EDVU

Lüneburg is a very pleasant and friendly airfield. It’s also very close to town and therefore als close to the railway station (a short taxi drive).

Don’t let the PPR put you off. It applies to most smallish airfields in Germany cause legally they have to make sure a radio operator is there when you land. IIRC, the operator lives by or very close to the airfield, so attending to you is really no problem for them.

The only question is how much these people will be able to speak English (both on the phone and over the radio). You just have to phone to find out. (Officially, neither of these airfields guarantees English on the radio).

Do you have a Jeppesen / German AIP VFR at all?

No, neither does Rotenburg officially offer English on the radio.

You just have to decide what you want. Do you want to accept the inconvenience of a more distant and more expensive airfield just to be compliant with all the rules? Or do you want land at more convenient place and accept having to sort out PPR and English RT beforehand via tel?

You can’t land at an uncontrolled airport in Germany unless there is a radio operator on duty!?

Really, I never stop being surprised about the strange ideas that every national authority seem to have that no one else care about. (We certainly have them in Sweden as well.)

Well, I do believe you. It really is hard to explain certain german rules and restrictions to pilots coming from countries like yours, where aviation is still lived in a very pragmatic way.

Likewise, many german pilots, after flying in Sweden, Norway or Denmark for the first time come back totally staggered. Flying at unattended airfields? Incredible. Not getting charged x Euros for each and every touch n go? Cool! Switching the lights on via radio? Anarchy!

Most (me too) soon end up flying to an airport and find out the tower is not active, concluding that the airport must be closed and unavailabble for landing. Airport opening hours and airport attendance / ATC service goes hand in hand for a german pilot just coming from PPL school.

As they build experience however, most slowly understand that it’s the german way which is the odd one, and that the – let me say – “Nordic” way of doing aviation is the right one.

Not just the Nordic countries. Aviation in the UK can be very relaxed (though not in every way.)

When I have spoken to (mostly German) audiences at Friedrichshafen they have been astounded by how easy so many things are in the UK (IFR without flightplan, without radio and outside controlled airspace, not even requiring an attitude indicator, for example.)

I think that the biggest problem with EASA has been trying to shoehorn the rest of Europe into the most restrictive (German) regime. That is why there is so much backlash now, with the UK CAA leading the way towards relaxing the restrictions. Luckily, EASA appears to be listening!

…by the way, who knows that it is perfectly legal in the UK to make an IMC/IFR approach to a VFR runway (or farmer’s strip) with no RVR minima specified and with no equipment on the aircraft?

You could be done for the catch-all “Reckless Endangerment”, but there is no specific law to stop it.

That means that I need a legal minimum 800m RVR at Heathrow, but there is no minimum in terms of RVR or DA at an unlit farmer’s strip, or VFR airfield.

Timothy is this due to the Rule 5 exception for take off and landing?

There is plenty in the IFR about MSA, planning a let down into VMC, and the approach ban which would preclude a zero zero attempt into a farm strip using common sense airmanship.

Turning it around how do they achieve Rule 5 enforcements other than the obvious low flying near crowds, extensive built up areas with no landing site, or stadiums?