Scilly Isles
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Dublin
Posts: 2,547
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Flying such routes, keeping in touch with ATC and filing a FPL helps you if things go wrong, if you don't want to, you don't have to, but I can't see why any pilot would decline to do so.
Having an engine failure over water at FL65 is a lot more preferable than at 2000ft.
At FL65, I can glide about 9nm, giving me an 18nm stretch that suddenly is within gliding distance of land.
If land doesn't happen to be within those 18nm, then I can set up for a slow desent. At 400ftpm that's over 16 minutes out of the water. 16 minutes to get a mayday call out, giving a precise position. Time to get radar identified (which might not be possible at 2000ft). Time to get S&R into the air and making it's way towards me. 16 minutes that I'm not in cold, killing water.
16 minutes also gives me lots of time to trouble shoot the problem, and prepare (again) for ditching.
Compare that to 2000ft, when I've only got 5 minutes before hitting the water, or a 3nm glide.
I appreciate that with UK weather FL65 might not always be available to a VFR flight, but when it is, I'd use it in preference to the 2000ft route.
dp
Join Date: May 2001
Location: 75N 16E
Age: 54
Posts: 4,729
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If anything the LETC should be a place to avoid! maybe that is the intention by having it drawn on the chart, but some PPLs look at it as a mandatory route?
I think that more value than a FP is actually taking to ATC, especially if they have radar. I'd file one if requested by Scilly ATC otherwise I wouldn't bother.
I think that more value than a FP is actually taking to ATC, especially if they have radar. I'd file one if requested by Scilly ATC otherwise I wouldn't bother.
