1 IFR Flight
SERA.2005 Compliance with the Rules of the Air and SERA.5015 Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) — Rules Applicable to All IFR Flights as applied within UK Airspace.
1.1
Aircraft Equipment
1.1.1 Aircraft shall be equipped with suitable instruments and with navigation equipment appropriate to the route to be flown.
1.2
Minimum Levels
1.2.1 Except when necessary for take-off or landing, or except when specifically authorized by the appropriate authority, an IFR flight shall be flown at a level which is at least 1000 FT (300 M) above the highest obstacle located within 8 KM of the estimated position of the aircraft.
Note 1: When determining which are the highest obstacles within 8 KM of the estimated position of the aircraft, the estimate will take account of the navigational accuracy which can be achieved on the relevant route segment, having regard to the navigational facilities available on the ground and in the aircraft.
Note 2: See also SERA.3105 Minimum Heights and SERA.5015 Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) — Rules Applicable to All IFR Flights.
1.3
Change from IFR flight to VFR flight
1.3.1 An aircraft electing to change the conduct of its flight from compliance with the instrument flight rules to compliance with the visual flight rules shall, if a flight plan was submitted, notify the appropriate air traffic services unit specifically that the IFR flight is cancelled and communicate thereto the changes to be made to its current flight plan.
1.3.2 When an aircraft operating under the instrument flight rules is flown in or encounters visual meteorological conditions it shall not cancel its IFR flight unless it is anticipated, and intended, that the flight will be continued for a reasonable period of time in uninterrupted visual meteorological conditions.
Note: See also ENR 1.10, paragraph 1.14.1.
2 Rules applicable to IFR flights within Controlled Airspace
2.1 IFR flights shall comply with the provisions of SERA.8015 Air Traffic Control Clearances when operated in controlled airspace.
2.2 As specified in the ICAO EUR Regional Supplementary Procedures (DOC 7030/5-EUR), flights shall be conducted in accordance with Instrument Flight Rules when operated within or above the EUR RVSM airspace. Therefore, flights operating as General Air Traffic (GAT) within the London and Scottish UIRs at or above FL 290, as described in ENR 2.1, shall be conducted in accordance with the Instrument Flight Rules.
2.3 An IFR flight operating in cruising flight in controlled airspace shall be flown at a cruising level, or, if authorized to employ cruise climb techniques, between two levels or above a level, selected from the Tables of cruising levels at ENR 1.7 paragraph 6.1, except that the correlation of levels to track prescribed therein shall not apply whenever otherwise indicated in air traffic control clearances or specified by the appropriate ATS authority in Aeronautical Information Publications.
2.4 For TRA Access Requirements see ENR 1.1.5, paragraph 1.5.6.
4 Free Route Airspace - General Procedures
4.1
Area of Application
4.1.1 FRA is available within a specified areas of UK airspace as detailed in ENR 2.2 within which free route flight planning is available H24.
4.2
Eligible Flights
4.2.1 Flights eligible to operate within FRA are all flights equipped to at least RNAV 5 that intend to operate within the vertical and lateral limits of the UK FRA as specified in ENR 2.2. This includes traffic arriving and departing airfields situated below the lateral area of UK FRA or in its proximity and have a requested flight level within FRA.
4.3
Flight Procedures
4.3.1
General
4.3.1.1 No ATS routes are published within the defined UK FRA and operators should flight plan user-preferred trajectories via published FRA Significant Points as defined in ENR 4.1 and ENR 4.4.
4.3.1.2 Within UK FRA there is no limit to the length of DCT segments that can be flight planned.
4.3.2
FRA Procedures
4.3.2.1 Flights shall operate within FRA in accordance with the procedures detailed in the tables at Para 4.3.2.2 / 3 / 4.
