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Small airfield(s) near Geneva

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Small airfield(s) near Geneva

Old 6th Feb 2007, 11:24
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LH2
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Small airfield(s) near Geneva

Greetings,

I'm planning a trip from LEGE to someplace in Switzerland (I've heard fuel is cheaper there than in France or Germany). Wonder if anyone could recommend a small airfield either side of the border to spend the night on before returning. It does not need to have fuel, we can always hop into a bigger aerodrome for the filling up. Mountain aerodromes are unfortunately out of the question since we do not have enough experience to tackle those plus we're on wheels (as opposed to skis)

Essentially looking for a pitch-your-tent-under-the-wing sort of place. Thanks in advance for your help.

rgs.
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Old 6th Feb 2007, 14:08
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There are plenty of small airports dotted around. The main issue that you will have is finding a small airfield that has both entry and exit custom facilities.

I fly from LSPN (no customs.) Its abt 1 hr from Geneva. Now that will test yr landing / take off skills - LDA / TORA 395mtrs

Not all mountain flying requires skis - I recently flew to LSZS (it supposed to be the highest airport in Europe - 5600ft above sea level) Approx 1800mts of tarmac and 2kms from San Moritz!
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Old 6th Feb 2007, 15:04
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Download and install the free moving map navigation programme by Francois Fouchet at http://francois.fouchet.free.fr

Go to the Geneva area and right click on any airfield close to LSGG. Select the 'Informations NAV2000' option and you will find all that you need.
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Old 6th Feb 2007, 15:18
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Annemasse is meant to be a good GA field that is close to Geneva town. Ok there might be a good few light aircraft at Geneva but be prepared to get messed around a lot. I flew in there last year IFR, down to procedure min's and was getting screamed at every time I let the a/c go below 150kts IAS where the VNE is 165!
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Old 6th Feb 2007, 17:18
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Gruyere is nice. Grass field, small cafe etc etc.
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Old 6th Feb 2007, 19:51
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Hi LH2,

The fuel price difference is negligible between LF and LS, and LF are usually much better value landing fee wise.

Annemasse and Annecy are both great GA airfields on the edge of the alps. If you want LS in the log then Geneva is cool, but arse at weekends until the end of the ski season (as is Chambery), and most of the nearby fields are domestic only.

IMHO Annecy is the best option.
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Old 6th Feb 2007, 20:55
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Didn`t want to start another thread, and although not strictly near to Geneva. I wondered if any of the informed above have been to Clamecy and if so, if they know if its a customs airfield........and other details would be more then welcome........
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Old 7th Feb 2007, 22:07
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Annemasse or Annecy

Although it is possible to get into Geneva in a light aircraft, they routinely close it to VFR traffic at busy times, and even when you are allowed in you will get messed about without local knowledge. If you still want to visit Geneva, fly to Annemasse instead. It is a very friendly GA airfield, nice restaurant at the club house, and although it is in France, Annemasse is basically a commuter suburb of Geneva, complete with convenient public transport links.

If you aren't going to Geneva, Annecy is very pretty, a few miles further south.

Finally, I always found the fuel (and all the other costs) in Switzerland to be rather more expensive than France...
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Old 11th Feb 2007, 16:30
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Hi there, thanks for all the useful advice given. In the end we flew to Cannes from where we set off to Gap but returned to Fayence due weather. Next day we did Chambéry and then started heading South, landing in a grass strip in Herault, in a fantastic place called Langongne. There is a cozy refuge at the airfield where one can stay for whatever you care to contribute. We didn't stay there as the keeper was not in when we arrived, but we met in the next morning when we were freezing our pairs off inside the plane planning our next leg and he came to offer us to come inside and prepared some hot coffee for us. His local advice was also much appreciated to safely get out of the marginal weather in a mountain area. I very much recommend a stopover for a cup of coffee and some good conversation.

Anyway, from there we made our way back to Girona along the coast, with a quick stop at LEAP for lunch. Great trip overall. One thing I am particularly satisfied with (and I've flown in France a few times previously) is the quality of French controllers--such as great service, always one and a half steps ahead.

Some information which might be useful to anyone planning to fly in the area:

Landing fees:
* Cannes: €9 1/2 for less than three hours parking, €14 for 24hr (C172)
* Fayence: Free
* Chambéry: €10
* Langogne: Free

Fuel (AVGAS 100LL):
* Cannes: €1.62/ltr
* Chambéry: €1.71/ltr

Amenities:
* Cannes: Crew room with coffee and internet, printers available.
* Fayence: A decent restaurant and cafe at the airfield.
* Chambéry: Not much, really. Bottled water at €4.- and stale sandwiches at €5.-
* Langogne: That great refuge I've mentioned. It's got a few bedrooms accommodating about 4/6 people each, a kitchen, toilets, showers, a big dinner, hangar, etc.

Hope this helps, thanks again.
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Old 12th Feb 2007, 12:31
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Do you have any hints about flying VFR around here?
As a 70hr PPL I'm not much in a position to offer good advice. What I would say FWIW, be extremely careful about the weather (remember the seven P's) and always leave yourself an out (plenty of aerodromes in the area, try to plan your route along them and be prepared to land in any of them if things don't look 100%. Make sure you have all the relevant VACs). If uncertain of position, back off immediately to your last known point and/or request vectors. Always file a flight plan to make the rescuers' lives easier when in spite of all your precautions you still end up trying to tunnel your way through the Alps. Come to think of it, it's no different than flying anywhere else.

Are there any tight valleys or high-passes to get through?
Not along the route we've taken. We've just followed the valley from Grenoble to Chambery which is plenty wide. Chambery visual departure via SW might be a bit of a tight climb depending on what you're flying. It required a Vx climb on our C172 departing from RWY 18 with 2POB + a full load of fuel + our camping gear.

Hope this helps.

/LH2
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Old 12th Feb 2007, 23:10
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LH2, well done - a great adventure so soon after finishing your PPL. Yes, the valleys look wide on the map but with 5000ft + mountains on all sides one is bound to view the first visit with trepidation.

I can visualise quite well the approach to Chambery from Grenoble - quite straightforward. Would be interested to see exactly how you routed Chambery to Girona? If you have time, how about posting a map for us all to see - maybe grab a image from Googlemaps and draw your track on it.
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Old 15th Feb 2007, 17:55
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Airfields near Geneva

How about Lausanne (LSGL), north side of Lake Geneva it has customs but be careful with size and nature of the paved runway - it dips. Bex (LSGB) along the Rhone Valley with a grass runway. The best of the lot has to be Sion (LSGS) further along the Rhone Valley. It has customs and is a combined military/civilian airport with a long paved runway. For weather look at www.homebriefing.com which will give forecasts for all of the major Swiss valleys
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Old 15th Feb 2007, 23:12
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Annemasse,
Few years ago I took a Pitts in there en route Italy. Very friendly place, they sorted out hangarage/fuel/hotel and a club member drove me into town. Have called in there a few times and its a top hole airfield.
regards
Legal
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Old 16th Feb 2007, 14:35
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Check out Prangins (LSGP) also, 30km NE of GVA.
Nice grass strip, website www.aeroclublacote.com
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Old 18th Feb 2007, 18:13
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If you are planning a trip skiing then Sion airport is great in Switzerland. You can fly up the valley from Geneva even in fairly low cloud, and despite the touring mountains either side of you, it's quite accessible.

Private me if you want specifics.
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