PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - landing in a garden in Switzerland
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Old 20th Mar 2012, 23:16
  #11 (permalink)  
RVDT
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: After all, what’s more important than proving to someone on the internet that they’re wrong? - Manson
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The Swiss have approximately 330 helicopters of their own for a population of ~7.8 million and they have Swiss Regulations with their own peculiarities.

So I have no doubt that they are well versed in the capabilities of a helicopter. Any town with more than 10 people and a dog in it seems to have a local operator.

Having held a Swiss CPL(H) in the past for about 4 years I can assure you things are different.

On licence conversion where the exam can be sat in English yet the regulations are not published in English can be interesting. Official languages are French, Italian, German or Romansch. You would assume that it would be straight forward as ICAO Rules and Regs are all pretty much the same.

Not so - the exam is on the Swiss differences and they are numerous. The exam is written in English composed by a German speaking person.

Even PVT landings in HB registered aircraft off airport are limited in movements. Any landings above 3500' and MOU endorsement is required. AOC holders have a lot more leeway naturally.

In addition there are local regulations and rules that need to be addressed and the local operators have worked long and hard to work within them. Last thing they want is someone coming along and destroying all that hard work by not adhering to the rules.

The place is lousy with wires and cables in places you just cannot imagine. Without intimate local knowledge and adhering to strict rules of thumb you will not last long.

It becomes apparent after a while that if you are not Swiss you never will be. You are tolerated but never fully accepted.

Thats the way it is and you cant really knock it as it is their right.

For me, unless you have all the boxes ticked, I would not try and blag it as they will catch up with you.
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