Three years in the making, a new online General Aviation Report (GAR) facility commenced April 8 at 10:00am which should make filing the form easier and more efficient – and ensure it gets to all the agencies it needs to reach.

The work has been carried out by John Murray and AOPA, who explained, “For all this time we have been working with the Home Office and Border Force (please note Border Force is not the same as Border Agency and continues in existence). We have discussed issues of inconsistency and different treatments of across Border arrivals, most of all we have engaged in a practical project to try to make things better when crossing the Border."

Border Force would like all pilots to use the online system and to submit their own GARs for rather than rely on clubs or airfields who are not in the chain of information, though t the existing means of submitting a GAR will continue.

Security of the online system has also been assured: “A great deal of work has been put in to ensure that personal information is secure in the online system and your data is only seen by those authorised. Indeed if the Police are not entitled to see it they don’t! Your online GAR will not be left in a club or airfield in tray. In all respects, speed and security, the online system is a huge step up.”  Currently the only direct link into Border Force is via the AOPA web site www.aopa.co.uk or the smartphone apps (Android currently available on Google Play Store – search for UK Border, and an iphone app will be available shortly).