4.3.2.2
Overflying Traffic
4.3.2.2.1 It is mandatory to enter/exit UK FRA via FRA Horizontal Entry/Exit Points.
4.3.2.2.2 Eligible flights transiting from the ATS route network to FRA:
| From | To | Remark |
|---|
| FRA Horizontal Entry Point (E) | FRA Horizontal Exit Point (X) | If required flights may include FRA (I) points in accordance with ENR 4.1/ENR 4.4 in their FPL route. |
| | FRA Arrival Connecting Point (A) | If required flights may include FRA (I) points in accordance with ENR 4.1/ENR 4.4 in their FPL route. |
| | FRA Intermediate Point (I) | If required flights may transition vertically in or out of FRA from or to the underlying ATS route network at a published FRA (I) point that is common to an ATS route below the defined FRA. |
4.3.2.3
Access to/from Terminal Airspace
4.3.2.3.1 It is mandatory for arrivals and departures to and from airfields in the vicinity of UK FRA to enter via a FRA Arrival Connecting Point (A) or a FRA Departure Connecting Point (D) as defined in ENR 4.4.
4.3.2.3.2 Details of FRA arrival and departure connecting routes to and from airfields beneath and adjacent to FRA within UK airspace can be found in the UK & Ireland Standard Route Document (SRD).
4.3.2.3.3 Flights transitioning vertically into UK FRA from departure airfield:
| From | To | Remark |
|---|
| FRA Departure Connecting Point (D) | FRA Horizontal Exit Point (X) | If required flights may include FRA (I) points in accordance with ENR 4.1/4.4 within FRA in their FPL route. |
| | FRA Arrival Connecting Point (A) | If required flights may include FRA (I) points in accordance with ENR 4.1/4.4 within FRA in their FPL route. |
4.3.2.4
Vertical Transition to/from the underlying ATS Route Network
4.3.2.4.1 It is mandatory for flights wishing to transit vertically between FRA and the underlying ATS route network and vice versa, to do so by including a level change in the flight plan at a published FRA Intermediate Point (I).
| From | To | Remark |
|---|
| FRA Intermediate Point (I) | FRA Horizontal Exit Point (X) | Flights may enter FRA from the underlying ATS route network vertically by changing level at a common published FRA (I) point. |
| | FRA Arrival Connecting Point (A) | Flights may enter FRA from the underlying ATS route network vertically by changing level at a common published FRA (I) point. |
4.3.3
Cross-Border Application
4.3.3.1 Cross border UIR DCT requirements are detailed within the Route Availability Document (RAD): See ENR 1.10 Sect 3.
4.4
Airspace Reservation – Special Use Airspace
4.4.1
Re-routing - Special Use Areas
4.4.1.1 Special Use Airspace (SUA) is permitted within FRA and managed under the Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA) concept. SUA shall be segregated to exclude GAT traffic when activated and protected in flight planning terms within FRA by the application of a Flight Plan Buffer Zone (FBZ) around the edge of the SUA.
4.4.1.2 GAT operators are expected to flight plan through FRA avoiding active SUA and associated FBZs at their discretion using published FRA (I) Points in accordance with ENR4.1/4.4 unless specific routings are mandated in accordance with the Route Availability Document (RAD): See ENR 1.10 Sect 3.
4.4.1.3 SUA activity within FRA will be published via NOTAM and via the Airspace Use Plan (AUP) and Updated Use Plan (UUP).
4.4.1.4 Details of vertical and lateral boundaries of SUAs and FBZs within FRA are contained within ENR 5.1/5.2.
4.5
Additional FRA Procedures
4.5.1
General Provisions
4.5.1.1 It is not permissible to flight plan a route along the UK FRA boundary or within 3 NM of the UK FRA boundary, except when crossing the UK FRA boundary to an adjacent UIR.
4.5.1.2 It is not permissible to flight plan a route that crosses a ‘Non-standard Planning Zone’ (NPZ) as defined in ENR 2.2.
4.6
Route Availability Document
4.6.1 All UK FRA constraints, exemptions and restrictions will be published via the Route Availability Document (RAD) and promulgated in accordance with ENR 1.10.