EDTL - Lahr
General
Before you fly...
Welcome to Lahr! This small airport primarily hosts cargo flights for the adjacent industrial area, but also sees occasional charter and business jet flights. Additionally, the nearby Europa-Park Rust, a popular theme park, attracts regular traffic. Among VFR pilots, it is a favorite due to its simple airspace structure and airport layout.
Although the airport has a relatively simple layout and low traffic levels on VATSIM, you should still prepare yourself thoroughly to keep it fun for everyone and avoid mistakes which might lead to delays for yourself and other users.
If you are new to VATSIM, Lahr is a perfect airport to get started on the network. Controllers will almost always have enough spare capacity to answer questions or quickly explain a procedure to you. It rarely gets very busy, so making smaller mistakes will usually not have a negative impact on anybody else's experience on the network.
Parking position
There are two hard shelters for military jets at taxiways P and Q. All other traffic parks at the main apron. There are no dedicated parking positions, but pilots should make sure that the apron taxiway remains free for other traffic.
Handoffs
When instructed to contact another controller, do so as soon as possible. This will avoid you having to stop moving or level off. Please do not hold your position to switch the frequency, keep moving on the ground!
Be aware that some frequencies in use might not be shown in the controller list of your pilot client, so it is important that you listen carefully to what ATC says.
Auto-handoff
Lahr utilizes an auto-handoff procedure for IFR departures where Tower will not hand off outbounds to the approach controller. The current airborne frequency will always be given by the Tower controller.
Contact the airborne frequency immediately when airborne unless explicitly told to remain on Tower frequency.
Charts & Scenery
Charts
You can find current IFR charts for Lahr on chartfox (requires VATSIM login).
You can find current VFR charts for Lahr in the AIP VFR.
For a better overview over the airspace structure around Lahr, we recommend openflightmaps.
Airport Scenery
| Sim |
Freeware |
Payware |
| MSFS |
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| X-Plane |
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| Prepare3D V4/V5 |
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Departing Traffic
We ask all pilots to also read the General section with information relevant to all pilots.
Preparation
A thorough preparation is important for any flight. We ask you to conduct a thorough briefing to avoid delays and keep it fun for everyone.
Route planning
You can find valid routes for many destinations in the AeroNav Global Route Database.
When planning a route via SimBrief, please use routes with the Eurocontrol icon, as those will generally be valid.
When filing an invalid flight plan, you will usually have to file a completely new flight plan before ATC can issue your enroute clearance.
SID assignment
If there is no SID leading to the first waypoint of your flight plan, please check which AIRAC you are using - if your AIRAC cycle is too outdated, it might take some time until the controllers can coordinate a solution for you. There are no restrictions on the usability of the different SIDs.
Enroute Clearance
Clearance requests in Germany are very short. Please avoid unnecessarily long clearance requests to reduce frequency congestion.
Pilot: Lahr Tower, Avanti Air 130H, request enroute clearance.
As Lahr has no ATIS, ATC will give you some basic weather information together with your enroute clearance. If you require a full weather report, it has to be specifically requested.
Pilot: Lahr Tower, Avanti Air 130H, request enroute clearance and weather information.
Datalink Clearance (DCL)
Lahr also offers electronic datalink clearances (also known as PDC or Pre-Departure Clearance) on VATSIM using the Hoppie ACARS system. The station code is EDTL. If your aircraft does not have a direct integration of the Hoppie system, you can also use easyCPDLC.
Requesting clearance electronically is preferred over voice clearances as it reduces frequency congestion thus avoiding delays. Because of this, we ask all pilots able to use the Hoppie ACARS system to do so.
Startup
Startup approval is the "go" from the controller's side to start your engines. It is also an assurance that you will be cleared to start moving within the next 20 minutes. It can be requested and approved together with pushback.
Pushback
Pushback is not required as all stands at Lahr are taxi-out positions.
Taxi
While Lahr's layout is relatively simple, it is still important to conduct a thorough briefing of expected taxi routes as well as correct taxiing. To avoid delays for yourself and other users, start taxiing as soon as possible after receiving your taxi clearance.
