Flying over Netherlands

[iancallier]

Hi
Anybody flown across holland this year , without mode 's'. Any actual experiences welcome.
Tku ian

[merlin]

Sorry no experience seems one has to fly lowish. Hope this bumps it up.

Also have a question of whether one has to pay the Belgium authorities even if just passing by/through en route to the Netherlands?

[steveneale]

We are crossing to Germany in a weeks time (mode C). Will let you know. Last year Dutch mil were very helpful. Kept us squawking 7000 and let us fly above 1200ft. We were in class G all the way though.

[iancallier]

Just had answer from the cloggies 'below 1200feet and outside Amsterdam Zone class G-no transponder is acceptable'

[Alan Crutcher]

The details of the "Transponder Mandatory Zones" will, if I recall correctly, be found in the Dutch AIP - see http://www.ais-netherlands.nl.

I flew Lydd to Maastricht, straight across Belgium without landing, in September with no transponder and without any problem. The Lille controller was quick to warn me, with some concern, that I could not fly in controlled airspace without a transponder, but he then agreed that I could fly in Class E airspace in France.

It cost about €80 to get permission from Belgium (lasts one year) and about €56 for the on-off trip from the Dutch. I also had to subsequently pay a trivial Eurocontrol "terminal" charge.

The biggest hastle was getting all the paper work and permissions in place to take a factory-built permit aricraft through Belgium and the Netherlands. The flight itslef was easy (until back in Blighty) - I flew very low-level VFR most of the way.

[Steve Brown]

Best not mention the mandatory ELT requirement for all international transits in Holland - (no, a registered 406 MHz GPS PLB won't do!)

[steveneale]

We are crossing to Germany in a weeks time (mode C). Will let you know. Last year Dutch mil were very helpful. Kept us squawking 7000 and let us fly above 1200ft. We were in class G all the way though.

Update! Dutch Mil were equally pragmatic this trip. Above 1200ft with Mode C was acceptable. Below 1200ft without. This seemed to me to have been refined into a standard procedure by them as we heard it repeated a number of times. We have always asked before entering the Amsterdam FIR though and not made any assumptions.

[David Broom]

I had the same experience as Steve. Last weekend I entered Dutch airspace at COA at 1200 feet and contacted Dutch MIL. I told them I was mode Charlie equipped, negative mode Sierra and asked if it was necessary for me to stay below 1200 feet. Negative he replied, so I asked for clearance to climb to 3500 feet which he gave. When I was level he came back to me and said "For your information, if you are equipped with an altitude reporting transponder then you can fly within the TMZ's it is only if you do not have an altitude reporting transponder that you must remain below the TMZ". This may not be what their AIP says but it is the way the controllers are interpreting it. The return trip a few days later required a number of level changes due to weather but posed no problem with operating within the TMZ. Hope that helps.

[Kelvin Denize]

I can concur, was in Holland in May and also in June (last weekend). Im May asked Dutch Mil if it was ok for me to remain at 3000ft when I carossed into their airspace and the reply was no problem. I got clearance all the way to Seppe.

Last weekend crossed parts of Holland also at 2-3000 ft with no problems whatsoever including the TMZ near Maastrict. I spoke to them first told them I had Mode C only and do you wnat me down at 1200ft but no, there were happy for me to stay at 3000.

So easy the dutch...