I have a 'plane, a credit card and the whole of France for a week. Any suggestions?

[Penguina]

I have Jepps charts EG/LF, LF-2, LF-3 and LF-5 and will limit myself to these areas, but most of it is new territory to me.

Who has some recommendations or cautionary advice?

(Edited to put the apostrophy in front of 'plane, before the argument begins...)

[S-Works]

Chateu La Chassagne, Le Touqet, Dijon, Abbeville, Lessay, Granville. All great places to visit to gain experiance.

Can I come!!!!

[Flyin'Dutch']

Convert some of the plastic money in readies as a lot of airfields do not accept cc payments for landingfees or fuel.

FD

[BRL]

Drop off at Shoreham on the way down and we can have a cuppa and a chat before you go off on your way.

[cblinton@blueyonder.]

Last weekend we went tp Quiberon via Dinard to clear customs, a lovely place and very friendly airfield. Also there is an Island off Quiberon called Belle Ille and that is well woth a visit. A little general french is helpfull for the small airfields but apart from that all very straight forward and CHEAP!!!!! 5 euros to land and 4 to park up as long as you like it seems.

Also the usuall ones like La Rochelle Le 2k etc but the best way is not to have too rigid plan and head off into the blueyonder with open eyes!!!

Have a great trip Penguina :ok:



50 miles south of La Rochelle:cool:

http://static.photobox.co.uk/public/images/91/18/8039118.s.jpg?ch=97&rr=13:27:23

[skydriller]

50 miles south of La Rochelle

Ahh... Dune du Pilat, and the Bassin de Arcachon.. a truly beautiful place to see from the air - Also recomend the Ile d'Oleron too. And my all in my back yard so to speak - Lucky me!!:cool:

Ill be going to Limoge to see a mate over the weekend (anyone been there before?), but if you decide to fly down the West coast of France, happy to meet up, say hi etc..

Regards, SD..

[2Donkeys]

Ill be going to Limoge

I was at Limoges a few weeks ago. They recently knocked the old terminal building down, so the airport is operating out of a very large circus tent.

Nonetheless, despite the Gallic chaos, it is a pleasant enough place. You will doubtless be familiar with the syndrome at French regional airports by which everything comes to a halt for the one commercial flight per day. Cross with that when you want fuel, oil, a drink, some attention or whatever and you will be very frustrated. At all other times the place is very relaxed.

Give the restau at the hotel by the entrance a miss. It is absolutely awful. Head into town instead.

2D

[pilotwolf]

I have a 'plane, a credit card and the whole of France for a week. Any suggestions?

Just one suggestion - TAKE ME WITH YOU! :)

[BRL]

Exactly the same thoughts as all the blokes on here PW, big problem being, you will have to sit on Smurphs knee..!!!!! :D

[Whirlybird]

Thoughts from my trip, in no particular order....

Reims Prunay has a rather nice hotel on the airfield, with all the rooms named after famous aviators.

Don't be surprised if ATC do some odd things, like giving you a squawk, then gettting fed up with you and passing you on to someone else who doesn't even cover that area. :confused: This is France, and as far as I can gather, they have rules, but break them quite happily when they feel like it.

If you're going to any small airfields you will need to speak a bit of French: vent arrierre - downwind; finale - finale; and understand the runway in use...that'll probably get you by.

If you arrive and fuel, advice, and food are available, get them, as that could change half an hour later. Don't expect anyone to do anything on the airfield during the long lunch break...except have lunch.

I'm sure there's more, but I can't think of it right now.

[Andy_R]

Watch out for the ZIT's (danger areas around nuclear power stations and sensitive sites). Around a 60000 euro fine I believe which would spoil your week somewhat.

Paris info now give a radar service to VFR flights. Peaceful too. Given a squawk and then hear nowt for ages til they pass you on to someone else.

[skydriller]

Cloud 69,

Agreed re. 'Temporary' Restricted areas. But as they are really 'permanant' TRAs - and following much confusion last year in France itself with local pilots, let alone foreigners visiting - They are marked on most charts now. See This (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=134855) thread for details.

Penguina, they should be on your Jep Charts (they're on mine):ok:

Regards, SD.

[Fujiflyer]

Penguina, any particular reason for limiting yourself to those areas? How much flying in France have you done (only asking so can give you best advice)?

This site has some useful info: http://flyinfrance.free.fr/

Personally I find flying in France a delight once you get used to the slightly different procedures. Assuming you are not fluent in French I would suggest a crib sheet of common phrases to help you with the terms used in the air (at smaller fields) and once on the ground,

Best Regards

Fuji :ok:

[Penguina]

Hello, thank you for the replies! Just what I was hoping for!

Fuji, I'm limiting myself mainly because I will actually be exploring for just four or five days (I'm spending the weekend doing something in France) and this seems like enough to be getting on with for the time being. If you reckon it's worth going further south for something, I will consider it if the weather is kind to us.

I have flown in the north-east corner of France only so far. I have been to a small airfield once, but by no means feel hugely au fait with the way things are done. Also, it's been a while since my A-level French!

If I have any last minute cancellations (if Smurph finds something better to do!) I'll open bids for the seat. Preference will be given to fluent speakers with a knack for finding camouflaged airfields from 10 miles out and lots of money.

BRL - I might just do that. Was at Shoreham with our TallGuy the other day. Fine place.

I'm aware (and a bit scared) of the 'T'RAs - they seem to be on my chart, but I've seen the previous thread and printed off that AIC also.

