GA Flying in Ireland

[Speedbird715]

I will be on a school trip to Killarney, Ireland from Apr 29 to May 06. With a 60-hour JAR PPL in my pocket, I'd like to take the opportunity to explore the area by air.

Now, does anyone know if I can charter at the local airport - Farranfore, EIKY? Preferably C152, 172, 177, 182 or DA20, but doesn't matter as long as it burns AVGAS and makes a loud noise.

Since this is my first trip to Ireland (really looking forward to it), I hope you don't mind me asking some other stupid questions:
- Generally, what's the weather like in early May? Suitable for some VFR-sightseeing?
- Are there any airspace restrictions I should know of? As far as I know EIKY is sorrounded by controlled airspace which stretches across the whole S/W region.
- Is Ireland as much a "GA-friendly" country as England is for example? Being from Germany, I'm always expecting the worst here ;-)

Any information appreciated! :)

Regards,
Speedbird.

[gcolyer]

One thing to be aware of is you you are not allowed to do any VFR night flying in Ireland, evne if you have the qualification.

You could try calling the flying club at Weston to see if you can rent a plane from them.

[Radar]

Speedbird .....

Are you familiar with the track "Four Seasons in One Day"????????

That about sums up the wx in that fabulous corner that is Kerry.

As far as flying is concerned have a look here

http://www.kerryaeroclub.net/

Check out the reg on the Hawk XP


Enjoy yourself ..... and leave some for me. I'll be in on the 19th of May.

[ronnie3585]

Speedbird, the west of Ireland is a beautiful place to fly especially Kerry. Unfortunatley Ireland is nowhere near as GA friendly as the UK.

It would be an idea to double check that Kerry Aero Club is still operating as they has their operation shut down last year by the IAA.

Appart from EIKY there are not many places that rent out aircraft. I know they do in Cork and Waterford but that may be a bit out of your way.

[nouseforaname]

I'm pretty sure that you should be able to rent at Kerry. They did have their operation shut down by the IAA last year but I think they may be back on the road.

If you get a nice day it's really nice to go sight seeing around Ireland but the weather can change around there pretty damn rapid so be careful. There are a lot of high mountains around Killarney way.

Besides flying, Killarney is a great town make sure you got to the 'Grand' niteclub and if you get a chance go back towards a town called Glenbeigh you'll love the scenery!

[slatsandflaps]

Hi ya ,
As I'm rather new to this flying lark and really don't know much about the current situation in Kerry I would suggest that you check out this forum (BRL hope that posting this link is ok ) and the guys there ( some based in Kerry ) should be able to help you http://flyinginireland.com/forum/index.php

as for the weather .. hope for sun but prepare for rain , snow , sleet , hail , clouds , more rain , high winds , more rain , fog , ice , even more rain and you should be ok : ) ...

may can be great but it also can be very wet .. so fingers crossed

SandF

[Speedbird715]

Thanks everybody for your suggestions! I thought that this was the right place to ask. Looks like I'll drop the guys at Kerry Aeroclub a mail or check the forum at flyinginireland.com to see if they're still in business. That little Hawk XP is already smiling at me...

As for the WX, I'll try to stay within 30 minutes or so of the airfield, assuming that it will be enough to outrun a sudden Irish season change!

Oh, ant thx for pointing out the nightclub, nouseforaname. We'll definitely try this one :cool:


Cheers guys

'Speedbird