I used the GAR filing for the first time last week when filing for a flight back from Caen to Bristol. The file plan filed fine and sent me a confirming e mail. The GAR seemed to file and gave me a reference number which i duly noted. Before departure, immigration at Bristol phoned me to say that the had spotted our intended arrival via the flight plan, but had received no GAR. I told them I had filed it 30 minutes before. They were not au fait with SkyDemon and asked where i and sent it to and of course I had no idea where I had sent it to. The lady searched but could find no GAR and phoned back, but we were airborne. On landing, they requested I resent the GAR which i again did on SD and again received no confirming e mail. The lady in immigration appreciated that we had done our best and requested that in future, we  copy her in with an e mail, which we could do, attaching either the written details or a screen capture of the SD GAR form. When I last heard she was searching in Manchester central immigration for any sign of our GAR. Am I missing some important step here? I had a good wifi when i sent the GARs and had no problem receiving e mail confirmation of the flight plan. Help please

I have given up trying to use the GAR app and the associated Free AOPA site and Skydemon. THey are fine in theory but the GAR APP people have screwed up a system that worked perfectly last year and they have the nerve to charge £3 per GAR for it. At least it's free on Skydemon. I spent a frustrating hour under pressure at Weert Budel trying to use the New APP for a GAR to my non ICAO base which is in the database but would not validate. Not what you want before a flight. On another flight I spent 2 hours not under pressure in a friends house in Germany trying to file the GAR via both Skydemon and the AOPA site without success. I sent the old GAR form by Email in the end.

Out of interest, my German friends, 7 aircraft, who have just toured UK and Southern Ireland with me sent a single combined Excel spreadsheet with all the necessary details for all aircraft, pilots, and intended route over 7 days to the GAR people. They were met by the Border Force at Popham on the way in to the VAC meeting and after checking the paperwork the Border Force people congratulated them on the submission - just what we want! i.e. We didn't have to wade through 28 individual GAR applications!

Mike