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VFR traffic

Work in progress

Parking

General VFR traffic will normally be parked at Apron 3.

  • Light aircraft pilots will usually get to choose their parking spot after landing. ATC will instruct the pilot to taxi to apron 3 via DL or AD.
  • At rare occasions stand 351 or 352 may be blocked by a larger aircraft. Taxi to these stands is performed via taxiway DM.

Local restrictions

  • VFR flights are restricted during peak hours and during simultaneous IFR approaches to parallel runways (04L/R or 22L/R). Check ATIS prior to flight!
  • VFR flights shall not climb above 1000 FT without explicit clearance from ATC.

Helsinki Control Zone is ATS airspace classification D with vertical limits SFC - 1300 FT.

  • VFR traffic is not separated from other traffic in the Control Zone
  • Traffic information is given by Helsinki Tower
    • VFR pilots are expected to maintain sufficient separation to other IFR or VFR traffic when traffic information is provided

Visual Reporting Point OGELI may be used only used for SAR flights.

Visual Reporting Points DEGER, NOKKA and RASTI shall not be used for any VFR traffic leaving or entering the Control Zone.

Find the Visual Approach Chart HERE.

Departing VFR

  • Request start-up and clearance on initial contact with ATC
    • State any requests such as the use of a specific runway for departure
    • ATC clearance is usually given on stand
🧑🏻‍✈ HELSINKI GROUND, OH-CME, CESSNA 172, APRON 3, INFORMATION MIKE, QNH 1011, REQUEST START-UP
🎧 O-ME, HELSINKI GROUND. START-UP APPROVED, RUNWAY 15, LEAVE CONTROL ZONE VIA LILJA, 1000 FT OR BELOW, SQUAWK 0355
🧑🏻‍✈ START-UP APPROVED, RUNWAY 15, LEAVE CONTROL ZONE VIA LILJA, 1000 FT OR BELOW, SQUAWK 0355, O-ME
  • When ready for departure, ATC may give departure restrictions. Please follow all clearances given by ATC.
  • Pilots are requested to report when leaving the Control Zone.
    • If cleared via VRP: "O-ME, LILJA OUTBOUND"
    • If cleared direct en-route: "O-ME, CONTROL ZONE BOUNDARY OUTBOUND"

Arriving VFR

  • Report your position and intentions on initial contact with Helsinki Tower when approaching the Control Zone boundary.
  • Helsinki tower will normally give clearance to a part of the traffic circuit serving the runway in use.
  • During peak hours VFR flights might be cleared to visual holdings or to absorb delay with other means such as orbitting.
🧑🏻‍✈ HELSINKI TOWER, OH-CME, CESSNA 172, RADIAL 360, 20 MILES FROM HELSINKI, INFORMATION MIKE, QNH 1011 FOR LANDING
🎧 O-ME, HELSINKI TOWER, VIA TURFI JOIN RIGHT BASE LEG RUNWAY 22 LEFT, 1000 FT OR BELOW
🧑🏻‍✈ VIA TURFI JOIN RIGHT BASE LEG 1000 FT OR BELOW, O-ME
  • Pilots are requested to report once established on the downwind leg
  • Pilots shall report on final if Tower has not given a clearance to use the runway (landing, touch-and-go, low approach etc.)

Traffic Circuit

  • Local VFR flights (normally training flights) may be cleared for a traffic circuit.
🧑🏻‍✈ HELSINKI GROUND, OH-CME, CESSNA 172, REQUEST START-UP
🎧 O-ME, HELSINKI GROUND, START-UP APPROVED, CLEARED TRAFFIC CIRCUIT RUNWAY 15, 1000 FT OR BELOW, SQUAWK 0422
🧑🏻‍✈ START-UP APPROVED, CLEARED TRAFFIC CIRCUIT RUNWAY 15, 1000 FT OR BELOW, O-ME
  • Pilots are requested to report once established on the downwind leg
  • Pilots shall report on final if Tower has not given a clearance to use the runway (landing, touch-and-go, low approach etc.)

Delaying VFR traffic

  • Tower may delay VFR traffic when traffic information is not sufficient

  • Examples of delay action:

    • orbit left/right
    • make three-sixty left/right
    • extend downwind
    • join holding ...

  • Please follow the clearances given by Helsinki Tower

Flight Plan instructions

Flight planning is an essential phase of your flight. A good flight plan will give Air Traffic Control sufficient information regarding your intentions and reduces the need to ask intentions during the flight.

Traffic circuit

Traffic circuit is marked with TC in the ROUTE field.

TC can be further specified in FPL field-18 ('remarks field') as follows:

  1. Conducting one spot landing:
    • RMK/1SL
  2. Conducting a practiced forced landing after which the flight continues to two training areas:
    • RMK/PFL 2TA
  3. Conducting two spot landings after which the flight continues to a training area:
    • RMK/2SL TA
Most common abbreviations
FS Full Stop (Ladning)
LA Low Approach
TA Training Area
AP Approaches
TGL Touch and Go Landing
TC Traffic Circuit
SL Spot Landing
PFL Practiced Forced Landing
PFLR Practiced Forced Landing back to Runway

En-route flights

  • It is highly recommended to plan via Visual Reporting Points. These points are indicated on the Visual Approach Chart.
  • Unless otherwise specified in a flight plan, ATC will assume the aircraft will fly straight from the departure aerodrome to the destination aerodrome as filed.
    • If this is to be significantly deviated from, the planned flight route must be shown in the FPL. In such a case the route can, when required, also be inserted using the plain-language place names.
    • Example: (EFHK) LINTU NUMMELA VIILA (EFTP)
    • If you wish to join the traffic circuit at Helsinki, add "TC" to the route and mark your requested approaches in the remarks section, e.g. "RMK/EFHK 2TGL"

Example flight plans

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Helicopter flights

Special VFR



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