LFAC Calais-Dunkirk <--> LFAT Le Touquet
As I can't afford to fly right now, but absolutely wanted a sniff of fresh air nonetheless, I drove two hours two Calais-Dunkirk aerodrome today, spent an hour hanging around and watching traffic (including a helo of our Belgian national pride) and had a nice chat (in French) with an aerodrome employee.
As I remember:
-) though in controlled airspace, the a/d DOES accept ultralights, at a more than bearable fee of 4,50 €
-) the employee claimed LFAC is less prone to sea fog than Le Touquet, being "round the corner" of the Caps - Cap Blanc Nez and Cap Griz Nez
-) the nice thing about Le Touquet a/d is the proximity to the city centre - at LFAC one is more or less out in the middle of nowhere, with only the village of Marck within walking distance.
-) there is a bar /restaurant at the LFAC a/d, but as I gathered they only do salads and sandwiches, no real solid hot food. And, very unusual for France, a handwritten note warned for a temporary unability to handle credit card payments. The a/d administration accepts them cheerfully though, both for fuel and for landing fees.
-) though the SIA docs say French R/T only, I heard quite acceptable English from the tower, even if the accent was, err, shall we say, "marked" ...
My conclusions, as yet:
-) LFAC will be my preferred place to clear Schengen customs if I ever cross the English channel in the ULM; but I'll not count on it for lunch, even less for dinner.
-) strange that Le Touquet is THE ubiquitous destination for an English PPL'ers lunch abroad, but Calais-Dunkirk is scarcely mentioned. Have I missed any shortcomings?