Hello all.
A funny thing is about to happen on Guadeloupe.
Yesterday evening I flew over from Canefield, Dominica to St Francois, Guadeloupe - an un-towered airport where Wood Aero are based who do my maintenance - went over to have my new wizzy 406 ELT installed in the Archer.
Overhead the island of Marie Gallante the Point a Pitre I was being worked by Pointe a Pitre approach when he suddenly piped up with "Do you speak French?", "no" says I "well" says he "from 10th October, all non-towered airports in Guadeloupe will be French language only".
I get what will be my last go on the CTAF, and land at St Francois. In chatting with Pierre, the Wood Aero guy, I say we will have to make some arrangements to get around the 10th October thing - he didn't know what I was talking about - half his customers are English speaking (there's even a German reg Partivavia on the aitfield), no one told him before or after it happened.
Today he asked around and it seems it is due to microlights - there are about a dozen of them on St Francois and, I counted, five modern two seat gyrocopters. Seems lots of problems with non-standard phrases and lack of radio disciplin - so simple solution ban English, stuff English being the language of international aviation.
So if anyone says microlight pilots aren't real pilots, it would seem that the authorities on Guadeloupe agree!
Only Guadeloupe though, does not apply on Martinique.
The solution of learning some pilot French will not work as the chit chat mixed in with the position reporting makes it impossible to determine the positions.
A real shame though as St Francois is a real gem; a sea sidetown, golf course next to the airfield, nice hotels, restaurants, beaches etc all walking distance from the airfield
Writing this from the BWA Chik - nice hotel - need to get the French language tapes out if I want to come back.
So anyone planning a flying holiday and thinking of all those lovely airports on Guadeloupe, if you don't speak French it's Pointe a Pitre only for you.