Thumbs up for Lille
 

Just got back from a few days in Lille, flew there from Switzerland and was impressed with their friendly approach to GA. Despite my e mail with my arrival details going astray they were very quick to respond, efficient service around the airport including fuel and just generally welcoming. Also hats off to French ATC who from Strasbourg, Etain, Paris info and Lille were also super efficient and helpful.
I often read PPRUNE threads about pilot's poor experiences with ATC so thought I should redress the balance with a positive note for a change.

last time I went to Lille was 5 years ago on a bad weather diversion, at night in a helicopter. my planned destination was Le Bourget with Pontois as a diversion. Paris weather went out with unforecast freezing fog. Lille accepted me and were brilliant. By the time I landed a taxi was waiting to take my pax to the station to catch the Paris train, fuel was on hand and an IFR flight plan back to base was mostly ready and just needed topping and tailing.

I've never had a moments trouble with French ATC (apart from the odd strike causing BIG re-routes), but then again apart from a disagreement with 2 ATC units in the UK I've never met anything but great professionalism and patience anywhere else.

SND

The French ATC was very helpful to me when I was lost in poor viz; they were guiding me carefully under a lowering cloudbase toward Tours, when San Junien turned up conveniently by the river, so I popped in there. Also at Le Touque, when my radio was up the duff, they didn't get upset, "no problem, we will give ze green light!" and so they did.

Go on, tell us what happened! :ok:

Heading for Lille tomorrow! We have freinds just over the border and as ours is an LAA machine it seems a waste to pay (€97?) to go into Belgium itself.

@Foxmoth, as I have repeatedly stated, that fee is a myth, it is only applied on (or better: "against") one very specific category. Feel free to tell me - per pm if you prefer - where your friends (sic!) are, and I'be glad to recommend a BE field where I'll guarantee you'll not be harrassed.

Diverted into Lille due to being knackered a few years ago on my way back to the UK delivering a Maule. Great airfield, great ATC no bollocking about. Landed and got prime parking spot then a lift to the terminal by an absolute sweetheart of a handling agent, she even scored me a huge pilots discount at a fancy hotel with a free lift back and forward. The landing fee was steeper than i'm used to but the lifts and discount more than made up for it. The only condition imposed on me was to get my puddle jumper out of dodge by 8AM as they were expecting an armada of private jets for a tennis tournament the next day.

It seems strange that I have not seen where this has been "repeatedly stated" as I have been looking at this for some time and seen nothing to say this is a myth but good news if so - though most posts seem to have said otherwise???
Our friends are in Harelbeke, right next to Kortrijk, so idealy that would be where I would fly into, but Lille is not that far away, hence heading there.

Well, I do have been repeating this over various forums for the last couple of years but perhaps not so consistently on this one. I do suggest however you get in touch with EBKT Kortrijk Airport (or ask your friends to do so, a local accent may help) and ask them when was the last time a plane got checked for this. Do not expect them to put in writing things that they can't, of course.

EBKT has customs and fuel (AvGas and Jet), it is really ideal for your trip. A good deal less expensive than Lesquin, too.

Vancouv;

I wouldn't dare. I'd be hunted down and shot like a rabid dog for revealing those secrets! Heathrow Director would ensure I never got a clearance to Battersea again and Talk Down Man would strip me of all privileges where he works.

SND

Jan,

If the Belgian overflight permit is a myth, what is all this about then?

Autorisation de survol temporaire (non-OACI) | SPF Mobilité

Non-compliance with local regulations makes a flight illegal and hence invalidates insurance. Not a good idea at all.

@Pato: you have well consulted the law, even in a minority language. An experienced traveller, you ought to know that there can be differences between the letter of the law, and how it is applied. Especially as one travels South - and in this respect, as in many, Belgium is a very Latin country.

OTOH the insurance aspect is real: insurance companies are getting very good, and more and more ingeneous, at finding reasons for not having to pay out. Whether they could hide behind a purely administrative argument must depend on local laws and jurisprudence.

I think the Belgian thing could be clarified as identical to driving fractionally too fast on the motorway:

1. Has no real safely impact on anyone else.
2. Is illegal, but chance of being caught is very low.

For 97EUR, I pay my money and am relaxed for a year whether I fly more than my 28 (?) days or not as there is zero chance they'll actually go through the logbook and count.

Tell me about it. I was based in Luxembourg for 7 years and every away landing was abroad, mostly at Sterpenich. Can't remember filing flight plans or using the radio, but then my memory is not very good.:) That was before this permit requirement was introduced in an attempt to deter Belgians from registering their microlights in France.

As for Latin countries, if you grow up in Argentina and spend years in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, you learn things that come in useful in France and Wallonia. :)