level below MSA
It depends what is your planned cruise altitude? and where your departure/missed stops?
There is a tiny number of places that require you to fly low level IFR at X or not above/bellow A/B under RNAV1 departure or missed way bellow route/sector MSA (e.g. LeBourget for an obvious reason) and there are many places where you can level IFR on IAP during approach for an “extended cruise”, actually any 2D NPA with 10nm FAF and MDH bellow 1000ft agl flown with Dive-n-Drive
