Nice Airport France

[lordproteron]

Sorry if this has allready been asked but can any pilots tell me what Nice airport is like to land at.

[Bumz_Rush]

not that different

the runway is quite long, and quite narrow.....and when you reach the far end it gets very wet.

[catchup]

The approach procedures are very "french like". Waiting for a book print of it.

regards

[TopBunk]

They have a nice (no pun) ILS to 04L but prefer you not to use it if the weather is ok, because it upsets the wealthy locals in Antibes. Instead they expect you to do a convoluted approach called the Riviera approach which keeps you clear of the NIMBYS and throws you down a 4.5 deg? approach to 04L from a platform of 2500ft on base leg.

Alternatively, they use 22R for landing, origiannly it was called a Bluebay? approach. You flew the ILS to 04L then broke off into the circuit with choppers flying underneath en-route Monaco. The circuit was tight and ended up with a steepish visual approach, which if the wind was off the Med could pus you rather tight onto finals.

Now they have a new procedure called the S??? which takes about 10 mintes linger and has you down low at 3000ft abeam the field with about 60nm track to run! Burns loads of fuel!

[411A]

Bluebay was correct, as I recall, from years past.

Beware,
If you are in an N registered corporate aircraft, and are carrying EU passport holders, picked up from within the EU, the French customs folks might just require rather huge fees.
In the French way of course, as only they can be.
The NBAA has the details...as well as the endless tales of woe.

[KAT TOO]

22R IS A HOOT

If your comming in from the North, you start with a track reversal (to get you pointting back at the coast, then on a DME arac or radar vectored arac to intercept the 270 inbound (090r) VOR at about 5 or 6 miles you do a right break (after the posh houses on the headland) as you make this turn you can't see the runway or even the airfield this is now a visual apparoach! as you head towards the beach you then do a split arse turn on to finals and make sure your pointing at the right runway, not the taxi way after that its easy except when wet when it can be very slippy and my notes say the PAPI's can be obscured by sea spray

Other than that and all the French RT and choppers its a walk in the park

[gawain]

Take a look at this website provided by the DGAC about Nice airport and its "unusual" proceedures. Its a superb training aid for pilots.
nice airport

[Norwegian wood]

Confusing ,non-standard,but kind of fun to line up along the beach on the circling, isn`t it?

[Baron rouge]

French pilots can do it ... Everybody else should be able to do it as well if I can judge by the scorny tone of this thread about France and the French

[Whippersnapper]

I found it quite fun. The only "warnings" I'd make are that the level off on a 22 departure is quick and needs to be accurate because of arriving ac flying 1000' above for the circling app, and the possibility of runway incursions (there have been many in the past, but the airport has gone to great lengths to reduce the risks now).

It also helps to be aware of the sea breeze effect that is usually present; tower wind reports are usually something like 340/10, but until you descend through about 200', you'll have 160/20, so be prepared to reverse your drift correction a little before the flare. Hardly exiting, but useful to know.

The Oktet departure is a great SID for practicing your raw data manual flying, if you're in a glass cockpit aircraft.

[Porky Speedpig]

As a passenger, you do start to wonder on the Saleya to 22R, whether it will be possible to get a photograph of the Pyramids or even Victoria Falls on the way in!!