For Students

To save you looking around, here's a useful collection of documents that will help in your PPL studies and applications (some documents also useful for PPL's adding licence ratings, and licence/CofE renewals too!).

• CAA Scheme of charges
  How much it's going to cost you!
• Notes for the Guidance of Applicants taking the PPL Skill Test (Aeroplanes)
  A "must read" for the student before they take their PPL Skill Test.
• LASORS 2008
  The official document dealing with all things aviation from licenses, to the ANO and rules of the Air.
• CAP413: Radio Telephony Manual
  The official (free!) publication from the CAA on correct RTF phraseology, rules and regulations.
• CAP393: the Air Navigation Order and Rules of the Air
  The official document.
• Interception Procedures
  You must officially carry this document on all international flights.
• Airspace classifications / VFR / VMC / IFR in class A,B,C,D,E,F,G Airspace
  Easy to read poster with colours on the viz and separation distances for VFR/IFR flight in airspace
• PPL Class Rating by Proficiency Test or CofE renewal form (SRG1119)
  Used to apply for your CofE renewal.
• CAP637: Visual Aids handbook
  Useful for the air law exam - marshalling signals, and all the visual aids at an aerodrome you should know.
• The AFC Norwich procedure
  How and where to go at Norwich for your cross country flights without getting charged the earth! Read carefully. this is for instructors and students alike.
• JAR PPL Licence renewal form (SRG1102)
  Use this to renew your 5 year JAR PPL licence
• CAA Personnel Licensing Department (PLD) Payment form (SRG1187)
  The form to accompany your application with payment details.

Anglian Flight Centres Manual

All members, staff and pilots (including owner operators) are required to read and register that they have read and understood the Anglian Flight Centres Manual. This document details rules and procedures to be followed. For more information, click here.

Weight  & Balance

Weight and balance calculations for Anglian Flight Centres aircraft are available on-line. Choose from: G-BZET, G-ECAC, G-BNRL, G-ECAD, G-BJDW, G-BENK, G-TZEE, G-SAAB

Navigation

Stansted/Luton Airspace VRP's and useful information
This document (from the CAA) contains some really useful information on identifying occasions and VRP's around Stansted and Luton in order to avoid airspace infringements. It also includes GPS co-ordinates to use!

UK Airspace classification poster
The current poster explaining UK airspace A-G, IFR, VFR and VMC minima, including separation services provided by controlling authorities

Fly On Track
GASCO (General Aviation Safety Council) promotional website on how to avoid controlled airspace infringements. Lots of useful information here, including latest news of new schemes (e.g. listening watch and squawk when near Stansted/Luton/Gatwick airspace). View radar replays of infringements too as an educational exercise. Lots of information on the "Tips" page from the Fly On Track website!

Fly DSC
Flight planning on-line with database of UK ICAO airfield locations. Free. Includes NOTAM map (see NOTAMS section below)

RA(T)S
Restricted Airspace (Temporary). Items include major incidents which will be NOTAM'd, but also airspace surrounding the Red Arrows displays. The link referenced here is the AIS website for which free registration is required. Country code for the UK for the search engine is "EG". Alternatively, FREEPHONE the AIS Information Line 0500 354 802 for up to the minute information.

E6B Flight Computer Emulator
Allows you to perform some of the more common quick navigation related computations via your web browser - just as you would do on the E6B Flight computer (circular slide rule otherwise known as the "whizz wheel"). For an absolutely comprehensive calculator for everything - see the Aviation Calculator in excel format in the Misc section of this page.

Weather

TAF/METAR Decode
Decode sheet for TAF/METAR

The MET Office
Official site for UK Weather. Free registration gives access to TAF, METAR, FORM214/215, and global ICAO weather search.
Tip: For local flights, get TAF/METAR for EGSS (Stansted), EGSC (Cambridge), EGUW (Wattisham), EGSH (Norwich), EGMC (Southend)

GetMet 2009
Here for you to save searching for it on the net - all the info you need from the Met Office on hoe to obtain weather!

AvBrief
Another official source for aviation weather. Free registration gives you similar facilities as the Met Office above.

Military Weather Colour States Decode
Little table showing what colour states actually mean in relation to visibility and cloud base.
For reference:
Black - airfield closed for non-weather reasons
Red - cloud < 200ft and/or visibility < 800m
Amber - better than Red, but cloud < 300ft and/or visibility < 1600m
Yellow - better than Amber, but cloud < 700ft, and/or visibility < 3700m
Green - better than Yellow, but cloud < 1500ft, and/or visibility < 5km
White - better than Green, but Cloud < 2500ft, and/or visibility < 8km
Blue - cloud > 2500ft and visibility > 8km

Where 'cloud' is the lowest cloud base designated as SCATTERED or worse.

