Two french virgins

[VMC-on-top]

Planning a trip with a colleague for the first time to France. Plan is for a 3 day trip. First day, to route down the east coast to cross the channel to Le Touquet (possibly will land there), then on to somewhere West-ish of Paris for an overnighter. Have considered heading over to Quiberon but unsure yet.

Day 2 will be doing half a dozen or so small airfields around Brittany, possibly ending up either Jersey or Guersey, then day 3 a couple of stopovers on the way up North.

As we are both French virgins, I'm after some advice / pointers / recommendations for stopovers. Neither of us speak (fluent) French.

I read Fly in France (http://flyinfrance.free.fr/) which recommends not trying to speak any French unless one is fluent however, i read an article in November's "Pilot" by Geoff Jones who managed to fit in half a dozen or so small, characterful airfields (incl. St Brieuc, Lannion, Morlaix, Guiscriff, Pontivy, Ploermel, Rennes, Dinan). His view on speaking french was rather more relaxed ie give it a go! I've had some advice since then and that seemed to confirm Thierry's website of if you can't speak it, don't try it? Can anyone confirm or deny?

What about speaking to French ATC enroute - am assuming they will all speak English?

Can anyone recommend any particular airfields for dropping into (and possibly overnighting) around Brittany / Normandy - and also, places to avoid?

thanks

Finally, can anyone recommend decent websites for French weather?

[Whopity]

Some useful links:

francoflyers: About Francoflyers (http://www.francoflyers.org/)

Aviation links Page from Nearly Heaven (http://www.nearlyheaven.com/aviation-links/index.php)

Dinan makes a good night stop, a short taxi ride into town.

At French airfields with no ATC you are required to make radio calls in French according to the Radiotelephony Blog here (http://www.nearlyheaven.com/blog/index.php)

[ak7274]

Chartres is a gem. About an hour and a half at 100kts south of Le Touquet. Close to town and friendly. The City is stunning and has wonderful Illuminations with a beautiful Cathedral.

[Piper.Classique]

At French airfields with no ATC you are required to make position reports in French (http://learn-to-fly-in-france.********.com/2008/03/french-radio-calls_22.html)Not according to our DGAC local office. The terrifyingly efficient lady who grudgingly gave me my exchange licence with level six french says people can use english unless the approach chart shows french only. Though I don't see that doing a lot for flight safety:ugh: as no-one will understand you.

So now I may use french or english in a SEP, french in everything else (balloon, microlight, glider) in france. Don't know what I'm supposed to use in UK in a glider, though.

[Piper.Classique]

Finally, can anyone recommend decent websites for French weather? Sorry, didn't notice that question before I posted

Topmeteo is about the best but it's not free. You can just pay for three days, though. Otherwise the official site for meteo france has aviation forecasts. You need to create a free account first.AEROWEB (https://aviation.meteo.fr/accueil.php#debut_page)

[peterh337]

VMC-on-top - an excellent choice of thread title :) :) :ok:

I know the writer of that site (Thierry Moise) well, personally. He is highly intelligent and is a very experienced pilot. If he says this, I would take it as good general advice. You will always find somebody to counter it however, because English is spoken well at many non-international airfields in France; it just depends on who is in the tower at the time...

Enroute is not a problem in Europe, speaking English. Just remember that many/most ATCOs cannot speak conversational English so you can't expect to be able to just chat to them like you can here. They often know just the standard phrases. So stick to standard phrases e.g. "request weather for lima foxtrot bravo zulu".

France is very easy. I've never had a problem there - except with payment. You MUST get a receipt for anything you pay at the airport, because they tend to lose stuff and then chase you.... which is a lot of fun if one is N-reg ;) I am still banging about a dispute with Poitiers where I went in July 2011; there was nobody around when I departed so I left my details and also emailed and faxed them afterwards, but they still lost them and dug up the US trustee instead and sent him the bill. I cannot make Euro bank payments from my bank (well I can but it is £25 in charges) so I got somebody (who can do it easily) to pay it, but while the airport initially put 2 and 2 together they later lost it again and sent me another bill... I got another one at La Rochelle before that, but I did not keep the receipts so I had to pay it twice. A lot of even big French airports are totally empty of staff (that has any authority) during lunchtime. So always make sure you pay up the dues, and if you can't then leave your contact details with everybody and their dog :)

In France, I have never been to any airport other than the "international" ones, which have to have English speaking ATC.

