Most GA friendly country in Europe?

[RedKnight]

Reading a number of other posts today has made me wonder: what is the most GA-friendly country in Europe, and why? Couple of factors which I think we should be looking for, but feel free to expand on this list:

-Wide network of airfields (including untowered ones) and extensive class G airspace

-ATC cupport for GA operating in CAS including routine SVFR clearances and CTA/CTR/MATZ transits

-Regulatory support for GA development in terms of PPL licensing/rating

-Accessible and thorough VFR charts, ideally exceeding the detail included in the ICAO-compliant ONCs

[wsmempson]

France - without a doubt.

[echobeach]

Whilst I love flying in Germany my vote goes to France
Most of my long touring has been round France
Superb Atc.
Landing at large airfields in class D never an issue
Complex looking airspace melts away with Atc help
Long flights possible Vfr as weather more predictable
Even my favourite local bimble is le touquet
My best and most ensuring flying memories of long flights are all in France.
I cant recommend it enough.

Though the fly in to tempelhof Berlin just before it closed
was fantastic for ease and for those with low hours France can't be beaten

[piperboy84]

Dont have much experience on the continent but for:

Sheer Beauty
Wide open and empty airspace
Friendly ATC
Hundreds off field landing places like beaches etc
Dramtically changing landscapes
And most of all, FREEDOM


It has to be Scotland !!!

[AdamFrisch]

I haven't done much touring in mainland Europe, but I did learn to fly back in Sweden years ago. And at least then it was, like most sparsely populated places, very easy to fly in. Whenever an industry is as small as it is in Sweden, most things fly under the radar. I never paid any landing fee's, most airfields were uncontrolled and you could come and go as you wished, no security, no PPR madness like in the UK, good fuel availability - just park on the apron and leave it for how many days you wanted, etc, etc,. It might have changed since then, but for the smaller fields I doubt it. It was similar to how I think Canada works today - a nice mix between the FAA system and Europe in a way.

[Level100]

Yes, all in all it is France, if I may say so, after flying 30+ years private in this country.
Further, one should is not only take into account the GA of the fortunate wealthy, but also that France still has, what is called elsewhere "popular aviation". Many tens of thousands of practicants.

But for sure flying in places like Scotland or Sweden is great.

[Ultranomad]

Czech Republic:

- Class G is 0-1000 ft AGL everywhere except CTRs, with class E from 1000 ft AGL up to FL95 - accordingly, you don't need a clearance but can get traffic service if you want.
- 8 towered airports, 84 non-towered, about 80 ultralight airfields, dozens of old crop dusting strips, off-airfield landing allowed with permission of the land owner. All in a country 1/3 the area and 1/6 the population of the UK.
- Landing fees at non-towered aerodromes mostly in the £2 - £5 range.
- Helpful ATC, getting a TMA/CTR/TRA transit is hardly ever a problem.
- ATC are specially trained in assisting VFR-only pilots straying into IMC.
- Minor airspace busts don't lead to prosecution.
- Rich GA traditions since before WWII.
- PPL holders enjoy CPL privileges when flying ultralights!
- Very nice VFR ICAO charts, uncluttered and easy to read. One sheet covers the entire country. The aeronautical layer (that is, the entire chart minus the topo base) is freely available in PDF format from the site of Air Navigation Services.
- Lots of inexpensive lodging and restaurants.

[piperboy84]

Yes, all in all it is France,

It would appear from looking at the charts on skydemon that France and Germany have a large number of fields dedicated to microlights, gliders and even RC compared to the UK. I wonder if this has something to do with regulations?, whatever the reason it's certainly a good way of allowing more people to get their foot on the flying ladder in a cost effective way.

[Richard Westnot]

Having visited many european countries, I concur that France is very relaxed
and pleasurable for touring.

[Arclite01]

Sweden was very much like Canada - easy and large tracts of uncontrolled airspace - only about 3 or 4 areas to avoid - and they are well apart anyway......... forced landings are likely to be interesting - fields small and scrubby, lots of trees - the guy who checked me out said 'if you have to force land in the winter pick a lake and walk ashore - no issue, in the summer pick a lake and swim ashore - no issue - apparently April May is interesting though as you cant walk on the ice (it cracks) and you can't swim as the temp is usually in the minus numbers and the lakes are huge................definitely take a PLB and a LSJ.................' Amazing vz though and cloud base of above 5000' not uncommon on an average day.

France - great fun, large open spaces - superb local aerodromes usually with hangarage, 2000m of hard runway and no charges. Usually owned by the local council and paid for by EU subsidy to construct (why can't we do that ???) but avoid the Military aerodromes (lots of low level traffic) and the big cities as they usually have active airfields.......................with non-GA traffic. The regional cities have airports the size of Gatwick with 4 movements a day..........(like Norwich really !! ;)) - but good fun all the same

Belgium - small slow and narrow minded - with very little available airspace for playtime.

Go and enjoy !!

Arc

P.S. Anyone know what Germany, Poland or other bits of Eastern Europe are like (or Spain for that matter) ??

[maehhh]

P.S. Anyone know what Germany, Poland or other bits of Eastern Europe are like (or Spain for that matter) ??

In my humble opinion Germany is actually a very pleasant place for GA flying(did most of my hours here). Most airspace below FL100 is class G & E, there is no class A & B and VFR crossings of class C & D are usually not an issue (last year I was even cleared to cross Frankfurt CAS VFR right overhead the runways at FL80... it is Europe's third busiest airport after all!)

ATC is in my experience relaxed and helpful, use of larger airports with airline traffic is not an issues at all except from Munich and Frankfurt. Flight plans are not required for VFR regardless if you just bimble around, want to fly in controlled airspace or want to cross the German border. Few exemptions are for example aerobatics in CAS or NVFR.

