Flying to Ski Resport in France

[airshowpilot]

I was wondering if anyone could offer a few words of advice...

A friend of mine has been suggesting that 4-6 of us take a light aircraft (hope he's paying most of the costs) to a ski resort in the South East of France for a few days. We're all based in Southern England.

I'm the one with the licence (JAA CPL/IR and FAA CPL/IR), but haven't flown in France for a long long time! And although I've flown long distance flights and a few ferries, basically it's been a while and I'm pretty inexperienced...

I'm doing some research (obviously this isn't going to be cheap), but I would be grateful if anyone could offer any words of advice on an aircraft that might be suitable (available) for such a trip (we're not taking much luggage), flying in France in general and also any top tips on landing on short, sloped, snow covered runways? :uhoh: Thanks for your help.:D

[BRL]

Hi there. Hope this helps--->France info. (http://www.pprune.org/forums/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=535122&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending) There are 40 threads over two pages.
Good luck.

(if the link doesn't work just type FRANCE into the search ......... )

[Aerobatic Flyer]

top tips on landing on short, sloped, snow covered runways

Yes - I can offer tips.

First, the bad news - at the very minimum you need a "site authorisation" to land on the sloping runways in France. If you haven't done it before, but are competent and current, you should count on 3 hours training before being signed off for solo. And that solo authorisation will be limited to the site you trained at.

To be able to land at any of the sloping runways (altiports or altisurfaces), you need the full mountain rating - for which 15 hours dual is a doable minimum if you do it all in one go, and 25 hours is a more realistic average.

For the "snow covered" bit, you need to add the ski rating to your mountain rating. Count on quite a few more hours training, and probably at least 200 landings on snow. You also need an aeroplane with skis - unless the snow depth is less than about 3 inches.

Best bet would be to fly to somewhere easy (Chambéry, Annecy, Grenoble, Annemasse.....), then go skiing in one of the resorts where you can train (Courchevel, Méribel, Alpe d'Huez or Megève) and go flying with an instructor.

If you fly there and there's no snow on the sloping runway and you try to land, it's almost a certain that you will break the aeroplane - and the insurance won't pay.:(

After all that, the good news. Flying from a short, sloping snow-covered runway (with an instructor to show you how to do it) is in my view the best flying you can do. (Until the instructor takes you up to a glacier after a fall of powder snow...!!:) )

[Mike Cross]

You might also find this of interest.
Courchevel Altiport (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=97661) :{

Mike

[airshowpilot]

Thank you very much for your help guys. I may try and get a site authorisation while I'm down there but in the short-term I will probably stay away from the mountain rating - sounds very exciting though! Now there's the hard part, convincing someone to let me hire their plane....

[Mike Cross]

Don't let us put you off trying it with an instructor though!

I was in Courchevel January before last and flew from the altiport with some friends in a 172 on a sightseeing trip.

As far as I recall it cost £35 a head for the three of us in a 172.

There are two flying schools at Courchevel. The runway is tarmac and I believe it's electrically heated to keep the snow off. Meribel in the next valley has a snow runway. There is also a Jodel Mousquetaire at Courchevel with retractable skis if you want to try it.

The apron is at the top and the runway itself is shaped like a ski jump, i.e. a downward plunge with a lip at the bottom.

You poise yourself on the lip and can't see a thing below you. Then you launch yourself and there is no turning back. We were airborne around a third of the way down and had a fantastic flight over the Three Valleys.

On the way back you land uphill, which is interesting, there are no go-arounds due to the granite wall ahead of you.

Instructor did the take-off and touch-down, I did the rest.
http://michael.cross20.users.btopenworld.com/images/webimages/DSCF0613.JPG
This is the apron, with the drop-off to the runway on the left


http://michael.cross20.users.btopenworld.com/images/webimages/DSCF0592.JPG
Approaching the point of no return

http://michael.cross20.users.btopenworld.com/images/webimages/DSCF0605.JPG
Over the piano keys

http://michael.cross20.users.btopenworld.com/images/webimages/DSCF0595.JPG
Quite a lot of power is required to get you back to the top.

Mike

[Aerobatic Flyer]

Nice photos! Even if they do bring back memories of just how little snow there was in January 2002!

[Mike Cross]

It wasn't as bad as it looks. Thjis was January. The photo's are taken facing north, so you are looking at the south facing slopes which have had the snow melted off them. The conditions were actually excellent for on-piste, very smooth and fast with some glorious weather as you can see. No powder though!

Mike :D

[mr_flydive]

I,ve been thinking of similar things myself. The pictures have reawakened a burning desire when I was in Alp D'Huez 4 years ago that I had just managed to keep surpressed.

Does anyone know of the nearest Instructional outfit near Morzine.
Firstly for Slopes
and also for snow

[Aerobatic Flyer]

mr_flydrive

The nearest mountain flying instruction to Morzine is at Megève, which I guess is about an hour away. Megève aéroclub is the most active mountain flying club in France. There is also a sightseeing flight company.

The altiport is at 4800ft, on a North facing slope so the snow cover is fairly good. The instruction is superb, and there's a good choice of ski-equipped aeroplanes - Piper PA19, Jodel D117 or Jodel D140. There are also dozens of glaciers to land on close by!

Their telephone number is +33 4 50 21 33 67.

Here's a pic of a D140 starting its takeoff run last winter at Megève:

http://albumphotos2.wanadoo.fr/VOLUME004/979epy/ncbzd91x7bt6yfn/image/5mnn_4460718.jpg

[mr_flydive]

Thanks Acrobatic

it looks good

Now to pursuade the wife that not only will I not be sking with her but also I will actually be flying

She'll be impressed


:D :D :D

[Mike Cross]

Morzine to Megeve is only around half an hour. You just head back down to the A40 at Cluses and turn left heading for Mont Blanc. Take the next exit at Sallanches, climb up the hill and you're there. It's also a very pleasant place to ski. Thoroughly recommend the Alpage restaurant, on the slopes at the bottom of Communailles. The owners come from Cancale in Brittany and have their own oyster fishery.

Also worth a visit is Le Praz de Lys which you get to by going down the valley from Morzine through Les Gets, then turn right at Pond des Gets. A small and very French ski rezort.

flying in Megeve (http://www.megeve.com/hiveruk/activite/paralleles/parallele.htm)
Megeve (http://www.megeve.com)
Le Praz de Lys (http://www.taninges.com/)

Mike

[Aerobatic Flyer]

Morzine to Megeve is only around half an hour

So you're the one who always overtakes me driving up the hill from Sallanches!