Question: Is it worth asking for a VFR clearance to transit these CTAs on a Friday afternoon at, say, FL95, or are those ATC units likely to be mega-busy?
In the U.K. I would phone the relevant ATC unit(s) beforehand, but I’m not sure if that’s the done thing in Belgium and Germany.
Background: with a forecast 20 knot tailwind, FL95 should save 35 minutes compared with creeping along down amongst the wind turbines.
Thanks in advance for any local knowledge or experience,
Peter
Brussels I don’t know. But Frankfurt I know for certain: No way! They have night flying ban (with lots of excemptions though) between midnight and 6 in the morning. The only chance would be during that time…
How early do you have to decide?
I never called on the phone. Not sure what Gatwick EGKK would say on the phone, but I normally found them helpful on the radio. Sometimes asking long in advance if something is possible is more likely to yield a “no” because they see that as a commitment. Same thing as booking practice approaches (not sure if UK thing only) – Over the phone you’ll find there’s much less availability that if you ask them on the radio a couple miles out if possible to shoot an approach.
You basically have routes
AA (Fly the shortcut, get transit approved)
AB (Fly the shortcut, transit denied, revert to route B)
BA (Fly route B, but ask for transit approved, get it, and fly it)
BB (Fly route B, never ask for the transit)
AB is likely your worse routing. It will be even worse the latest you ask for the transit. If you think you are likely not to get permission, then you should call early so that AB is not much bigger than BB. If you think it’s likely, then you can afford deciding late.
Build a valid IFR routing with autorouter.eu and then file it in the VFR flight plan. But at least for EDDF you will have to cruise FL140 to get a crossing approved.
Brussels, no issue to cross the TMA at FL095. I flew once from Seppe in The Netherlands (close to BE border) to Pontarlier in France. I first got a clearance till FL050 and after 15 min, I was allowed to climb further to FL095.
In my personal experience all of Belgium has always been a non-issue, as my VFR flights were effectively treated almost like IFR, except that I was given VRPs rather than 5-letter waypoints. The rest was identical, including direct to VOR instructions. On one occasion, Liege asked me if vectors to ILS at 7 NM would suit me – on a VFR flight!
VFR transit through Brussels CTA is not a problem, but you should choose an IFR-cruising level (as per AIP), so FL090 or FL 110.
It never hurts to ask, but always have a Plan B in case you are denied a transit.
I received a VFR transit right through and over the top of Frankfurt EDDF last year at FL085, south to north, in the early afternoon.
Agree with HighFly. I have sometimes been given permission, sometimes not…