lucaberta

the official aviation weather website for Italy is:

http://www.meteoam.it/

If you go to the "Info in Tempo Reale" menu on the web page, you'll get a submenu where it says "Sezione Aeronautica". You'll be able to get METARs, TAFs, GAFORs, AIRMETs, SIGMETs, low-level significant weather chart, and detailed charts on cloud coverage and convective activities in the country.

Let me know if you need any further detail.

Ciao, Luca

QDMQDMQDM

Thanks, lucaberta, that's very useful, so I don't need to go into a customs airfield in Italy when coming from Switzerland? Presumably, crossing the border needs a flight plan, but one can close the flight plan with Milan information while airborne and then land at a small grass strip.

Here are some terms which it would be useful to translate:

downwind
base leg
final
taking off
left hand circuit
right hand circuit
G-ABCD PA18, 5 miles west, inbound to you from XYZ, current position EFG, height 2000 feet, request airfield information

Thanks again.

Very useful!

David

lucaberta

Hi David,

yes, in case you departed from Switzerland you *do* need to clear customs, while if you're only overflying Switzerland coming, say, from France or Germany, then you don't need to clear customs.

Should you want to clear customs in the north of Italy, Biella Cerrione LILE is a GA airport that can offer customs, but you need to coordinate this at least one day in advance. Also, Cuneo Levaldigi LIMZ is good for GA and can offer customs.

I don't believe you can close an FPL with an Flight Information Service like Milan on the radio. You should always call by cellphone when on the ground, unless the airport has landlines with a nearby Control area unit (Cuneo for instance, though uncontrolled, has a landline with Turin).

let me take a stab at those...

downwind -> sottovento
base leg -> base (or "virata base" for base turn)
final -> finale
taking off -> decollare
left hand circuit -> circuito sinistro
right hand circuit -> circuito destro

G-ABCD PA18, 5 miles west, inbound to you from XYZ, current position EFG, height 2000 feet, request airfield information ->
G-ABCD, PA18, 5 miglia a ovest, diretti al vostro campo con partenza XYZ, posizione corrente EFG, quota 2000 piedi, chiede istruzioni per l'atterraggio.

North -> nord, East -> est, South -> sud, West -> ovest

Mind you, it's always better to specify your altitude as "ground" (using the english word even in italian) or QNH (stating the QNH). So something like "quota 2000 piedi QNH" or "quota 2000 piedi ground".

I know, the purists will say that quota and altitudine means two differents things, but what the heck!!

hope you'll like Italy!!

Ciao, Luca

QDMQDMQDM

Thanks for the translations, Luca. Most helpful.

The thing I am wondering now is quite which fuel light aircraft in Italy use? Of the hundreds of airfields in avioportolano, very few have even unleaded available, according to the book, let alone 100LL!

Cheers,

David

lucaberta

Avgas is normally found at airports. Be very careful and *always* call ahead of time to check on availablity, price and service hours, you will find that the information reported on any book or website might be different from the current one.

Certain "aviosuperfici", less than an airport but more that just a dirt strip, might have Avgas available. Aviosuperfici are listed on the Avioportolano, they differ in that it is legal to operate on the also with GA planes. Do remember that Avioportolano mostly caters for the ULM community, which never goes to airports and typically runs on Mogas, not Avgas.

Also, a list of aviosuperifici is this one:

http://www.enac-italia.it/ELENCOAVIOSETTEMBRE2005.pdf

Bye, Luca