GAR Developments

[Mike Millar]

The stop press info about GAR requirements is interesting and slightly puzzling. I operate from a private strip and always submit a GAR 4 hours in advance inbound from EU. I used to be a bit puzzled about aircraft apparently going into Headcorn, which is a Certificate of Agreement airfield, without doing so. However Lydd is a Customs airfield, the current plate says customs as AD hours. It's a useful bolthole if sending the GAR is impractical. So why should we now have to give 4 hours notice for Lydd? Is this a mistake in the article? Could the answer be that the GAR list of airfields indicates that the designation of Lydd is HMRC and TACT2000 but not immigration?

The new iphone/android app makes the process much easier. I even managed to submit one while airborne when I forget before takeoff (by dropping down to 1500ft for a signal - shhh, who said that - you can even get the weather radar that way). However, a reduction in the notice period would be most useful, I doubt if it will happen though.

As a matter of interest, going the other way to Abbeville, the fax was not working a few weeks ago and I telephoned Daniel on the airfield to request customs. He basically said no problem and didn't even want to know the registration or name. Going back, as my french is limited, I asked a french friend to quizz Abbeville about what notice was required and the gist of it was that they didn't seem to want any notice. However, that may be part of the rather laid back attitude to these matters on small French airfields. I still plan to give the notice stated on the plate, just in case.

[Brian Hope]

Hi Mike, re the 'laid back' attitude at some French airfields. I agree this is often evident but it would be very risky to take the same approach. When the authorities decide to have a clamp down and check everything, which they do occasionally, you would be in deep doo dah if they found you had not gone through the motions in accordance with laid down procedures. Telling them that the airfield operator said it wasn't necessary will not hold much water and the fines imposed will make your eyes water. I have also heard of several pilots who have been held at Abbeville and elsewhere because they did not have their correct paperwork with them. They have had to get it faxed over before they could proceed. You do right to do it properly, it really isn’t worth the hassle not to.
Likewise now with the GAR, the UK authorities are taking a much tougher line these days.

[mikehallam]

FWIW - and I don't want to get this way of returning changed !
Last week I dropped a note to the LAA and got a rather nice surprise reply.
mike hallam.

[u]Subject: GAR new requirements, just seen on LAA main page [/u]Query:
I see no mention in the LAA distributed GAR requirements for landing back from the Eu. How one goes about arrriving direct at one's own strip, which hither-to has been my mode ?
Is there any info. on the notice period for that please ?

[b]LAA Answer Mail:[/b]
I asked James Tannock your question and here is his response:
“The answer is that no change has been proposed for strips, where a GAR is required (as well as an agreement with the police in many cases). The only significant change so far is the need for a GAR with 4 hour notice at designated airports.
Regards
James”
Kind regards
Penny Sharpe
Office Manager

[Nigel Hitchman]

I agree with what Brian says, I think part of the "problem" with Abeville, is that as far as the airfield is concerned, they don't need any advanced notice, but they do expect you to have informed the local Douanes separately. I always email the douanes with the information, the address I have, obtained from another pilot, seems to be someones personal email at the douanes, but it seems to work! I did have them waiting for me one day, but luckily all of our paperwork was in order!

On the subject of Headcorn, there does seem to be some confusion amongst pilots whether you had to file a GAR or not. Last time I landed there from Abbeville, on the way back from Tankosh, we phoned Headcorn and gave them the GAR details over the phone, as we couldn't get the online form to work (ipad version) and the Abbeville computer wouldn't do the normal version either due to not having Microsoft Silverlight installed. When we got there all was fine, but the UK border people were there waiting for another aircraft that was coming from Abbeville who hadn't filed a GAR at all- they thought you didn't need to for headcorn.
I guess at least now it is consistant, 4 hours for where ever you land! ( unless you come from the Channel Islands)
I do wish the time could be shortened, even 2 hours would be better, at least then when you know the weather is ok to depart, you can send the GAR and not have to wait too long before departure, with 4 hours, its a bit too much guesswork in advance, especially as in our case, we were stuck elsewhere in France, not knowing when the weather was going to lift enough for us to get above the hills in eastern France, in order for us to fly to Abbeville and then depart for the UK, but with our only possibility to send the GAR while we were still in the hotel some miles from the airfield!

[James Chan]

As far as I'm aware, the change affects designated aerodromes (typically larger, regional/international fields).

At such fields you could rock up anytime without a GAR and fill one in on the spot. This was essential particularly for the higher end of GA where business/executive flights would take place without any prior notice. Some cross-border training flights would also benefit as well.

Because of claimed staff shortages, the border control points could not be always manned, therefore they've imposed the same notification periods as if filing a GAR to a non-designated aerodrome (the vast majority of smaller, GA fields), without any consultation with GA!

Certificate of Agreement aerodromes permit direct flights between the aerodome and non-EU destinations such as the C.I., the IoM and Switzerland. This is because the GAR concession normally only allows direct flights between any UK aerodrome and an EU destination (usually a Schengen area port of entry). There are no changes to these schemes.

I understand GA representative groups to be engaged on the case.

[Mike Millar]

Nigel, could you let us all in on the email address you've found for Abbeville Douanes? When I said the Abbeville airfield fax was not working, neither was the Douanes fax number, so an email address would be most useful, just to be safe.

Regarding return GAR's and delays etc, the first time we went to France, several years ago we ended up stuck in Abbeville for 2 days due to weather. I had faxed the GAR in advance and rang the GAR number to advise them of the delay. The very helpful GAR guy said, no problem, and wasn't worried about giving an accurate landing time. The fact that we'd told them was good enough. "It's the ones who don't tell us that we worry about" he said. That indicated to me that provided we made a reasonable effort to comply with the procedures there shouldn't be a problem.

[Nigel Hitchman]

The email address Ive used for Abbeville douanes is

[email protected]

Ive never had a reply from them, but the one time I did see them on the airfield, I saw that they had a copy of my email.

so hopefully it works!