GA flying in Morroco, what's the score?

[piperboy84]

Have flown down here to Malaga from Scotland, I fancy going over to Morroco and bimbling around for 2 or 3 days, anyone with any experience flying a spamcan in Morroco want to share the pros and cons ?

[ETOPS]

Try not to "score" :eek:

Huge traffic in drugs from Morocco to Spain so a European (with a funny accent) and a "foreign" registered light aircraft will attract attention returning to Spain..

PS No idea what the Spanish for "bimbling" is :confused:

PPS Check the spelling of Morocco - cultural awareness and all that :ok:

[Jan Olieslagers]

I have no experience, but
1) you may consult Trips & Airports - Flights to/through Morocco and eventually over to the Canary Islands? (http://www.euroga.org/forums/trips-airports/3186-flights-to-through-morocco-and-eventually-over-to-the-canary-islands) ; if you hadn't already ...
2) comments by ETOPS sound like making a lot of sense.

[patowalker]

Except that knowing how to spell Morocco is not much use in Spain or Morocco itself. :-)

[Balearic Helicopters]

Done some flying from Spain to Morocco, planning to go again in April.

A couple of notes:

You'll need a permit, takes around 2 weeks to arrange. ALL details required. Aircraft, pax, pilot etc.

Also entire route from entry to exit. Times, dates, flight times. For the visa.

To go into and out of Morocco you'll need to go via customs airports, and pay the expensive Spanish fees! Nearby airports are Jerez, Malaga, Granada, Almeria.

VFR charts and maps and AIP for Morocco all online and free to download including handy VFR guide. Lots of airports have avgas.

The VFR charts have VFR routes that must to be followed and listed on the Flightplans - each flight will require a full flight plan.

Moroccan officials will meet you at every airport, but are quite friendly.

Landing fees quite reasonable in most airports - but take lots of small euros notes - they never seem to have any change......

Hope this helps!

Cheers Jonny

[blueandwhite]

a few of us popped into Tangier last year. Landing fee 3 euro. Didn't fancy the fuel, you should see the bowser!

Flight planning was efficient and helpful. But we did go the way they wanted not the way we wanted.

Got a full document check at the aircraft, and passport check at immigration.

We were roundly ripped off on the return to Spain. Handling fee of over £200 each aircraft.

[piperboy84]

B&w

Where did you get hit up for the £200 at ? I've been advised to check back in at Granada as they are supposed to be the most GA friendly customs field.

When u say you went where they wanted you to go, do you mean sticking to the VFR routes and VRP's?

[blueandwhite]

Hi Piperboy

Almeria was the painful handling. Jerez on the way out was 30Euro for 2 aircraft. Wish we had gone back.

We didn't worry about getting permission before hand. Maybe we should have! They weren't worried about us sticking to VFR routes. They just wanted us to go the way they said.

If we had done more than overnight in Tangier we would have taken it more seriously.

The police gave us a lift across the apron. It was a bit alarming as they argued the whole way. One would turn on the hazards, the other would turn them off!

[patowalker]

We didn't worry about getting permission before hand. Maybe we should have!

See GEN 1.3 GEN - General - ENAIRE - Air Navigation (http://www.enaire.es/csee/Satellite/navegacion-aerea/en/Page/1078418725129/?other=1078418781525#ancla2)

Almeria is a "Schedules facilitated airport".

[Balearic Helicopters]

I've routed through Tangier, Casablanca Tit Melil (has AVGAS - Casablanca International doesn't), Essaouira, Agadir, Marrakech (Handling required), Fes, TanTan & Laayoune (Western Sahara).

Each leg needed a flight plan with route:

Service de l'Information Aéronautique du Maroc (http://www.sia-aviation.gov.ma/cartes_vfr.htm)

VFR charts, quite handy and print out before you go! Each chart has VRPs, heading and distance so quite handy for flight planning. You'll need to insert each VRP in the flight plan.

Basically you need to route around prohibited areas and military airspace.

[piperboy84]

Will print out the charts but just looking at sky demon it has all the Vfr routes and vrp's .

Prior to my departure for Morocco , today I flew up from Axarquila to a microlight site at Vera to visit a relative who lives nearby, no ppr just landed and some extremely friendly Germans who own the field and the surrounding campsite came out and pushed my plane into the hangar for the evening and loaned me a VW golf to drive into town for the evening to see my relatives . Can't beat that for hospitality. Flight following all the way up the coast low level from Seville CTR, this bimbling around Spain is a doddle !

Here's a couple of short vids of the trip, first one is crossing the channel to Jersey, second one is over the Pyrenees

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=1EDF911B882D2AC5!2955&authkey=!AJxv4WBR8pmRQv8&ithint=folder%2c

[blueandwhite]

Hi Patowalker

I was replying to BH who said you should get permission 2 weeks before hand. I was meaning we did not get permission to fly in Morocco. We did have permission to fly in Spain. We did need that as we are PtF.

B&W