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Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions (England only, for now)

PostPosted:Fri May 15, 2020 12:35 pm
by deltacharlie

Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions (England only, for now)

PostPosted:Fri May 15, 2020 12:39 pm
by Dave W
Worth making a 'Sticky'. :D
Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions

Definitive CAA/DfT announcement

Flyer wrote:The UK Government has lifted restrictions on recreational flying but with some conditions.

Flying is now allowed:

from English airfields
if social distancing measures are strictly observed
In practice this means that only solo flights, or flights where everyone is from the same household, are permitted. This is because it’s not generally possible to observe social distancing during a GA flight.

Recreational flying in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales

Recreational general aviation is currently still not allowed in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales, where there are different public health and safety requirements. Please follow this page for further updates.

Limits on GA flying in England

Since 13 May some sports, in which it is possible to observe social distancing, are permitted. The government takes the view that recreational general aviation is a permissible recreational sport.

This excludes most training flights, as social distancing measures require people not in the same household to maintain 2 metres of separation. While these flights are a key source of income for many aerodromes, they cannot presently be undertaken in a way that reduces the risk of Covid-19 transmission to an acceptable level.

Whilst noting that online training and socially-distanced training on the ground can take place, the inability to undertake training flights will mean that some pilots will not be able to resume flying until further easing of restrictions is possible. We advise those affected in this way to monitor this page and wider government guidance for further updates.

Reopening of aerodromes in England

Updated government advice encourages people to go to work where it is not possible to work from home. This advice applies to aerodrome operators, with guidance for transport operators having been published on 11 May.

See also guidance on safer workplaces.

The question of whether any individual aerodrome should open (or reopen) is a business decision for aerodrome operators. Aerodrome operators are best placed to decide whether opening is in their best interest, either from a commercial or health and safety standpoint, including their ability to maintain safe socially-distancing consistent with current PHE guidance.

It is also to be expected that some airfields will require time to implement guidance on making their sites Covid-secure, and that there may therefore be delays to reopening.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... l-aviation



https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... l-aviation

... and they're off.

PostPosted:Fri May 15, 2020 1:04 pm
by Kemble Pitts
Just seen a posting on LinkedIn from Martin Robinson at AOPA saying we can go flying - English airfields only, solo or with fellow prisoners.

I'll try to find the source and post.

Re: Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions (England only, for now)

PostPosted:Fri May 15, 2020 1:14 pm
by Kemble Pitts
Sorry, hadn't noticed the previous posts.

Re: Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions (England only, for now)

PostPosted:Fri May 15, 2020 4:33 pm
by tomtytom
Go on I'll bite, can we take off from england and over fly wales, scotland and NI?

Re: Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions (England only, for now)

PostPosted:Fri May 15, 2020 6:49 pm
by malcolmfrost
Quite possibly, but how about no-one antagonises anyone else for a few weeks :D

Re: Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions (England only, for now)

PostPosted:Fri May 15, 2020 6:52 pm
by tomtytom
I'd never dream of doing such a thing. It was purely theoretical :)

Re: Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions (England only, for now)

PostPosted:Fri May 15, 2020 8:38 pm
by rf3flyer
tomtytom wrote:Go on I'll bite, can we take off from england and over fly wales, scotland and NI?
We'll get the BOFORS dusted off and loaded. :)

Re: Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions (England only, for now)

PostPosted:Mon May 18, 2020 12:26 pm
by hatzflyer
Typical ...as of today permit runs out and LAA seem to have taken 5 years to query with my prop and grounded me !
Can anyone help ? Is there anyone flying a 180 hp Vans RV4 with a Catto gen 3 Glass/Carbon 68dia x74 pitch prop ?
It appears that the tads on a RV4 180hp have not been updated since 2013.

Re: Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions (England only, for now)

PostPosted:Tue May 19, 2020 7:55 am
by pilotbarry
It felt good to get out and about....

Image

Re: Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions (England only, for now)

PostPosted:Tue May 19, 2020 3:05 pm
by BoeingBoy
Go on I'll bite, can we take off from england and over fly wales, scotland and NI?


Recreational GA is banned in the regions so no, you cannot overfly the airspace for that purpose. Yes, for maintenance and health flights and of course commercial transport and aircraft carrying out aerial work would be fine.

Mind you that hasn't stopped a few people I've seen wandering around Snowdonia at a time when the park is closed and the Police are turning people away and issuing fines. Great PR Guys....Well Done!

As I posted elsewhere, I'm told the The Welsh Office are watching FR24 keenly and asking for clarification if they see aircraft over Welsh airspace so it's best not to antagonize them right now.

Re: Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions (England only, for now)

PostPosted:Tue May 19, 2020 3:08 pm
by Kemble Pitts
hatzflyer wrote:Typical ...as of today permit runs out and LAA seem to have taken 5 years to query with my prop and grounded me !
Can anyone help ? Is there anyone flying a 180 hp Vans RV4 with a Catto gen 3 Glass/Carbon 68dia x74 pitch prop ?
It appears that the tads on a RV4 180hp have not been updated since 2013.


Frustrating I'm sure, but is the LAA to blame for looking at the data and thinking 'hang on, this prop/engine/airfame is not the approved setup for this aircraft and its the first we've heard of it'?

Or have I got the wrong end of the stick and it is their drop-off?

Re: Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions (England only, for now)

PostPosted:Tue May 19, 2020 4:10 pm
by skydriller
BoeingBoy wrote:
Go on I'll bite, can we take off from england and over fly wales, scotland and NI?


Recreational GA is banned in the regions so no, you cannot overfly the airspace for that purpose. Yes, for maintenance and health flights and of course commercial transport and aircraft carrying out aerial work would be fine.

As I posted elsewhere, I'm told the The Welsh Office are watching FR24 keenly and asking for clarification if they see aircraft over Welsh airspace so it's best not to antagonize them right now.


I cant help myself, Ive been looking at this topic for a while now....

As was discussed a multitude of times in the last 2 months regarding the whole of the UK and the interpretation of the rules....exactly what authority has the time to be checking FR24 all day, and under what law they would attempt to charge ANYONE flying from/to or over Wales or Scotland... Contrary to the thread title, some believe flying wasnt ever dis-allowed, despite the curtain-twitchers on here and elsewhere... :roll:

Re: Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions (England only, for now)

PostPosted:Tue May 19, 2020 7:36 pm
by Tim Dawson
BoeingBoy wrote:Recreational GA is banned in the regions


Is it? I was under the impression that it was expressly NOT banned, and that it’s only the lack of being able to leave one’s house that effectively prevents it.

Re: Flying allowed! DfT lifts restrictions (England only, for now)

PostPosted:Wed May 20, 2020 8:26 am
by BoeingBoy
I'm so sick and tired of splitting words on here and Facebook. GA was never banned but try telling that to the Daily Mail if things go wrong.