flying in Spain

Pre-Flight  

NOTAMs, airport diagrams and other useful information on the AENA website http://ais.aena.es

Flight Plans must be submitted for all VFR flights

• Within Class B, C and D airspace.
   
• Within Class E, F and G airspace that crosses international borders.
   
• Within the Aerodrome Traffic Zones (ATZs) of controlled aerodromes.

After landing, the pilot shall give notification of arrival either in person or by radio to the appropriate ATS unit.

 VMC Minima   

• Class B:         Visibility 8km at and above FL100, 5km below.  Clear of cloud
   
• Class C,D,E    Visibility 8km at and above FL100, 5km below. 1500m Horiz, 300m/1000' vertically from cloud
   
• Class F,G       (Above 900m/3000' amsl or 300m/1000' agl whichever higher): as Class C,D above
   
• Class F,G        Lower than above:  Visibility 5 km*   Clear of cloud & in sight of the surface             

* When so prescribed by ATS, flight visibilities as low as 1500m may be permitted when operating either at speeds low enough to allow collision avoidance, or in circumstances when traffic volumes are low.

VFR flights shall not take off or land at an aerodrome when the ceiling is less than 450m/1500' or the flight visibility is less than 5 km.

SPECIAL VFR (SVFR)       

Special VFR flight may be approved in a CTR (Control Zone) subject to ATC traffic conditions.  SVFR will not be issued with a flight visibility below 1500m.  If the CTR is Class E, non-radio aircraft may operate under SVFR provided prior arrangements have been made.

Altimeter Setting    

• The transition level is 6000' throughout Spain except at Granada where it is 7000'.
   
• Above transition level, the altimeter setting shall be standard - 1013.2 hPa
   
• Below transition level, both QNH (giving aircraft altitude above mean sea level) and QFE (on request - giving aircraft height above aerodrome level) are available.

Transponders    

• Use of SSR transponder is compulsory within the TCAs of Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia and Canarias.
• Aircraft about to enter the TCAs of Madrid, Barcelona and Canarias with no assigned transponder code, should set A7000 with Mode C if possible.

Cruising Levels    

When cruising above 3000' above ground or water, levels shall be chosen in accordance with the following table

Recency (JAR)

• SEP (Single engine Piston) Class Rating:  Valid for 2 years.  For revalidation, pilot must have flown 12 hours in the second year, of which 6 must be P1, and 12 take-offs and landings, and complete a minimum 1 hour training flight with an instructor. Alternatively, a proficiency check with an examiner may be flown in the last 3 months of rating validity.  Should the rating lapse, a skills test must be flown with an examiner.
   
• MEP (Multi engine Piston) Class Rating:  Valid for 12 months. For revalidation, pilot must have flown 10 sectors of minimum 15 min cruise, and fly a proficiency check with an examiner.  Should the rating lapse, a skills test must be flown with an examiner.
   
• Day/Night VFR solo - none.
   
• Day VFR with passengers -  3 T/O & landings within 90 days.
   
• Night VFR with passengers - 3 T/O & landings within 90 days, of which one must be at night. Touch and go landings are acceptable.

Licence Conversion       

• Pilots holding JAR licences need no validation to fly in Spain.
   

• Pilots holding non JAR licences need to obtain a Spanish validation.  Go to the Ministerio de Fomento, 67 Paseo de la Castellana, Madrid.  Huge government office behind Nuevos Ministerios Metro station.  Go to the 7th floor and look for Aviación Civil.  There is a sign directing you to PPL aviónes.  Here you can fill out the necessary forms.  Your passport and licence will be photocopied.  Then you have to go to the Bank on the ground floor to pay the outrageous fee of 150 Euros and return to the 7th floor.  The licence can be collected in person 7 days later, or by mail.