The only really annoying thing is the 'Flugleiterpflicht' at uncontrolled airports which often limits the opening hours at smaller fields. The number of airfields is good 'tho, except from Bavaria maybe :=

[soaringhigh650]

Italy wins the prize for me: Plenty of overpriced airports, overpriced avgas and plentry of class A airspace.

[Silvaire1]

Italy is good for microlights.

Slovenia?

[Piper.Classique]

France

But Poland is great below FL 95, though the airfields are fairly far apart.

No probs in Germany either

Avoid Belgium.......

[172driver]

+1 for France.

Re Spain: used to be very pleasant, albeit with rather few airfields. Flying in and out of the major airports no problem. BUT, in recent years AEANA have hiked the landing fees to absurd levels and on top have instituted mandatory handling at most airports. This has the effect of vastly reducing the - already scarce - fields available to GA at realistic prices. Sad, as otherwise (scenery) it's a great country to fly in.

One more that is very pleasant and has a surprisingly high number of airfields is Portugal.

[Larscho]

Last summer I flew to Lithuania and I was really happy with it.
It was easy to get charts and info on the internet and they have a friendly briefing office! There are some fees at the bigger airports but they are small and compensated for with a very low AVGAS-price. It was about half a euro cheaper per litre than in Sweden.

Check the price of AVGAS if you are flying in to a smaller field though since they can have other prices there.

Sweden is pretty easy as some has mentioned. You do not really need a flightplan unless you want one when flying within the borders. The AVGAS is still ok priced compared to other European countries. The airfields are plenty enough and there is something for everyone when it comes to scenery.

What I think we also should take into account for the local residents are the charges from the CAA to own an airplane and for having a license...
Even though we all are EASA there are differences.

[Steve6443]

I can't give my vote to France because of the number of fields which are reserved for local based aircraft, especially in the area between Saarlouis and Strassbourg. Also, looking at the charts for that area, they have so much restricted airspace, it's ridiculous, to clear through the area you have to be max 800 feet above ground.

Having said that, the rest of the country looks easier to fly in so maybe it's just because of that particular area, my mind is prejudiced.....

[mmgreve]

Some have mentioned Belgium as a place to avoid. I 've always found Belgium a pleasure to fly through (I only everlanded once). The airspace makes sense and ATC are very helpful.

The Netherlands however is a right pain to get through, with their ridiculousairspace construction, which even the most helpful ATC can't do much about. If the weather is murky, which itoften is in those areas, I now route around through Belgium and Germany to stay at a decent height.

[jarvis123]

piperboy84, while I would agree that Scotland has great beauty, it is far far from the most GA friendly place in Europe.

The FIS is friendly, but ATC is often clunky, and it is not as wide open and free as one might think, just take a look at the Highland Restricted Area which takes up a huge portion of the country.

Sounds like France is coming up trumps, a country where a local airfield is seen as an asset not a burden.

[mad_jock]

Some have mentioned Belgium as a place to avoid

That applys if your flying, driving or even walking.

[jxk]

That applies if your flying, driving or even walking. Unless you're after some chocolate which I'm told is rather good!

[Oldpilot55]

I do believe the beer can be of exceptional quality.
We got extra chips in a restaurant in Brussels because my son had devoured them so quickly. I blame the Tintin museum which was pretty dire for a youngster.
We spent a week in Bruges and I cannot find fault with it. One of the most beautiful cities in the world. The food was excellent, the hotel very pleasant and the people were as nice or nicer than you would expect in a tourist area.
I've never flown in Belgium but I did fly over on the way to Germany and they were very helpful.

[Radar]

Sorry guys, the comments re Belgium are way wide of the mark. True, the airspace looks intimidating (as does the NE corner of France) but ATC (both civil and military) provide a superb service. Unfortunately, due to a master political stroke, the country has lost one of its' aviation gems; SPA airfield closed without notice last month.

Having said that, France gets my vote; plenty of fantastic destinations and always a helping / welcoming hand close by.

Spain is fine as long as you avoid the madness that is AENA. There are plenty of small club alternatives but, for some reason, their existence is not widey advertised.

It's been almost 10 years since I've ventured east but at that time Poland, Lithuania and Estonia were a real pleasure.

[FullWings]

I think what sets France, Germany and other mainland European countries from the UK is that GA and airfields are regarded as a resource rather than a nuisance. The local strip is where people go for lunch at the weekend and to watch the aeroplanes with their families.

Also, the DGAC, LBA, etc. seem to treat GA pilots and aircraft with a much lighter touch than our beloved CAA.

[awqward]

The FIS is friendly, but ATC is often clunky, and it is not as wide open and free as one might think, just take a look at the Highland Restricted Area which takes up a huge portion of the country.

The Highlands Restricted Area tops out at 5,000' and considering most of the hills in there are >3,500' it's not that much of an imposition....and it's only active weekdays....

I flew a lot in Norway 12-13 years ago and found it to be extremely aviation friendly....and cheap...and stunningly beautiful of course....in those days a Warrior or 172 rented for ca. £50 per hour cf £110+ in the UK...

[FougaMagister]

Steve6443: not all MIL areas are active on any given day. In order to check which ones are, the DGAC produces AZBA (Activité des Zones Basse Altitude) charts daily. You can find them on their website here:
https://www.sia.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/default_uk.htm

Also, if you want to double-check in flight, looking up the nearest air base's APP frequency on the half-mil chart and giving them a call works fine.

GA airfields are generally viewed as a local asset in France - that's also why local councils sometimes own them and why there are often no landing fees (running costs being partly shouldered by the local taxpayer...)

That said, GA flying in the Czech Rep looks awesome!

Cheers :cool: