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Old 3rd October 2006 | 09:48
  #15 (permalink)  
QDMQDMQDM
 
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,795
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From: New South Wales
As Adrian says, most people seem to have a good experience at Megeve.

I had a bad, unwelcoming one and it may well be due to using my own aircraft. I don't know, but it left a sour taste in my mouth. I feel it is worth highlighting my experience.

In my case, they said to come on a particular day, but emailed me the day before to tell me to come the day after as they were too busy. OK, one day of perfect weather wasted for me, but OK. We then arranged a pickup in Annecy at 08.30, flew straight to Megeve and then.... nothing. We got there and Jacques just walked off. No indication of when we may fly. I speak pretty reasonable French and I walked over and asked him. He said they were very busy, definitely nothing today, possibly tomorrow, but possibly not. I hung around the airfield all day, wondering what to do. I asked Jacques again in the afternoon and now he said definitely not the following day, but possibly the day after. About an hour later, Bruno came up at the end of his day's flying at about 17.30 and asked what I wanted to do? Funny question. Er, learn how to fly the mountains, Bruno: that's what I arranged to come here for! I think he must have taken pity on me. Anyway, he took me up for an hour, which was super. We went to Mayeres and did some circuits at Megeve.

When we got down, I decided it was too dispiriting hanging around at the airfield for days waiting for a crumb of flying to be thrown my way. I paid my bill and left for Annecy and home the next day. No expressions of regret, apology or even any real interest from Jacques or Bruno. Vincent was on holiday.

Most of all, I felt like an idiot and that's what I resent most of all! You would have thought they might have considered that someone flying their own aircraft all the way from England to fly specifically with them might be an interested student of mountain flying... Blah, blah, blah, I'm starting to rant now. Anyway, it pissed me off more than anything else has this year!

My advice is to get a clear indication of what and how much they will do with you before you go. In my case, I think there were too many tourist flights with three passengers to do in the Jodel, as opposed to instructor flights with me at 70 euros an hour in my own Cub. The economics are obvious and that is fine, but they shouldn't have said I could come.



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