It appears to have been a surreal weekend for recreational pilots across Europe as those who resisted the stern warnings from their aviation authorities relished skies clear of weather and working aircraft. There are no restrictions on VFR flight in most European countries although the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a Notam on Saturday saying, in part: "VFR operators should operate [with] extreme caution and must assure themselves that their flight can be conducted in a safe manner before flying. Note that ATSOCAS (Air Traffic Services Outside Controlled Airspace) capacity may be severely limited during the period." A light plane crashed in England on Saturday, but any connection to ash has since been pretty much discounted. Plenty of European pilots took advantage of ideal flying weather (if you don't count the ash). "Light aeroplanes were free to come and go in the fine spring weather, with controllers undistracted by the commercial traffic that usually takes priority," wrote Charles Bremner in his blog on the Times Online. Bremner, the Times' Paris correspondent, flew to Le Touquet and seemed to have had a lovely day without damaging his airplane's engine. Of course, the airlines are losing tons of money over this and they're getting tired of a flight ban some think might be unnecessary.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/news/ga-active-under-ash-plume