Flight from Belgium to UK

[Donalk]

HI all,

I'm planning my first cross channel flight shortly (from EBCI) and as I have very little knowledge of UK airfields was wondering if there are any suggestions in the south of England. Ideally would like to land at a friendly airfield with avgas and a nice restaurant/cafe. Will be flying either a PA28 or PA38 depending on what is available on the day.

[Mike Parsons]

Shoreham airport is on the coast close to Brighton. It has a great atmosphere with friendly ATC and even a Cafe!

Shoreham Airport (http://www.shorehamairport.co.uk/default.asp)

Out of interest, what is Antwerp like with GA?

[Oldpilot55]

I would have thought that Headcorn would meet your requirements. Its only a short distance across the channel and has a reputation for being very friendly. Someone else will correct me if I am wrong but you should be able to pick up duty free fuel if you are going international.

[Fuji Abound]

Brussels South - a nice trip.

A little more to go on would be helpful in terms of what interests you, and how far into England you want to go. Here are some ideas however:

Restaurants at airports is a bit tough. I am afraid we don’t really do good restaurants at airports in the UK - there are more than a few where you will get a perfectly pleasant lunch, but it will not be exceptional.

The nearest for you is Lyd. On Sundays they do a very traditional British roast with all the trimmings. There are a few things of interest in the local area as well - golf, go carting, nuclear power station tour, steam railway.

Bembridge - this has always been a popular one for us Brits because a pub nearby called the Crab and Lobster does good seafood and sits on a beautiful bay overlooking the English Channel. The pubs about 10 minutes by taxi, tell the tower you want a taxi before you land and all will be arranged for you. Perhaps standards are not quite as good as they once were.

Shoreham - their is a restaurant at the airport which is OK. It is open all day. Walk to the North end of the airfield and visit the Sussex Pad - about 10 minutes. The food and ambience is really excellent - probably one of the best restaurants in the area - but with a distinct bias towards seafood. The cathedral just up the hill at Lancing College is also worth a visit. You need to be there at lunch time. There is plenty of cheap (for you lot) shopping in Brighton and few kiss me quick opportunities as well.

Duxford - a little further afield, but if you have never been, the museum is a treasure. There is a restaurant within the complex and it is OK. If you are uncomfortable with our airspace give Stansted a wide berth - they are a miserable lot :}.

PM me if I can help any further.

Please enjoy.

(PS these are all hard runways, although Duxford sometimes ask you to use the grass but it is long and always in good condition, a consideration at this time of year).

[flyingman-of-kent]

You will of course need to land first at an airfield with Customs / Immigration to perform the red tape ceremony. (Edit - unless you give adequate notice to customs / immigration)

One not mentioned, perhaps because it doesn't have a restaurant as such is Biggin Hill. But it is easy to find (VOR on airfield) has customs / immigration officials on site, and would be a good experience for a first timer to Britain. You can of course get a taxi to a nearby pub - the Jail or Kings Arms are not far and do good food.

Shoreham, Lydd, Manston also have customs / imigration but I don't think Duxford or Headcorn do - although you may be able to book them with 24 hrs notice.

AvGas is pretty well a cert at these airfields too. Enjoy your trip, enjoy your visit!

[BackPacker]

You will of course need to land first at an airfield with Customs / Immigration to perform the red tape ceremony.

No you don't. Not when flying into the UK that is. Don't give out false information.

Download the GAR form, fill it in and fax it between 4 and 24 hours before arrival to the relevant authorities (which needs a bit deciphering of the back side of the form) and you're all legal. The authorities will come and visit you if they deem you worthy.

When flying back to the European mainland you DO need to land at a customs/immigration airfield, but I believe EBCI has customs/immigration H24 so that's not a problem.

[flyingman-of-kent]

Thanks for the clarification BackPacker, I did say later that other airfields could be used if notice given and have edited my previous post to make this clearer.

[Fuji Abound]

Just to add - and I am not having a "go" at earlier contributions but .. ..

Biggin - I think both restaurants have / are closing sadly and they werent all that good anyway. There is not much at Biggin these days and not many places worthy of a visit nearby.

Headcorn - I love Headcorn, particularly in the Summer when there is always plenty going on. However, the resteraunt is really just a cafe, and the runway can be wet and bumpy in the winter. If you do go make sure you understand about the parachuting, rightly it is a place you will not be thanked for joining or flying the circuit incorrectly.

Manston - forget it, TG are wonderful, but in terms of facilities it is a wilderness - although to be fair the Spitfire museum is worth a visit!

Will you get the VAT drawback - there is a thought - never done it the other way around - do you claim in Brussels for the outward fuel, or can you fill up in the UK and claim from our lot?

[bookworm]

Will you get the VAT drawback - there is a thought - never done it the other way around - do you claim in Brussels for the outward fuel, or can you fill up in the UK and claim from our lot?

Donalk can claim the UK drawback if he fills up in the UK, which at about 30p/litre may well be worth filling in the HO60 form for.

[Fuji Abound]

Bookworm

Thanks.

.. .. .. and the form is here http://www.gawfc.flyer.co.uk/reference/H060.pdf Donalk.

[bookworm]

Unfortunately the drop down menu incorporated in that document misses out the current rate of £0.3003/litre.

[Jodelman]

What about Rochester?

Nice restaurant in the hotel a couple of hundred yards (metres?) from the tower and the Dickensian town just a short bus ride away.

[Piper19]

Hi there, I did my first cross channel last year to Shoreham (departing from EBGB, so we did a stop at EBKT for customs). VERY nice airfield, altough it was busy at the time we arrived, so it depends on how much time you have under your belt. We were with 8 a/c in the pattern and they only cleared us to land when the wheels were almost touching the ground, so I don't recommend it as a first one if you are a fresh PPL and flying without another pilot friend.

[Donalk]

Thanks to all for some great advice and tips. I will post the results of the trip once completed. Flying in congested airspace is not really a problem for Belgian pilots because there are very few places you can fly here without entering or getting close to controlled airspace
Mike Parsons-in reply to your query on Antwerp - I would describe it as being more GA tolerant than friendly but nonetheless it is a nice airport to fly into. However my favourite has to be Spa La Sauviniere (EBSP). It is a little further south but you are rewarded with some nice views of the Ardennes and the grand prix circuit at Francochamps. Tower personnel all speak english as well which is a bonus if your french is not up to speed.

[hatzflyer]

Raymond (who flies from Antwerp,[ Raymonds Aircraft Resterations]) flies to the UK regularly so can probably give you a few tips.

[SergeD]

You need to fax the GAR form (general aviation declaration?) to UK customs or UK immigration, and same when leaving the UK.

But I don't know if this is for every airport, even the biggest ones like Bournemouth. The details are on the back of the GAR form.