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VFR reporting points and entering a CTR
How to plan the arrival and departure via VFR reporting points, where to find them in the AIP, when a flight plan is needed and what the radio calls look like when entering a CTR - with Warszawa-Modlin airport as the example.
Applies to: Poland (FIR Warszawa). Based on the SERA regulation (EU 923/2012) and AIP Poland, AIRAC cycle of 1 October 2026. Other countries have other rules. Before the flight always check the current AIP Poland, NOTAM and AUP/UUP.
What VFR reporting points are
Applies to: Poland · Source: AIP VFR Poland AD 4, AIP Poland AD 2 · as of 1.10.2026
A VFR reporting point is a feature easy to recognise from the air: a bridge, a road junction, the edge of a town, a lake. Air traffic control and aerodrome flight information know where you are when you report over it, and arriving aircraft do not circle around the whole area but enter the zone at predictable places.
- Compulsory point - a solid triangle on the chart. You always report over it when your arrival or departure is routed through it.
- On-request point - an open triangle. You report when air traffic services ask you to.
The point names come from the ICAO spelling alphabet (ALFA, BRAVO… ZULU) and are unique only within one airport. The vfrmap.eu map data has 455 VFR points in Poland, including 35 named NOVEMBER, 33 SIERRA and 31 WHISKEY. That is why on the map every point is joined by a line to the airports it serves, and the search accepts "airport point", e.g. "EPWA NOVEMBER".
Where to find an airport's points
Applies to: Poland · Source: AIP VFR Poland AD 4 EPGL, AIP Poland AD 2 EPMO · as of 1.10.2026
- AIP VFR Poland, part AD 4 - the chart of every VFR airfield. Section AD 4.10 "Visual approach and departure points (routes)" contains the list of points with coordinates and a description.
- AIP Poland, part AD 2 - controlled airports. The points and the entry rules are in the procedures for VFR flights (e.g. for Modlin: "Procedures for VFR flights", item 4.1).
- Visual approach charts (VAC) and VFR charts - the same points drawn against the terrain.
An example from the AIP VFR: the arrival and departure points of Gliwice (EPGL) from section AD 4.10.
EPGL Gliwice - VFR points (AD 4.10) · AIP VFR Poland · as of 1.10.2026
| Point | Coordinates | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BRAVO | 501553N 0192605E | Bukowno |
| GOLF | 502413N 0190318E | Rogoznik - reservoir, eastern end |
| HOTEL | 501905N 0191414E | Strzemieszyce - junction of roads S1 and 94 |
| MIKE | 501044N 0185425E | Mikolow, junction of roads 44 and 81 |
| PAPA | 502341N 0183745E | the town of Pyskowice |
| SIERRA | 500757N 0190130E | Tychy, start of road S1 |
| TANGO | 502114N 0185159E | Bytom Karb - crossing of roads E40 and 94 |
Points can change every AIRAC cycle: check the current AIP VFR before the flight. Educational material: vfrmap.eu/en/academy/vfr-reporting-points/.
The same points are sometimes used by several airports. Gliwice's PAPA and TANGO lie close to the Katowice-Muchowiec zone, so some databases assign them only to that airport. The vfrmap.eu map links points to airports according to OpenAIP and section AD 4.10 of the AIP VFR.
The flight plan before entering a CTR
Applies to: Poland · Source: AIP VFR Poland ENR 1.5 · as of 1.10.2026
| VFR flight | Flight plan | When to file |
|---|---|---|
| wholly in uncontrolled airspace (class G) | not required* | - |
| with FIS and alerting service in class G | yes | at least 30 min before departure |
| wholly or partly in controlled airspace (CTR, TMA) | yes | at least 1 hour before departure |
| crossing the FIR Warszawa boundary | rules in ENR 1.5** | 1 hour before EOBT |
* Except in ADIZs. ** In the Schengen area, when crossing the border with Slovakia, Czechia, Germany and Lithuania in uncontrolled airspace, no plan is required unless those countries' rules say otherwise.
You do not have to file a plan for the whole route. The AIP provides for a flight plan for part of the route for VFR flights from the ground to FL95: a DEPFPL for the departure segment (e.g. take-off from a controlled airport and leaving the CTR) or an ARRFPL for the arrival segment (e.g. from a reporting point to landing). In exceptional situations, e.g. when the weather deteriorates, the services may accept a flight plan filed in the air (AFIL).
Entering a CTR step by step: Modlin
Applies to: Poland · Source: AIP Poland AD 2 EPMO (AD 2.17, procedures for VFR flights), ENR 2.2.1 · as of 1.10.2026
The Warszawa/Modlin CTR is class D, with limits from the ground to 2000 ft AMSL, and the service is provided by MODLIN TOWER on 123.930 MHz (in Polish MODLIN WIEZA). The zone is in force during the ATC hours. When the tower is not available, the class G RMZ CTR Warszawa/Modlin with Warszawa FIS applies in the same place.
- Before the flight: file a flight plan (at least an hour before departure), check the ATIS, NOTAM and the tower's hours.
- En route: fly with Warszawa FIS. The clearance to enter the CTR is issued by the appropriate ATS unit and passed on by Warszawa FIS.
