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About the United Kingdom
Some Facts
The United Kingdom lies in the northwest of Europe. It is surrounded by over 100 smaller islands and islets, and covers a land mass of over 229,000 square kilometres and has a population in excess of 60 million.
The country is marked by low, rolling countryside in the east and south, while hills and mountains predominate in the western and northern regions.
Most of the lower airspace over the United Kingdom is uncontrolled, although the opposite may sometimes seem true. There is a variety of airports located throughout the region, from the internationally famous London Heathrow (EGLL) through to smaller grass and gravel strips.
General guidelines
When operating in the United Kingdom, please observe the following general IVAO GB rules:
Frequency
Whenever practicable, 122.800 and 121.500 should be continuously monitored unless another frequency (ATC station for example) is more appropriate.
Altitudes
All altitudes are above mean sea level (AMSL) in feet.
- Transition altitude: 3000ft unless stated otherwise (6000ft in the London TMA for example).
- Transition level: Dependant on the Transition Altitude and the local pressure setting at the time.
Squawk codes
The following codes are allocated for use by pilots, without direction from ATC for the purposes specified. Use these codes unless ATC instruct otherwise:
- Code 7700 - Aircraft Emergency
- Code 7600 - Radio Failure
- Note, the code 7500 (hi jack) is NOT to be used on the IVAO Network
- Code 2000 - When entering UK airspace from an adjacent region when no SSR code has been assigned
- Code 7000 - When not receiving a service from an ATS unit
Speed restrictions
Do not exceed the 250kts IAS below FL100, unless you have permission from ATC, or the classification of airspace you are flying in means you are exempt from the rule. Military aircraft may also exceed the restriction.
QNH
Altimeter settings are in millibars and the standard setting is 1013mb (1013.25mbs to be precise).
No available ATC
Intentions must be broadcast on the Unicom frequency of 122.800
Charts
Charts for airports in the UK are available through the Aeronautical Information Service. Details on how to get charts can be found in the charts section of the website. We strongly recommend you use them.