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I could hardly beleive it, but my plan to fly from Bournemouth to Guernsey unfolded exactly… as planned. We flew the route that I described in previous post, and the approach to Guernsey went fine. Both flight plans (Bournemouth to Guernsey and Guernsey to Waltham with a leaving) were accepted by Brussels without any change, and we received no slot.

When studying the Bournemouth departure, I noticed that there was no guidance to the THRED intersection, but only a ground track, after the initial turn. This was not a problem in flight, because an airliner was landing shortly after our departure, and we received radar vectors to bring us out of this possible go-around way.

We rapidly got IMC after take-off, and the climb was between different cloud layers. Such intermittent IMC is the probably the worst possible condition for IFR pilots, as one tend to constantly switch between instruments and natural horizon.

The temperature at FL080 was approximately 5 degrees Celsius, so icing was not an issue. Shortly before reaching FL080, we reached VMC on top conditions, making the flight more pleasant, even if there was nothing but clouds to see outside. No chance to see England’s shores…

The en-route navigation, managed by London Center, was all based on radar vectors. The route was to THRED, then ORTAC, and GUR VOR, but not under own navigation. Thanks to the GNS430 display, it was easy to guess what the controllers were doing.

The descent clearance came early, and put us into IMC again. We had some intermitent VMC when passing over the other Alderney, but no real opportunity for good pictures… except if you like islands in clouds.

The question regarding the use of the GUR VOR holding for track reversal was solved exactly the same way than the one about Bournemouth departure: we got vectors to the ILS. The intermediate descent, and final approach were all in clouds and rain, not to mention the winds…

We broke off clouds and got runway in sigth at approximately 700 feet. Well above the ILS minimum, but rather low for an approach with a single engine aircraft.

As the weather was not exactly ideal for flying to Jersey and Alderney VFR, we had coffee and cake before flying back to White Waltham. The flight home was like the flight to Guernsey. Departure in IMC, then wonderful VMC on top.

We descended after coasting in, and left IFR once clear of the Southampton TMA. This long flying day (5h05 total, including a Waltham - Southend - Waltham flight in the morning) was finally blessed by rainbow while approaching Waltham.

Thanks to the simplicity of IFR procedures, this flight was uneventful, except that I had to fly most of it manually, because the autopilot was not able to maintain altitude with 100 feet precision - a very good basic IFR handling exercise indeed.

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Category: Pilot Reports, Video Gallery
Tags: Bournemouth Guernsey IFR IMC Video

If everything goes well, and weather permitting, my next flight will take place in one month. As often, the plans change with time. The Bournemouth Guernsey leg is still on the roadmap, but another promising idea appeared regarding the rest of the plan: making three in a row.

Making all that effor to fly to Guernsey and the not make a quick VFR jump from to Jersey and Alderney seems to be a shame. This is may the an unconscious influence of Sylvia’s idea of flying all the British Islands, combined with my natural attraction to islands. And while I’m there, why not stop on the Isle of Wight on the way back ?

Jersey and Alderney also have IFR approaches, but VFR allows for much flexibility on short notice. No need to file a flight plan one hour in advance, no processing in Brussels, and so on. I did not read all the regulation about flying the Class A airspace around the Islands in VFR, that comes next on my list. Note that flying VFR in Class A airspace is something… special (special VFR… got it ?).

The relatively lower workload of VFR also leaves more time to enjoy the view. After a four months break, I also want to profit from the simple pleasure of flying. I like the systematic and technical aspects of IFR flying, but a VFR promenade in good conditions is also a good fun.

Just after getting my IFR rating, I thought that it was THE way of flying, and I somehow overlooked VFR flying. I later found out that VFR also has many advantadges, particularly when it comes to flexibility. I can now enjoy both, but it’s sometimes hard to choose.

In periods of low flying time like the one I’m going through for the time being, this leads me to what I call SFR: Schizoprenic Flight Rules. What to choose ? IFR ? VFR ? The time and money available are limited, so I have to choose.

Decision making… again. However, the final call will depend on weather. I hope it will not ruin all the plans. Mid August is probably amongst the better times of year, but I’ll be there for three days only. Only time will tell…

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Category: Pilots Talk
Tags: Alderney flight preparation Guernsey IFR Jersey VFR

This is the second post in a series about preparing an IFR flight, which I will hopefully do this summer, when visiting friends in England. It will be a Bornemouth - Guernsey leg, and today I’ll give more details about the approach.

In many respects, the ILS approaches to Guernsey are typical, school-like ones. No exotic or special procedures, but many details that must be looked at. For each approach direction (09 - 27), there is an ILS, a VOR-DME and an NDB approach, which follow the same principles.

The approaches start overhead the VOR (or the NDB in case of NDB approach), and start with an outbound leg. Then comes a 45°/180° track reversal procedure to intercept the final approach track.

There is no mandatory holding, but for runway 27, the holding published over the VOR can be used for track reversal, as the turn to the outbound track when coming from the airway would be too steep. I don’t know how likely it is to get vectors to final approach, so I get ready for the full procedure, just in case…

The go-around is always the same as well: fly straight ahead to 2.5, 2.7 or 3.0 miles, depending on runway and approach type, then turn right back to the VOR / NDB and hold. There are also altitude conditions associated with the turn.

That’s for the big picture, now come all the details. At first, both ILS use the same frequency: 108.1. It’s always important to identify beacons using the morse call-sign, to make sure they’re not failed, or undergoing maintenance, but in that case, it’s even more imporant. If for any reason the wrong ILS is in service, this could lead to false indications.

Reading the notes on the approach plates can take time, and it’s better to do that before the flight. One mentions that aircraft unable to receive DME shall advise ATC, and will be given radar ranges at key points of the procedure. I don’t know the reason for that, may be it is because the approach is flown relatively low, at 2′000 feet over the sea, making DME reception less reliable.

The procedure starts at 2′000 feet over the VOR / NDB, and the outbound leg is 7.2 miles long, all at 2′000 feet, so there is no descent planning issue. If starting the approach directly from the airway, at an higher altitude, the standard descente rate of 300 feet / miles means one must not cross the VOR at altitudes above 4′000 feet.

The Decision Altitude (DA) when flying the ILS is at 503 feet AMSL, corresponding to the standard category I 200 feet AGL minimum. The glide slope is also a standard one, descending at 3°.

In case the DME is failed, times are published for the procedure turn, and the missed approach point is then the VOR itself, with obviously a much higher minimum.

Circlings are not forbidden, but there are some prescriptions regarding altitude and tracks. The probability of flying a circling seems very remote, as three different approach types (ILS, VOR, NDB) are available for each runway direction.

After all that preparation, I feel more comfortable with the approach. I will obviously brief the one we’ll fly before executing it, but without a careful pre-study, that would be hard. Any of your tips are also welcome.

If you liked this post, you can read the previous on in the series, about preparing the route from Bournemouth to Guernsey.

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Category: Pilots Talk
Tags: approach Guernsey IFR ILS NDB procedure VOR