EHAM – Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

When pilots are not performing the below published procedures, it can cause an unacceptable workload for ATC which may lead to refusal for entering the CTR or an instruction to leave the CTR

General
Schiphol CTR is assigned as class C airspace. All VFR flights within Schiphol CTR have to file a flightplan. Permission for VFR flights within Schiphol CTR has to be obtained:

  1. Before entering the CTR, at least 10 minutes before the ETA a request must be done, and
  2. For a departure from Schiphol, to request a “start-up clearance”.

Conforming the following procedures:

Inbound flights
Contact Schiphol Tower 10 minutes in advance before arrival for an “entry-clearance” (VFR to Schiphol, estimating VICTOR at …., ATIS-information, for landing)

Outbound flights
Pilots have to receive a “start-up clearance” from ATC before start-up.

All VFR flights from and to Schiphol have to be performed via the VFR-sector, unless otherwise instructed by ATC or with permission from ATC after a request from the pilot. All aircraft which are performing a VFR flight have to use landinglights when flying in the Schiphol CTR.

Visual departure procedures
Before engine start-up, the pilot first must have obtained “start-up clearance”. Schiphol Delivery has to be asked for the start-up. Permission for start-up will be given directly or dependant on traffic density at a fixed time.

A request for start-up contains:

  • aircraft identification and type
  • position
  • ATIS-information
  • Flightrules
  • Destination
  • Request engine start-up

Example:

Pilot: “Schiphol Delivery, PHHTM, Cessna 182, stand Kilo 28, Information P on board, VFR to Seppe, Request start-up”

VICTOR Departure

After take off climb to maximum 1000ft AMSL
Enter the VFR sector, before reaching the maximum distance of 4NM from the airport (ALPHA) and report “leaving the CTR” above VICTOR

Visual Arrival procedures

  1. Before entering the CTR, contact Schiphol Tower 10 minutes in advance for an “entry-clearance”
  2. Pilots can receive instructions to contact Schiphol Approach, Schiphol Arrival of Schiphol Departure for radarcontrol.

VICTOR Arrival

  1. Approach the airport via the VFR-sector at 1000ft AMSL or lower and report above VICTOR.
  2. The fixes VICTOR, ALPHA en BRAVO can be used as a“visual holding” for a “holding” (360° left turn).
  3. Enter the circuit above the orange marked VHF-COM-station..
  4. Fly a normal circuit, unless ATC expects a short VFR-approach pattern (“threshhold-baseleg” or “midrunway-baseleg”)

Short visual approach pattern
The short approach patterns are based on a maximum TAS of 120KT and “rate 2” turns. These are used to avoid traffic at other runways, for a good trafficflow or due to noise abatements.

The short approach patterns has to be performed as following:

a. “Threshold baseleg”
An approach pattern which has a base-leg 90° on the centerline at the threshhold of the runway.

b. “Midrunway baseleg”
An approach pattern which has a base-leg 90° on the centerline at the middle of the runway.