Spatial extent and temporal effectiveness of the RMZ/TMZ Ramstein
The RMZ/TMZ Ramstein extends over an area defined by a circle with a radius of 20 nautical miles around the point 49°26’05“ N, 007°35’08“ E. The boundary runs along this circle and the German-French border and includes a large part of the Langen flight information area. Vertically, this zone extends from the ground (GND) to flight level 100 (FL100), which corresponds to approximately 10,000 feet above sea level.
This flight regulation comes into force on 6 September 2024 from 06:00 UTC to 18:00 UTC. If different activation times are required, these will be announced by the Rhineland-Palatinate police and published by Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH (DFS) via NOTAM. Pilots can check the current status of the zone at any time via the frequency 123.525 MHz (Langen flight information service).
Exceptions and special regulations
Certain airspaces and flights are exempt from the RMZ/TMZ Ramstein:
- Excluded airspaces: The control zone (airspace D) of Saarbrücken Airport (EDDR), the Radio Mandatory Zone (RMZ) Zweibrücken (EDRZ) and the flight restriction area „ED-R Ramstein“ are excluded from the mandatory zone.
- Excluded flights: Flights by the German Armed Forces and the allied armed forces, police flights, rescue and disaster control operations, ambulance flights and the operation of model aircraft and unmanned aerial systems (drones) up to a height of 120 metres above ground.
All other aircraft operating under visual flight rules (VFR) in this zone must use the frequency 135.600 MHz with the call sign „Police Info“ and transmit the transponder code A3777 without being requested to do so. In the RMZ Zweibrücken, the frequency 123.830 MHz must be used instead.
Reporting and communication obligations
An initial notification is required before entering the RMZ/TMZ. This must contain the following information:
- Identifier of the called ground station,
- Callsign and type of aircraft,
- Location, flight altitude and flight intentions.
During the entire flight within the RMZ/TMZ, a permanent listening watch must be maintained. A report must also be made when leaving the zone. If there is no reply from the ground station, the flight may nevertheless be continued with the radio on standby. It should be noted that the radiotelephony messages must also be given if there is no response from the ground station.
In special cases, the Rhineland-Palatinate police may authorise additional exemptions from the transponder requirement. Flights according to instrument flight rules (IFR) are not affected by the regulations of the RMZ/TMZ.
Source references:
NFL (the link requires a subscription to Eisenschmidt)
