AVIATION KNOWLEDGE
Overview · Aviation weather · Airspace & operations · Training & licensing · Reference
Aviation Knowledge
Explanations for general aviation that answer a question instead of circling it. Every page states what it applies to, which authority makes the rule, which official sources were used, and when it was last reviewed.
The sections
- Aviation weather – METAR, TAF, SIGMET, SNOWTAM, thunderstorms and altimeter setting.
- Airspace and operations – the airspace classes used in Germany, control zones, RMZ and TMZ, VFR and IFR, flight levels.
- Training and licensing – LAPL, PPL, the German national UL licence, night flying and the routes to instrument flying.
- Reference – abbreviations and the spelling alphabet.
How these pages are put together
- Figures come from the source, not from memory. EASA values are taken from the consolidated text of the relevant EU regulation; German values from the DFS Aeronautical Information Publication or from federal law. The edition used is named under every article.
- Applicability is stated. EASA law and German national law are not the same thing, and United States rules do not apply here at all. Where there is a difference, it is spelled out.
- Rule and explanation are kept apart. What a regulation actually says is marked as such. So is what NorthTrack adds by way of explanation.
- Every page carries a review date. Regulations change; an undated text is worthless.
Status of this page
NorthTrack is not an authority, an examining body or a flight training organisation, and gives no legally binding information. These pages are an editorial overview for training purposes. The binding references are the applicable regulations, the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP), NOTAM, the approved aircraft documentation and the publications of the competent authorities.
What is still to come
This section is growing. Planned topics include navigation, aircraft systems, performance, human performance, radiotelephony, aerodynamics, flight preparation, safety and aerodromes, together with a separately marked area for United States rules.
Official sources
- European Commission / EASA: Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 (Annex I "Part-FCL", Annex IV "Part-MED") – Consolidated version 02011R1178-20260430. Open source (retrieved 2026-09-13)
- European Commission / EASA: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373 (Annex V "Part-MET", Annex VI "Part-AIS") – Consolidated version 02017R0373-20250501. Open source (retrieved 2026-09-13)
- DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH: Aeronautical Information Publication Germany – AIP VFR – Effective 20 AUG 2026. Open source (retrieved 2026-09-13)
- Federal Ministry of Justice (juris) – official text: Regulation on Aviation Personnel (LuftPersV), sections 42 to 45a (German text only) – Consolidated version, retrieved 2026-09-13. Open source (retrieved 2026-09-13)
Related reading
Status of this page
An editorial overview for training purposes. The binding references are the applicable regulations, the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP), NOTAM, the approved aircraft documentation and the publications of the competent authorities. NorthTrack is not an authority, an examining body or a flight training organisation.
Page current as of: 2026-09-13