Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA)
Deadline 12 April 2010
The European Parliament has tasked Eurocontrol to develop standardised rules of the air as part of the Single Sky programme.
Much as our present UK rules do, these set out in law what is in the ICAO rules except where differences are filed. The present UK differences would go leaving only those in the Eurocontrol proposal (the last 2 pages).
There are a number of significant issues for aviation in the UK including:
- - Minimum height of 500ft agl except when taking off and landing (no more msd).
- - No more practice forced landings and EFATO.
- - Flight plans required for VFR flights needing any ATC service.
- - Flight plans required where any portion of a flight is IFR.
- - When conditions are worse that 1500ft/5km, no VFR flight in a CTR, ATZ or the vicinity of an aerodrome.
- - Navigation lights (where fitted) to be displayed by day.
- - Aircraft parked at night to be illuminated.
- - All marshallers to be qualified and approved by the CAA
- - VFR below 3000ft when 1500m/clear of cloud not allowed in C,D and E airspace
- - Special VFR would now mean approved VFR flight in weather below VFR limits.
- - VFR at night allowed but with some constraints.
You can view the Eurocontrol draft proposal here.
If you want to see the present UK differences they are here – you will need to scroll down to Annex 2 to find the ones relevant to the rules of the air.
There are more issues for gliding - The BGA website sets out their position here.
You can view a (fairly) recent copy of the ICAO rules here and the draft LAA response here. This is very much a work in progress so if you spot any more problems we need to raise, please get in touch at consultation@laa.uk.com.
The instructions on how to respond are on the response sheet and you are welcome to use the LAA draft as a template but make sure you make it your own!