Folks,

I can only really comment on the flightplan/GAR issue.

Flightplans should be fine, and addressed appropriately for you.

We only currently do GAR forms concerning the UK mainland. GARs for other territories you'll have to do without the assistance of SkyDemon I'm afraid.

Ok..... But at the LAA rally, one of the skydemon folk indicated that submission of GARs for any part of the UK should work. e.g. A flight from N. Ireland to the Republic of Ireland should generate a GAR; as should a flight direct from the EU into N. Ireland. After all this is fully functional within the OnlineGar system to which Skydemon acts as a front end. So why will Skydemon not provide this functionality???

Tim, everything else regarding flight plans and GARs with Skydemon works so well, why not this?

I'm in the Republic of Ireland and flying into N. Ireland, which is in the UK, but Skydemon does not give me the option of submitting a GAR even though one is required and, indeed, can be filed with OnlineGAR.

Why not? You must have your reasons. Can you share them with us?

SkyDemon only supports GAR advisement and filing to and from the UK mainland. To my knowledge, OnlineGar.com do not provide us with any functionality related to Northern Ireland GARs but I will check with them.

The official guidance document can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/general-aviation-operators-and-pilots-notification-of-flights
Which includes two annexes that make it clear when a GAR is and is not required. Unfortunately, they are not clear when it comes to Northern Ireland because they both refer to "the UK" in a manner which excludes it, e.g. a departure from the UK to Northern Ireland.
Our systems digitise the rules in that document assuming that by "the UK" they mean mainland UK, because to interpret it otherwise wouldn't make sense.

Sorry Tim...... Annex A and B make sense to me on the premise that

1. Northern Ireland is part of the UK (unless there has been a referendum that didn't attract any media coverage!)

2. Where the tables show a flight to/from the UK to /from Northern Ireland this  clearly infers a flight between Great Britain (mainland) and Northern Ireland.   This is explained more clearly in the definition of the Common Travel Area earlier on in the document.

Given that OnlineGAR interprets these rules quite correctly, why is it so difficult for Skydemon to digitise them??  
 .  

Firstly, there's no need to be sorry.

The problem is that the rules are not explicit, and when transcribing rules to computer code there can be no room for doubt whatsoever. The annexes could be much better worded. The good news is that OnlineGar.com are working with us on this and have been able to clarify by speaking directly with the border people. We are getting somewhere. There are still unanswered questions remaining though, but we may have something for you in the next version.

Ok, many thanks