Flying Abroad?
| Please note: The material contained in this site is correct to the best of our knowledge, but should be regarded as for guidance only. If any discrepancies or omissions are discovered we would be pleased to hear from you. E-mail now! |
If you are one of the growing band of aviators who are venturing more often a bit further than the South Coast, then this new page should be helpful.
There are several factors to consider when flying foreign which are not generally needed when flying within the UK, and the required procedures are well documented in publications such as "Crossing the Channel" available from the PFA Turweston office. Regarding PFA aeroplanes operating on a Permit to Fly, there is no automatic recognition of the Permit in other countries, and permission must be obtained on an individual basis before departure.
The PFA information Leaflet TL 2.08 has lots of useful stuff, including contact names and numbers for many European countries.(See link below...)
To make the process a little easier, we will try to collect all this information together, and provide links on this webpage for downloading the various forms that are needed.
To begin...
Click this button to download a Flight Plan form (in a .zip file) which can be filled in on-screen and faxed directly to your ATSU office. (WINZIP is required to uncompress the data).
To assist with the entries, CAA Safety Leaflet #20 "VFR Flight Plans" is well worth getting.
In
the south of England we can Fax the flight-plan directly to Heathrow briefing
room:
0208 7502617 or
0208 7502618
If you can't Fax directly from your PC, their voice lines are:
0208 7502615 or
0208 7502616
and you can dictate details straight from your filled-in flight plan form over
the phone.
Next...
If your intended trip is to Ireland (North or South), the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man, you will need to send a fax to both Special Branch (Ports Police Unit) and Customs informing them of your intended flight. This declaration form has to be in their office at least 12 hours prior to departure (Fax numbers below): |
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If you choose to send the form by e-mail, download the e-mail friendly version which will not be blocked by any attachment filters. This form can be filled in on-screen, and attached to an e-mail message to the appropriate office. (Phone numbers and e-mail addresses are on the notes that accompany the Fax-able version).
Further information concerning the requirements of Special Branch and Customs can be found on the Pilot's Friend website, click the link to open their flight planning page.
For
those of us in the Bristol area, the Fax numbers are:
Special Branch (Ports Police Unit) - 01275 473516
Tel (voice) - 01275 473515
Customs Fax number - 0870 2403738
| If you are going to France, it is not
generally necessary to Fax details to Customs in advance, but from 2006
there is a 2hour prior notice required if you're going to Le Touquet.
Do it on-line from this link: www.aeroport-letouquet.com/customs . The good news is that since 22nd May 2001 the special permission previously required for PFA Permit aeroplanes is no longer needed. Click on the button below to download the Information Leaflet if you are going to other EU countries: |
(Note... these files are .pdf format and will require Acrobat Reader to read them. You can download this from the link on our Strutter page).
| Additional information for flying to the
Channel Islands if you operate on a Permit-to-Fly: You need to get specific permission from both Jersey Airport and Guernsey Airport by faxing your Permit and Validity Certificate to Julian Green, e-mail green.j@jerseyairport.com at Jersey, and Ray Plant, e-mail ray.plant@gov.gg at Guernsey. If you e-mail your request first they will pass you a fax number for the documents. |
| Recently announced is the news that Plymouth Military Radar can offer a service to GA traffic crossing the Channel west of Greenwich, and those following the coast west of Bournemouth. Call LARS East on 124.15 or LARS West on 121.25, either side of A25. You can phone the Operations Desk 24H on 01752 557550 for further information. |
Fuel duty drawback...
| Did you know that it is possible to claim back the Excise Duty that you paid when you filled your tank, on the fuel you used to fly abroad? H.M. Customs & Excise will refund the duty paid if you fill in their Form HO 60 and send it to them on your return. (Note: If you take on fuel at Lydd for flying to the continent, they charge duty-free rates anyway). Click here to download the form: |
(Note... this is a .zip file as before, which will expand to two pages in Word-6 format. Print them back-to-back and fill in your details).
As
the rate of duty (item 6 on the form) varies almost daily, you must contact
Customs to get the price on the day you flew.
For those of us in the Bristol area, the phone number at Bristol Airport is:
01275 474838
They also have an enquiries number: 08450 109000 for general assistance.
The completed form should be sent to:
H.M.Customs & Excise
Dobson House
Regent Centre
Gosforth
Newcastle
NE3 3PF
Flying in France...
Specifically for flying to France, this
link may be useful: http://flyinfrance.free.fr/
Any other business...
To complete the preparations for your trip abroad, we have collected a few useful links together:
| Courtesy of our hosts, FLYER Internet, lots of useful addresses to browse through. Click on Flyer links ! |
| Weather!! Go to our Weather page and select your favourite service. |
| Safety Equipment: For information on purchase or hire of life jackets, liferafts, immersion suits and emergency survival packs, call S.E.M.S. Aerosafe on 01268 534427, fax: 01268 281009, or e-mail them on sems@btinternet.com for details. |
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