If you are unsure about your taxi instructions, hold position and inform ATC immediately.
Takeoff
Lahr has only one runway which needs to be used for both departures and arrivals. While there is usually not too much other traffic, it is still important to begin your takeoff roll as soon as you receive your clearance and be prepared for immediate takeoff clearances. If you take too long, ATC might have to cancel your takeoff clearance and issue a go around for an arriving aircraft.
Auto-handoff
Lahr utilizes an auto-handoff procedure for IFR departures where Tower will not hand off outbounds to the approach controller. The current airborne frequency will always be given by the Tower controller.
Contact the airborne frequency immediately when airborne unless explicitly told to remain on Tower frequency.
Arriving Traffic
We ask all pilots to also read the General section with information relevant to all pilots.
Arrival
STAR assignment
You can usually expect not to fly out your STAR and instead to get radar vectors. However, you should be prepared to fly the STAR followed by a standard approach via the Lahr NDB (LHR), the Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden NDB (KBA), or the Sulz VOR (SUL).
Descent planning
To avoid having to fly unnecessarily long finals, pilots should plan to cross the following waypoints at the following altitudes. Remember that all altitude changes require an explicit clearance by ATC.
- BADLI: FL110
- GEBDA: FL110
- LOKTA: FL140
- REUTL: FL90
Approach
Approach procedures
The approach into Lahr will usually be an ILS approach during 21 operations and an RNP approach during 03 operations.
Speeds
Pilots should plan the following speeds. Keep in mind that ATC instructions always take precedent.
- Descent phase: 250 - 300 KIAS
- Base: 220 KIAS
- Turn to final: 180 - 200 KIAS
There is a restriction for maximum 250 KIAS below FL100 as the Lahr TMA is class E over German territory and partly class E (as well as partly class D within the adjacent Strasbourg TMA) over French territory.
You need to follow all speed instructions precisely until they are cancelled by ATC to ensure separation. If you need to slow down earlier for any reason, advise ATC immediately, so they can issue an appropriate instruction.
Taxi
While Lahr's layout is relatively simple, it is still important to conduct a thorough briefing of expected taxi routes as well as correct taxiing. To avoid delays for yourself and other users, start taxiing as soon as possible after receiving your taxi clearance.
If you are unsure about your taxi instructions, hold position and inform ATC immediately.
VFR Traffic
We ask all pilots to also read the General section with information relevant to all pilots.
Lahr’s airspace and general traffic levels make the airport very friendly to VFR traffic in the real world. As this is similar on VATSIM, controllers will usually be able to accommodate VFR requests. However, the limited amount of space at Lahr and its proximity to French territory can result in situations where some VFR requests might be denied, especially during periods of high traffic.
Airspace Structure
CTR
The Lahr CTR has a top altitude of 2500 ft MSL, about 2000 ft AGL. Please pay close attention to setting the correct QNH.
The following mandatory reporting points exist around the airport:
| Reporting point |
Use |
Location |
| E |
Entry/Exit from/to the East |
B415 between Kuhbach and Reichenbach |
| O1 |
Entry/Exit from/to the North (Oscar route) |
B33 exit Gengenbach |
| O2 |
Entry/Exit from/to the North (Oscar route) |
fields between Oberschopfheim and Oberweier |
| S1 |
Entry/Exit from/to the South (Sierra route) |
Rhine river mouth Dornskopf |
| S2 |
Entry/Exit from/to the South (Sierra route) |
Rhine passing Nonnenweier |
| W |
Entry/Exit from/to the West | quarry lake Meißenheim |
Keep in mind that ATC might instruct you to use a different reporting point than the one you requested, if necessary.
There is a published VFR holdings on either side of the runway.
LF-R199 Neuhof
Directly West of the CTR in French territory is the Neuhof restricted area between 2500 and 4500 ft MSL. This area is used for glider activities at the nearby French airfield of Strasbourg-Neuhof (LFGC) and shall be avoided by pilots.
Strasbourg TMA
Within French territory just West of the CTR is the Strasbourg TMA comprised of class D and restricted airspace.