VFR and CFIT

[digits_]

For what it's worth, there is no "rest of European airspace". Every country has significantly different rules regarding general aviation. Most of them agree somewhat on airline operations and high altitude IFR flying, but other than that, every country does what they want.

While hard to quantify, I'd like to guess that the UK has rules that deviate the most from other countries. Some rules allow more, others restrict more. There are plenty of differences regarding overfly equipment requirements (mode S), uncontrolled airspace, flight plan requirements, requirements for class A, night VFR, .... It would be nice to have a single european sky, but I doubt it will ever happen.

[photofly]

As stated in the AIP Norway,

Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA) 4Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA)Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA) er implementert i Norge gjennom og med de tillegg som følger av forskrift 14. desember 2016 nr. 1578 om lufttrafikkregler og operative prosedyrer (BSL F 1-1)

Which translates as

Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA) has been implemented in Norway through and with the additions stated in regulation 14th December 2016 No 1578 on rules of the air and operational provisions (BSL F 1-1)

Standard European Rules of the Air. Who'd have imagined. Just remember - no Class E airspace in Norway. Class C and D requires clearance, prior to entry, and everything else is uncontrolled. No clearance possible.

More details:
https://luftfartstilsynet.no/en/about-u ... or-norway/

[C.W.E.]

With regard to weather flying decisions one of my opinions holds true.

" The hardest thing about flying is knowing when to say no. "

[digits_]

As stated in the AIP Norway,

Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA) 4Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA)Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA) er implementert i Norge gjennom og med de tillegg som følger av forskrift 14. desember 2016 nr. 1578 om lufttrafikkregler og operative prosedyrer (BSL F 1-1)

Which translates as

Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA) has been implemented in Norway through and with the additions stated in regulation 14th December 2016 No 1578 on rules of the air and operational provisions (BSL F 1-1)

Standard European Rules of the Air. Who'd have imagined. Just remember - no Class E airspace in Norway. Class C and D requires clearance, prior to entry, and everything else is uncontrolled. No clearance possible.

More details:
https://luftfartstilsynet.no/en/about-u ... or-norway/

Ok, I stand corrected, they have Standard Rules. For General Aviation it is more of a nice flyer than an actually useful document though.

Some concrete examples (from up to 2 years ago)
- Netherlands didn't allow flying night vfr, except for training
- Belgium requires an aerodrome operator to be present when the airfield is open, France does not
- UK allows you to fly VFR in certain class A airspace at night, other european countries don't

And yet, they will all claim they have implemented the SERA rules.

It's a nice idea, but you can't trust it. No European regulations have any effect on the European countries until every country has implemented them in their national laws. That often results in subtle and not so subtle differences.

[Heliian]

Some examples:

The Irish lord and his 2 pilots killed after takeoff into fog, heavy pressure from the money.

Husband and wife killed in their personal helicopter when they were trying to get home after dark, over dark bush, with snow in the area. Overconfidence and Get-home-itis.

2 inexperienced pilots killed after hitting tower ferrying to a county fair to do rides, flight conducted in marginal weather. Lack of experience and trying to get er done.

Experienced pilot, cross country, weather decends, loss of reference and fatal crash. Caught in a trap, kept trying to push down.

These are just a few examples from the helicopter side of things. It would seem that no one is safe from making mistakes.

[bobcaygeon]

You can blame operators all you want but that certainly doesn't explain the large number of CFIT accidents by private pilots in personal aircraft. It's pretty clear that pilots will push weather even if they don't have a boss pushing them. They do it all by themselves....... Pressure is just as often perceived as real... get-home-itis doesn't need a boss......not wanting to wait or spend the night because they are off the next day or want to sleep in their own bed is all on them...

Nice try though.....

[Eric Janson]

Any problems getting a clearance? -

I"m not second guessing anyone's actions here. But I am pointing out that (according to Wikipedia which I have no reason to doubt) there is no class E airspace in Norway. Class A is FL195 and up, C and D are controlled and you need contact/permission to enter, and everything else is uncontrolled, class G.

This flight was in uncontrolled airspace, in which (I'm not familiar with Norwegian rules, but let's say they're the same as the UK, as part of EASA) IFR flight is permitted without planning, permission or contact with any agency. So PilotDAR was at liberty at any and all times to climb into IMC of his own free will and continue IFR, as he pleased. He could never have had a "clearance" even if he declared the direst of emergencies, nor would he require one. You don't even need to have a radio on board to fly in IMC in uncontrolled airspace. Just head on through.

I missed that the flight was in Class G airspace.

You would need a clearance to enter controlled airspace and land.

The one time I found myself in deteriorating marginal VFR conditions - I made a 180 and returned to the origin airport.

One Pilot I knew was killed after hitting a tree flying in marginal VFR conditions.