VFR charts

[CaptHill 0]

Hi guys, I have reccently got really into my VFR flying and taken time out to understand VOR navigation and paterns etc.

I obviously have watched several tutorials (mostly USA) and sort of understand the procdures for depatures and arrivals for coontrolled and uncontrolled airports.

BUT when I look at a UK airport chart it looks so diferent I cant find the pattern altitude or if it is left or right circuit or where the arrival landmarks are (the flags etc)

Are UK procedures the same? I really want to enjoy my VFR flying using honest nav instead of the FMC so any help would be appreciated. I now know how to track VORs and triangulate etc but the patterns I would be flying using guess work at the moment without being able to understand a UK airport chart.

How did you guys become pros at VOR/VFR navigation?

Rich

[Tim_A 995]

If you are using the NATS charts (e.g., for Biggin Hill http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/public/index.php%3Foption=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=29&Itemid=78.html ), make sure you read the textual data pages - all the circuit heights, noise abatement procedures etc are detailed in there. The site only details 'licensed aerodromes'. There are many other airfields in the UK that are not covered, and for those you'd need a copy of the AFE or Pooleys flight guides (expired copies can usually be had for the effort of knocking on a flying club's door at your nearest airfield. Or there's always ebay).

While you are on the AIP site, have a look through the menus on the left (particularly the ENR - Enroute - sections). These detail many of the procedures that apply to the UK. Note that every country publishes an AIP (Aviation Information Publication); they have a standard format, so once you've worked your way around it you can find the information for any country in the world. This is the EuroControl portal for locating the various national sites: http://www.eurocontrol.int/aim/public/standard_page/ais_online.html

Additionally, the CAA has produced a guide to flying VFR in the UK: http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/64/VFR_Guide_03_09.pdf

There are lots of differences between the UK (and Europe)'s procedures compared to the US (although few of them apply to 'navigation' per se). There are ATC phraseology differences too. These become significant particularly if you wish to fly in a realistic online environment (e.g. VATSIM), where flight in the UK will be conducted according to UK rules and procedures. The details are laid out in CAP413: http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP413.pdf but obviously if you're sticking to the default FS ATC, it's not important.

A quick summary of the stuff that comes to mind.

* Altimiter settings are given in millibars (mb) in the UK, and Hectopascals (Hpa) in Europe. These amount to the same thing. Standard pressure is 1013mb, which is equivalent to 29.92 inches in the US. Settings are given either as QNH (altitude above sea level) or QFE (height above ground). If you are parked on the apron at Biggin Hill, and given the QNH setting, your altimeter will read 600ft; if you are given the QFE, it'll read 0ft.

* By default, circuit heights are 1000ft QFE, and left-hand, unless otherwise dictated by the local airfield documentation

* Circuits are never joined "on the 45". Direct joins (ie Downwind, base, crosswind) are made 'straight in' to the start of that leg. The default join however is the 'standard overhead join', which does not exist in the US (there's a nice diagram showing how to fly it in the VFR guide above).

* The VFR conspicuity transponder code in Europe is 7000, not 1200

* There is a lot of Class A airspace at low levels in the UK. You cannot fly VFR in Class A, which means that around London, you are limited to flying below 2500ft, and outside the Heathrow CTR In addition, there is a small VFR corridor runs North-South between Liverpool and Manchester (called the LLR - Low Level Route) that restricts you to not above 1250ft. In Southern England, it is rare that you would be able to get above 4500ft VFR.

* Transition Altitude is generally 3000ft (not 18000 like the US), although around London it is 6000ft. All the variations are listed in the AIP. Above the TA, you are flying Flight Levels. This can be done VFR.

* The UK has a Quadrantal rule above 3000ft (rather than semicircular), and IFR is not altitude separated from VFR. Instead tracks of 0-89 degrees fly odd thousands; 90-179 degrees fly odd thousands + 500; 180-269 degrees fly even thousands and 270-359 degrees fly even thousands + 500.

* In the UK, you can fly IFR outside controlled airspace, with no flight plan

* 'Flight following' does not exist outside the US. There are other services, but unless you intend to fly online, it's not worth worrying about.

[CaptHill 0]

Thank you very much for taking the time and effort to put this together. :001_th_smiles76:

The information here will prove invaluable in my ambitions to fly 'the honest way'.

:001_th_smiles89:

If I have questions once I get chance to try some VFR flights I will post here, in the hope yourself and others can help. But in the meantime, many thanks, once again proving Muts hanger is the place to ask!

Rich

[aeromax 10]

That´s true about Differences. In Germany we talk about altitude up to 5.000ft and QNH setting is required. Above (from) 5.000ft we talk about Flightlevel and is associated with standart Setting 1013hPa and also you ´ll get a Transponder-Code from Controller like 3701. This related to TA/TL. Around e.g. EDDF we have TA/TL 6.000ft/ 7.000ft. So if you penetrate 5.000ft you have to fly "mentioned before" semi-circulars on VFR-Flights (EVEN/ODD).

Regards, Max. :001_th_smiles89:

[aeromax 10]

:001_th_smiles89:

[aeromax 10]

just for Information

[kingair 0]

Well Answered Tim. With respect to QNH and QFE... If the rest of the World used this British system, I would feel far safer in the Canadian-US skies that I fly

Ian.