- Before the zone: unless FIS says otherwise, contact MODLIN TOWER at HOTEL, YANKEE, JULIETT or QUEBEC, or before entering the CTR.
- The first call on 123.930 MHz: ATIS letter, altitude AMSL and intentions - the AIP requires this from all aircraft.
- Holding: in heavy traffic the tower may instruct you to hold over INDIA or UNIFORM, according to the published procedure, up to 1500 ft AMSL.
- Worse weather: with a cloud base below 1500 ft or visibility below 5 km, entry is possible only as a special VFR flight, with a clearance and by day.
The first call to the tower
Applies to: Poland · Source: AIP Poland AD 2 EPMO, ENR 2.2.1 item 2 · as of 1.10.2026
A good first call is short and complete. The controller needs to know who you are, where you are, at what altitude and what you want. The elements required by the AIP for Modlin and for an initial call in an RMZ:
| Element | Example |
|---|---|
| station called and call sign | Modlin Tower, SP-ABC |
| aircraft type | Cessna 152 |
| position | over HOTEL |
| altitude AMSL | 1500 feet |
| ATIS letter | information Bravo |
| intentions | for landing |
! Watch out for
- The example is illustrative. You learn the phraseology in force in training and for your radiotelephony licence. When in doubt speak plainly and ask for a repeat.
- The clearance is not everything: read back the clearance conditions, the altitude, the QNH and the runway.
- If you have not received a clearance, do not enter the CTR, even when the tower is busy. Orbit outside the zone and call again.
Examples: can I enter?
| Situation | Verdict |
|---|---|
| You are approaching HOTEL, have contacted the tower and received a clearance to enter | yes - fly according to the clearance |
| The tower does not answer, you are 2 NM before the CTR boundary | no - orbit outside the zone and keep trying, also via FIS |
| No flight plan for a flight through the CTR | no, under ENR 1.5 - file a plan (it can be for part of the route) |
| The tower is closed, a class G RMZ applies in place of the CTR | yes, in class G - after an initial call to Warszawa FIS and with a listening watch |
| A flight plan with the point "NOVEMBER" without an airport | ambiguous - give the point with the airport |
✓ A quick method
Before the flight write on your kneeboard: FIS and tower frequency, contact point, entry point, altitude in the CTR, QNH, ATIS letter. Before you reach the contact point you have it all in front of you and the call takes a few seconds.
Radio failure
Applies to: Poland · Source: AIP Poland AD 2 EPMO, procedures for VFR flights item 4.5 · as of 1.10.2026
Every controlled airport publishes its own procedure. For Modlin the AIP says:
- if contact is lost before the CTR boundary and the flight does not end with a landing at Modlin, entering the CTR is prohibited;
- if you intend to land at Modlin, you fly to the holding point (from the north INDIA), switch on all lights and wait for light signals from the tower: green - the shortest possible approach and landing, red - hold until green.
Before a flight to another airport read its procedure in the AIP. Also set the transponder according to the radio failure rules you learn in training.
How a CTR differs from a TMA and how to read zone limits is covered in the article Airspace in Poland for VFR pilots.
Frequently asked questions
What is a VFR reporting point?
It is a distinctive feature on the ground (a bridge, a road junction, a town) published in the AIP VFR, through which the arrival to or departure from an airport is routed. Over a compulsory point you always report, over an on-request point only when air traffic services ask you to.
Where can I find the reporting points of an airport?
In the AIP VFR Poland, in the AD 4 part for that airport, section AD 4.10 "Visual approach and departure points (routes)", and for controlled airports also in the VFR procedures in the AD 2 part of AIP Poland. The points are also on the VFR chart.
Do I need a flight plan to fly through a CTR?
Yes. According to AIP VFR Poland ENR 1.5 a flight plan is required for a flight conducted wholly or partly in controlled airspace. When entering controlled airspace it is filed at least an hour before departure. You can file a plan for only part of the route (DEPFPL or ARRFPL).
Why do so many points have the same name?
The point names come from the ICAO spelling alphabet and are unique only within one airport. The vfrmap.eu map data has 35 points named NOVEMBER and 33 named SIERRA. That is why you always give the point together with the airport, e.g. "EPGL PAPA".
What do I do if I lose radio contact before entering a CTR?
Follow the procedure published for that airport. For Modlin the AIP says that if contact is lost before the CTR boundary and the flight does not end with a landing at Modlin, entering the CTR is prohibited. If you intend to land, you fly to the holding point and wait for light signals from the tower.
Sources
- AIP VFR Poland, AIRAC cycle of 1.10.2026: AD 4 EPGL (AD 4.10 arrival and departure points), ENR 1.5 (flight planning) - ais.pansa.pl
- AIP Poland, AIRAC cycle of 1.10.2026: AD 2 EPMO (AD 2.17, procedures for VFR flights), ENR 2.2.1 (RMZ, initial call) - ais.pansa.pl
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 923/2012 (SERA), section 4 (flight plans) - eur-lex.europa.eu
Educational material. It does not replace flight training, the current AIP Poland, NOTAM or the regulations. The radio exchanges are illustrative. You learn the phraseology in force in training and from ICAO documents and the AIP. Spotted a mistake? Write to info@vfrmap.eu.