Holder ✈︎
G-ZANY
To the CBIR...
IFR Flying
In flying...
The Greatest City on Earth
Implementing SOPs
IFR Flying
A current IR holder, with flights operated solely by reference to instruments under Instrument Flight Rules.
European Airways
Flying IFR across Europe & beyond; sharing a real niche on YouTube in the European Airways system.
Flying Adventures
Flying the world (General Aviation style), exploring its best-hidden gems, and educating along the way.
All in 4K Video
Inspiring future aviators with high-quality, stunning detailed 4K UHD video.
The Flying VLOG
The latest write-ups from The Flying VLOG, taking you beyond the camera lens and even deeper than before into the mind of a general aviator.
IFR Guide to Europe
A review of IFR in Europe
There are few online guides for single-pilot IFR; most target ab initio training and overlook its complexities and politics. After 16 years of flying (five with an instrument rating), rising costs and restrictions on light GA prompted me to create this resource of tips drawn from personal experience.
Much of that experience involves a non-FIKI DA40 in the lower airways with portable oxygen, flying across Europe to busy international airports such as Amsterdam Schiphol and Ibiza, aiming for affordable access to the action. Reliable current information is scarce, so this list is comprehensive yet not exhaustive and is based on over 250 hours of IFR.
This guide aims to assist others navigating that single-pilot IFR experience and to share the practical lessons gained along the way.
24 Hours in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf, Germany
I last touched down in Düsseldorf back in 2021, right at the tail end of COVID. I’d only just earned my instrument rating, and this was my very first international IFR flight, and my first time landing at a proper big airport. That trip lit a fire. It became the catalyst for some of the biggest flying adventures I’ve had over the last five years.
Fast forward to this year. Money’s been a little tight, I’ve just moved into a new home, and the aircraft had been grounded since my Ibiza trip, right through until the start of summer. So the plan was simple: a quick 24-hour night stop back in Germany to revisit Düsseldorf, now a much busier, livelier airport than the quiet pandemic-era field I remembered. The challenge was officially on.
