If you fly a helicopter VFR through Class D airspace and/or your landing site is in Class D (or future Farnborough and Oxford Class D) then you are strongly urged to contact Helipaddy at so that we can explain your options. You can respond either via the instructions here: respond. The CAA’s proposal is explained in 25 pages here: proposal. We anticipate that ATC will rarely issue an SVFR clearance to helicopters and ignore the collision risk – after all that’s the whole reason why Southend, Farnborough (and soon Oxford) are extending Class D airspace in the first place. VFR aircraft operating into or out of airfields such as Denham and White Waltham and a large number of private sites within controlled airspace will have restricted access. VFR aircraft transiting controlled airspace will often have to route around it – this is a very long way around once Farnborough gets Class D extension. Significant cloud with a base of 3000ft will limit VFR flight to below 2000ft and a base of 2000ft will limit VFR flight to below 1000ft which is generally impracticable. The presence of cloud below 4000ft, common in the UK, will limit the maximum altitude for VFR flight. Helipaddy believes this may end up being a problem and, along with the Helicopter Club of Great Britain, are concerned about what it will mean for helicopter pilots in the south of the UK in particular. You would not simply ask for transit as we do now. In theory, if you were passing through some Class D with cloud at 1500ft, you would ask for SVFR clearance and the ATC would give it to you without trying to keep 3nm separation. However they want to change it to a different one which is for pilots to request Special VFR and for ATC not to be required to provide separation. Helipaddy has asked the CAA, on behalf of Helipaddy members, to try to renew this exemption. As a result, the SERA.5001 distance from cloud minima will apply to class D airspace in the UK from 12 September 2019. The CAA recognised this and they received an exemption in 2014 from the Department for Transport to simply fly “clear of cloud” but this exemption expires on September 19th 2019 with an understanding that the UK would fall into line with the rest of Europe. This means that until 25 March 2020 pilots can continue to fly VFR:Īt or below 3000 ft AMSL within Class D airspace įor aircraft other than helicopters,a flight visibility of at least 5 km įor helicopters,a flight visibility of at least 1,500 m. The general exemption from the requirements of SERA.5001 will remain in place until 25 March 2020. SERA.5001 exemption remains in effect to March 2020 (a 6 month extension) And the new Farnborough Class D air space will, along with Heathrow and Gatwick, make flying around the south of the UK mostly impossible. In the south UK, the cloud base is lower than 2000ft 73% of the time. In practical terms this means that you would need a cloud base of 2000ft or above to fly through Class D. EASA rules don’t allow helicopters to fly VFR in Class D unless they are 1000ft or more below the cloud base.
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