French security checks

[bluskis]

We recently called at a French customs airport from a French non customs airport to clear cross border.

After several attempts to find the appropriate office we found ourselves locked out of airside by code operated doors.

With the reluctant help of a met officer we eventually arrived at an office manned by a gendarme who required a pilot licence as identity, which he then proceded to check for a valid medical ,and then required assurance as to the expiry date of the medical.

Fortunately I had carried my full flight bag.

Moral always carry passports of crew and passengers and a valid pilot licence, you never know which door you may be the wrong side of.

[Fujiflyer]

bluskis

Good point. You are of course required to carry the following on International flights:


Interception Procedures

Crew licences (with supporting Medical)

C of A & C of E

Radio Docs


Insurance docs and personal logbook are also recommended as well as a copy of your correspondence with Customs if you had to give notice.

On my recent trip to the Balearics I had to produce various items of the above to gain airside access (Perpignan) and to prove the MTOW of my a/c (Menorca). Last thing you need on these kind of trips is more stress due to procedural problems on the ground,


Fujiflyer :)

[bluskis]

Fuji
The documents you refer to are normally kept with the aircraft, not trundled around an airport in a flight bag.

On landing solely to clear customs outbound it would be normal to carry passport and flight plan for filing.

The point I was hightlighting was the danger of inadvertantly or by misdirection going through a non return door, finding yourself seperated from your aircraft and any additional documentation the authorities may require.

The other point was the inspection by the gendarme of medical and other aspects of the licence. This is the first time I have come across this.

On your Perpignan and Menorca experiences did you have the docs to hand, or did they let you go to the aircraft to retrieve them?

On our last trip to Menorca I complained to FIS that the fuelling company did not accept normal international credit cards.

That was a mistake. It resulted in our passports being 'examined' by the Guardia Civil for about 3/4 hour.

Bearing in mind the water crossing back to the mainland, it pays to be loaded with cash before departure from Menorca.

As you said who needs the stress. Fly to friendly places.

[englishal]

Same thing happened to us in Santa Barbara. Landed in the evening, left the airport to get a burger, came back (about 10pm now) and it was all locked up. Had to call the airport police on my mobile, they drove over and wanted to see our licences ID's etc. Heaven knows what would have happened had we left them in the A/C.....but luckily for us they were friendly and unlocked the gate for us....

Cheers
EA:)

[Fujiflyer]

Bluskis, yes I keep the documentation relating to the a/c in it, my own stuff (licence etc) I keep in my bag which I do keep with me whenever I leave the aircraft. Part of the reason for this is that I like to empty out my pockets before flight so I also need my bag with me for money, phone etc.

Your experience obviously emphasises to us all the usefulness of carrying additional documents at an "unfamiliar" airport as of course you did.

Why they then fussed over your licence and medical in that way God only knows???
:confused:

At Perpignan I only had to show my licence and passport to return airside (which I had with me). Menorca wanted to see the aircraft docs (usual, apparently on first visit there). They passed a message via the pickup bus to bring these so I simply collected them from the plane before leaving.

It is an anomaly that the fuel company doesn't take credit card (yet "Aena" do, for the other charges). To be fair I had been warned prior to the visit that I needed cash for fuel so had taken plenty ('least EUR can be used in most of Europe).


Fujiflyer:)

[khorne]

A few months ago my wife and I took a commercial flight and found that my wifes passport has run out 6 months earlier.

In those 6 months we had been to 3 european countries including at least two trips to France. At several airports they had checked our passports and at Perpignan they had checked our passports each time we went out to the aircraft and entered the details in a book.

This is all post September the 11th!