Many German uncontrolled airports have prescribed/recommended traffic circuits and VFR arrival and departure routes.
If you are arriving on an Y flight plan or departing on a Z flight plan, are you expected to completely follow VFR procedures or can you do a straight-in approach and depart directly on track (taking due care not to interfere with local traffic, of course)?
Airborne_Again wrote:
… are you expected to completely follow VFR procedures or can you do a straight-in approach and depart directly on track …
That depends very much on the reason why the traffic pattern is prescribed in a certain manner. If it is due to noise abatement, you must follow it strictly (one example being Egelsbach where they really expect you to follow their traffic pattern). If it is for the purpose of traffic management and traffic allows, you can do as you please. If in doubt, either call them by phone before the flight or by radio. I regularly fly to some airfields with low traffic who don’t mind direct approaches and departures at all and permit even takeoff and landing in the opposite direction.