XCWeather
Useful site giving UK wide picture of the weather including wind, temp, viz etc. in a nice easy to see colour-coded graphical format.

Weather Underground
Detailed weather information for specific locations worldwide available. Includes 5-day forecast and historical analysis.

Colchester Weather
Weather information used within the Anglian Flight Centres web pages. The site has a lot of detailed information. Make sure you don't miss the links at the bottom of the graphical pages for items such as lightning strikes, cloud base etc (also available from the presentation of data from the Anglian Flight Centres current weather page)

The Weather Channel
Site that gives hour by hour forecast, as well as a 10-day forecast

Skylink Stansted Weather
Information based on Stansted (EGSS) data.

NOTAMS

NATS AIS
The official NOTAM source. Free registration is required to log in. (Incidentally, this site also contains the online AIP and AIC database. This is the new site active May 2008 to fall in line with the European AIP database scheme.
Tip: Choose the "Narrow Route Brief (FPL Route)" when planning your flight. You only need to complete the following fields: Briefing Id, UTC date & UTC time of planned flight, Departure Aerodrome, Arrival Aerodrome, Flight Level, Narrow Route Width.

NATS
Use this link when the AIS site is unavailable. This is the official "back up" site, allowing you to download the PIB's (Pre-flight Information Bulletins). In other words - the old way!

Fly DSC
Really, really useful site that gives graphical representation of NOTAM's affecting your track. Plan your flight on-line at this location (using the "plan" link at the top of the page), enter your waypoints and press enter on your keyboard. From the resulting screen, check your route width, and press the "Get NOTAMs" button. On the resulting page, scroll down slightly to find the "Show on Map" button. Use the "+/-" buttons to zoom in/out on map.... brilliant... and free!

CAA and related publications

UK AIP
The up to date on-line version of the AIP. Free registration is required. This is the new version active May 2008 to comply with the European standard for web access.

JAA (JAR)
The official JAA web site; the joint European rules and regulations.

GASIL
General Aviation Safety Information magazine from the CAA. Quarterly publication well worth a read.

G-INFO
The official CAA database search engine for G-registered aircraft. Find the registered owner, ICAO aircraft type designation, MAUW and airworthiness status from here.

N-INFO
Lookup N-reg aircraft details from the FAA database.

UK Airprox Board
Learn from other peoples mistakes by reading the airprox (air-miss!) published reports.

AAIB
Air Accident Investigation Branch. Of particular importance to pilots to yet again learn from other peoples mistakes. Monthly bulletins for up-to-date information.

MPD's
Mandatry Permit Directives from the CAA for those who own aircraft on a "Permit to Fly". Web site pages update the annually published list of MPD's. Keep up to date here.

Bird Strike Report
The official form to report Bird Strikes.

Flight Plans

Flight Plan Form
Official Flight Plan form. For Flight Plan submissions, complete the form, and present it to Anglian Flight Centres ATC. There is a new system in place called AFPEx, meaning flight plans can no longer be faxed to FBU Heathrow. Instead, AFC staff will need to enter your flight plan directly onto the system. Note that "place names" as reporting points can no longer be used on flight plans unless they are "official" VRP's. e.g. Cap-gis-nez cannot be used. Instead, reference must be made to known aids. e.g. DVR156020 meaning DVR radial 156 degrees, 20 DME.

In addition, you should also note that it is only the UK that stipulates that flight plans need not be closed. In all other cases (e.g. foreign trips) you must ensure the flight plan is closed (especially if you have landed at an uncontrolled airfield or at an airfield where the tower is closed). Failure to do so may result in overdue action being taken by the foreign authority involving search and rescue personnel. If found to be due to your own omission to close the flight plan, you could well be charged for the abortive SAR actions (and it's expensive!).

Customs & Immigration

General Aviation Declaration Form
The official form to complete when going/returning from foreign or airfields notified for the purposes of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Fuel Drawback Form
Used to claim back the duty for fuel exported abroad in the aircraft fuel tanks. Note you will need receipts showing the amount of uplifted fuel since the last foreign flight by that aircraft to support your claim. Notes on fuel drawback are here. For AVGAS draw back rates, click here.

 Going Foreign

EAD
European AIS Database. The AIS service for European countries. Access airfield approach plates and the like from here. Requires free registration. From this page, follow the EAD Basic link.

French AIP
French version of the AIS/AIP site for French airfield approach plates, aerodrome layout charts, and NOTAMS etc.

Misc

Aviation Calculator
Need to do a conversion? This excel spreadsheet has absolutely every conversion and aviation related formula you could possibly think of. Download it to your PC for use off-line. Don't miss the various tabs at the bottom of the page for other calculation areas. If you don't have Microsoft Excel installed on your PC you can download a free viewer from here so you can at least see what the spreadsheet looks like!

yakdisplay.com
Yak Aerobatic Display - available for you!

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