Back soon... :cool:

[dukethedog]

Stopped off at Troyes-Barbery LFQB last week for fuel, very easy to use place, 1000m runway all to myself. Fuel is self-serve, then park up and pay inside - there is a swipe machine for cards at the pump but it only takes French ones. There is a cafe but it was closed (a Tuesday) however there is a Novotel five minutes walk away with a nice menu. I met an English couple on the apron who had stayed in the town overnight, sounds a good place.

Fuel was 1.30 EURO / litre and landing fee was 6.50 EURO. Customs available on one hours notice.

[MikeJeff]

Most of the permanent TRAs are under 3,600ft anyway, so if like me you spend your life under the London TMA get up as high as you can and observe the VFR semicircular rule.

I agree with comments about Paris's Radar Alerting Service, but Brest Info really seem to have taken to the new kit! their service with radar has been excellent the few times I've done it.

That Bangole-sur-Orne (LFAO) website has all the french phrasiology, can't remember URL, will hunt it down if required though

[Fly Stimulator]

That link is www.webvivant.com/aero-andaines/french.html (http://www.webvivant.com/aero-andaines/french.html)

[Fly Stimulator]

Here are a few suggestions –

Le Touquet you probably know all about anyway.

Abbeville is just a short flight away and offers on-field accommodation with restaurant and bar. Check the NOTAMs for the latest status of the runway works.

Deauville is a nice big field within easy reach of the UK. Nearby is Honfleur which is a charming little fishing village within (slightly expensive) taxi range of the airfield. It's a bit touristy perhaps, but is still a very pretty spot with lots of places to eat and shop. If you go a similar distance in the other direction from the airfield you get to Deauville itself and Trouville. The restaurant on the first floor of the terminal at Deauville is pretty good too if you don’t have time to go into one of the towns.

Not far inland from Deauville is Bernay which is a friendly grass field with an excellent restaurant at the airfield entrance. On a nice day you can dine outside in the garden.

Cherbourg can be a good point of entry or departure. There’s no shortage of runway and there’s a good little café whose English-speaking proprietor also sells a good range of wines, so it can make a good last stop on the way home. Sadly the café was closed for the day last Sunday when I passed through! Take care of the exclusion zones to the west of the field.

At the bottom western side of the Cherbourg peninsula is Avranches which is a small club field within view of Le Mont Saint Michel. Beware of sheep on the runway. Avranches itself is a pleasant little town too. If you fly around Le Mont Saint Michel then keep clear of the exclusion zone, though above 3,000’ you’re OK.

Nearby is Dinard which again offers miles of runway and a good gateway to St. Malo. There’s a restaurant in the terminal as well with a terrace from which to watch the aircraft.

If you want to go a little further then there are some nice spots on the Atlantic coast such as Quiberon and, just off the coast from there, the little island of Belle Ile. They do have fuel there, but you need to pay in cash. Also in that area is La Baule which is another nice beach resort town. The airfield staff are very helpful in finding hotels, and English is spoken on the radio if you need it.

About 30 miles south of there is the island of Ile d’Yeu which I visited for the first time last week. It’s a pretty spot, with houses more reminiscent of the Mediterranean than the Atlantic. There’s a slight slope on the runway but nothing to be concerned about. The airfield does not have fuel. Taxi and other useful numbers are on the door of the tower if it happens to be deserted.

Further south I can recommend La Rochelle too. It’s a small regional airport and the town is well worth a visit.


Closer to home is Arras which has a good airfield on the edge of the town with a nice mixture of GA, gliders and microlights. Continuing south east you get to Laon, an attractive walled town perched above the surrounding plains.

Another interesting town down to the east of Paris is Troyes. The airfield there is excellent and uncrowded (and has customs on request) and the town centre is made up largely of mediaeval-style half-timbered buildings.

Further south still, in the midst of the Burgundy vineyards, is Beaune which is another fine town that is conveniently equipped with an airfield on the outskirts, though again it is taxi, rather than walking, distance.

On the other side of Paris you have the various towns along the Loire which are worth visiting, plus of course you can admire the chateaux from the air. I was at Blois over the weekend which has a long runway and good facilities, though the taxi ride into town takes a little while and is therefore a bit expensive.

Further south Poitiers is another regional airport reasonably handy to the town. Try not to arrive wanting fuel at the same time as the occasional commercial jet as you’ll be waiting until it departs again before anyone will attend to you.

Coming north from there is La Flèche. The runway is a bit rough and I’ve never been into the town itself, but the field is friendly enough and they have fuel.

Nearby is Le Mans which has a big airfield which can be utterly deserted at weekends. I went in there on a Sunday in March to visit the museum at the nearby circuit, but couldn’t actually find a way out of the airfield!


I hope that gives you some ideas to be going on with. If you decide to do the southern half of the country too I can give you another list!

[Penguina]

Fantastic! Thank you. :)

[Milt]

Don't forget Carcasonne which is not all that far from San Tropez

Toulouse and you might come back and tell us about the new big bus.

[Fly Stimulator]

Don't forget Carcasonne which is not all that far from San Tropez

True, but it is quite far from the boundaries of the charts which Penguina has invested in.

Worth the extra money though just to do the low-level coastal route past Marseille and then over the Camargue to Montpellier. That's a really beautiful flight which I did again in both directions last week. Worth stopping at Aix-les-Milles for Aix en Provence on the way too - a lovely town.

A smaller option near Carcassonne is Castelnaudary which is a pretty town with a great market, and Perpignan with its Spanish feel, and Narbonne with its interesting half-built cathedral (use Lezignan if you want a hard runway, or the grass strip at Narbonne if you want a cheaper taxi ride).

And, and, and... it's time to do some more work to pay to get back to all these places! :ugh:

[Papa Charlie]

Fly Stimulator - great post. Thanks for suggestions, it has given me a few ideas for future flying!