From the UK, I always try to fly direct to where I want to go and that alone precludes going to the non-Customs ones.

For weather and notams, use the usual UK sites.

Whopity - your URL seems to have got auto-edited and doesn't work. I wonder what is going on here?

[OMGisThatJohn]

This thread title promised so much more...

[VMC-on-top]

You don't know what we can offer!!!

[VMC-on-top]

Actually, no, stick with the illusion that you had in mind before reading - anything else would be an anti-climax......!

[Whopity]

your URL seems to have got auto-edited and doesn't work. Amended above.
gave me my exchange licence with level six FrenchNot exactly in compliance with any ICAO requirement!

[Piper.Classique]

Not exactly in compliance with any ICAO requirement! I think her boss in Paris told her to do that after I spent eighteen months arguing about my FI rating and whether an expired CPL was still a CPL, all in french, and mostly on the phone. Also I hold instructor ratings for glider and microlight issued by the DGAC, instructing in french, with french RT privileges. In the end they got fed up with me and admitted I probably could speak french........and that I really didn't have a CPL any more so didn't have to do the FI test with them again , but did have CPL knowledge. It all got very complicated. So now all my licences are french based. EASA?
C'est pas encore pour nous, mine de rien!

So in the end they let me change my state of licence issue and keep my FI and english competence on a PPL. This is France, land of the derogation :D

[werewolf]

A very new French site (with some teething problems) :
Carte.Aero : le WebService de F-AERO pour Mac ou PC - Notam, cartes VAC, AIP et Météo (http://carte.f-aero.fr/)

[VMC-on-top]

ok, nearly there, just a couple more questions.

Customs - to France - do I need to complete the equivalent of a GAR for arriving in somewhere like Le Touquet or is PPR sufficient by way of a flightplan?

From France (to say Jersey), again do I need to complete a GAR (appreciate I need to do one for Jersey) or if Customs on my departure field, do I need to advise them with sufficient notice (which may be prior to my arrival with them)?

Is there somewhere that I can get a list of Customs fields in France - and is there a facility for the police / special branch etc. to come out - or at least, to advise them I will be departing out of France from a non customs field?

thanks

[welkyboy]

There is no GAR equivalent in France. You can only enter and leave to a non schengen country (UK and Channel Islands) through a customs airfield. If you go to the SIA.GOUV site (google it) you can download/peruse at your leisure the charts and written info of every French airfield for public use, this will tell you if Customs(douanes) are available and when.
The GAR form is a peculiar UK thing...

[peterh337]

Many airports are "PNR Customs" - all over Europe.

You have to notify them; Customs might turn up but usually don't.

To find out if your proposed destination is, you can look in the AIP, in various airport guides (online) or, the best way, contact the airport.

Relatively few "international" airports are PPR. That is a much more UK type thing.

[patowalker]

... ,to advise them I will be departing out of France from a non customs field?

You cannot depart from France to a non-Schengen country from a non-customs airport and the same PNR applies as for arrival.

[werewolf]

Up-to-date (December 2011) French airfields/airports with customs :
EUR-Lex - Simple search (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/Notice.do?val=627929:cs&lang=en&list=627929:cs,&pos=1&page=1&nbl=1&pgs=10&hwords=&checktexte=checkbox&visu=#texte)

[VMC-on-top]

great, thanks to all. I think we have everything - now just waiting for a few days of half decent weather!

[gyrotyro]

If you plan on flying to Rennes I suggest that upon landing you request parking at the aeroclub rather than the terminal apron.

That way you will avoid the normal landing and handling fee. The aeroclub charge a modest fee. The clubhouse is situated right at the airport entrance and next to the car parks and bus stop.

It is a very user friendly airfield and they frequently allow aerobatics in the overhead whilst the big jets come and go below. Quite a good attitude from the airfield management.

[betterfromabove]

VMC-on-top

Sent you a PM.

Agree with peterh337 that ATCO's in CAS are good with ATC stuff, but may not be so hot with non-standard, conversational items, such as describing difficulties etc. Best to keep simple if you are unfortunate to have any issues. The MIL guys and those in Northern France generally have a good level as work in English a lot.

It's controversial I know, and have spent hours arguing (they love it...) it in French flying clubs, but mixing languages in ATC is a recipe for trouble. Listen to Cannes TWR in the Summer if you ever need convincing.....