Local VFR flight - Doha, Qatar.
 

Folks, looking for anyone advice if possible and Mods, please feel free to move this post if this is not the place.

Looking for any advice from anyone who has every done any form of local flying around Doha, Qatar?

I am flying out their in February to spend time with family and was wishing to hire an aircraft and do some VFR flying. I have checked the Qatar CAA website, very bleak to be honest with no helpful info and googled local flying clubs, etc yet google only came up with one flight school which is miles away from Doha (I did however still email them to see if they could help out at all).

I have even tried looking for a Qatar VFR charts with no joy. Sorta stumped on where else to look.

I am a PPL holder and thought it would be a nice treat to myself and my log book doing some flying elsewhere.

Any help appreciated.

Hi Ginger Ninga,

I'm also in the same dilemma as you. I'm going out to Doha for the middle two weeks in April to visit my fiancé. I'm hoping to hire out a Cessna one afternoon and do some dessert VFR flying.

I've emailed that Qatar flying club three times now and no reply. It's becoming a bit of a joke now. I also can't find any charts online. I thought my sky demon account might have a Qatari chart but it doesn't cover the Middle East.

I was in Las Vegas back in October there and I got all my FAA paperwork signed and an aircraft hire sorted within 20 days. Really speedy service and very helpful it just seems it's the exact opposite with Doha. It is a shame if this is the case.

I'll keep you posted if I find anything. I'm going to have a word with one of the instructors at my local club who used to fly out in the Middle East and see if he knows of anything.

Guys - I think you are both going to come to the conclusion that Doha isn't very GA friendly. There are a few PA-34 Senecas and PA 28 Warriors at the national academy which is based on the "old" side of the international airport. Getting there without being accused of spying might be an interesting challenge!!

The other field is at Al Khor but I'm guessing it's an outpost for the academy at Doha.

The idea that the rulers of Qatar would allow their citizens to blat about in C172s is fanciful I feel.

Good luck if you find anything but let us know either way :ok:

As ETOPS has already mentioned, I reckon GA and especially aircraft hire is pretty much a no go in the middle east.

There is an ultralight school at Ras Al Kaimah but I understand that they are pretty much restricted to very local flights.

I met a couple of UK commercial guys in a bar over here who say that the UAE CAA are becoming very friendly toward GA but I have yet to see evidence of it. I am also told that there is a SA Bulldog hangared at the Al Bateen executive airport here in Abu but attempts to find out who the owner is and whether he would be amenable to a paying passenger have so far failed. Not keen on getting arrested or shot in the process of closer investigation either.

Fujairah might be an option ?
 

Several years ago I rented a Cessna 172 (with accompanying instructor) at Fujairah. We flew up into Omani airspace then down and across to do touch and goes at Sharjah, then Dubai, then Abu Dhabi (all at no charge) and then back across to Fujairah.

All that was done at high temperatures and on Mogas as apparently no Avgas in UAE!!!!!

If they are still operating from there, I'd suggest a great experience.......

Thanks for the replies guys.

I am out in Doha the now, so will see what I can find out about some GA flying. Al Khor was the people I emailed originally and I got a reply with the pretty much usual no matter where you plan on doing GA;

Proof of medical, proof of licence and then a check flight with an instructor and thereafter I could hire an aircraft. But they wouldn't commit to saying a price though, so I am a bit sketchy about that.

Will update if I find anything out.

GN

Find yourself passing through Abu Dhabi I'll buy you a beer.

If you find a source for aircraft rental, I'll buy you several! :)