Blackpool - Marseilles
 

People

This is my first post in the Private Flying section so here goes.

I'm taking a Cirrus from Blackpool down to Marseilles next Monday. This is my first trip into France fixed wing (I fly rotary wing mainly). I've been given some tips and tricks by a friend of mine but I'm looking for any others. I would also like to stop half way down the French mainland so any advice on a decent airfield.

My route is likely to be direct from Dieppe (where I will land and clear customs) and then direct to Marseilles with one stop en-route. What I know so far is that the French are usually GA friendly but smaller airfields may ignore us, to avoid landing for fuel during lunch and to ensure I have cash for payment. All my documents will be in order so I know about that too.

What I'm looking for is suggestions for a route if direct is not sensible (airspace) altitudes, etc etc.

Thanks

Joel:ok:

I shall also be most interested in replies as I am taking a single (not quite as fast as the Cirrus) to Mimizan very soon.

An SR22 can do EGNH - LFML nonstop. An IFR routing ESTRY DCT WAL Y53 NANTI L10 HON N859 SITET A34 KOVAK H20 DOMOD A3 NEV R31 MTL is 728nm and a VFR one would not be much different in distance.

LFML is H24 with Customs so no need to clear Customs anywhere.

If going VFR, you need the UK and French charts (for France, got for the 1:1M SIA ones) and draw a VFR route in the usual way, either OCAS or in France using the Class E routes which are generally FL065-115.

I will send you an email/pm with some URLs.

An excellent French flying site is here

Thanks, we do want a fuel/refreshment stop and as the aircraft is a grouped aircraft we are only permitted to fly at 60% cruise power so we will need to stop for breaks.

Look forward to the links. We would like to fly the airways if we can so I'll look at the routes.

Thanks.

Joel :ok:

60% power is not far off where you get the best range, anyway. This alone will therefore not result in a need for stops.

The "airways" are the Class E airspace, which is uncontrolled airspace for VFR.

I would recommend working out the real aircraft performance in this case, but if you do 2 stops and fill right up on each one then aircraft performance is irrelevant (on an SR22) :)

Thanks,

So if I took the airways routing, what altitude would you recommend and also which agencies will we need to speak to. I presume we would file the flight plan in two stages i.e. the first one from Blackpool to our first stop in France and then the second from there to Marseille.

I only plan for one fuel/refreshment stop in France i.e. half way down from Dieppe/Toulouse (to be decided) to Marseille. Any suggestions as to where it should be?

I'm also presuming that Marseille are GA friendly and there would be no issue landing there. I'm visiting Eurocopter.

Joel:ok:

Joel:ok:

You need to get VFR charts and plan the route - as per your PPL training.

The altitude will be according to airspace, etc. Have a look at that French site.

The route I posted is an IFR route for which you need an IR.
The information I have does not mention PPR and they appear to have customs and avgas. But you should contact them to make sure.

Your bladder never ceases to amaze me. I would have stopped at least twice on the way back from Croatia. ;)

Dieppe seems like a strange first stop, because you've thengot Paris directly between Dieppe and Marseilles. Have you got another reason for choosing it? If crossing the wide part of the Channel, how about Caen and then west of Paris? Or if you want to go east of Paris, there's Le Touquet, Lille, Troyes, Lyon-Bron.

IO540/Bookworm

Hi no reason to choose Dieppe, I just picked it as it sort of represented 2 hours flying from Blackpool. I guess our bladder(s) could hold out until Troyes or Lyon Bron. I've been into Lyon Bron before (in a Jet Ranger).

We have all the charts and we're looking through them now. I also thought it was possible to fly the airways in France as long as you maintained VMC. We both have IMC training but I know the IMC is not valid in France.

Thanks, Joel :ok:

From the VAC AÉRODROMES: "For safety and security reasons, handling is compulsory
for ACFT’s weight > 4 T and ACFT going to the EUROCOPTER area."

But presumably Eurocopter can sort that out for you.

Bookworm

I think so, yes.

I have a pee a few times on a 6hr flight, sure. I use the little (330ml) plastic Tropicana juice bottles; they are perfect for the job and have no value so can be chucked away afterwards.

I would never fly without a few of those bottles within reach :) It would be stupid to do so and I totally fail to understand people who use the need to wee to dictate their landings. A landing is a hassle (Customs, PPR, PNR) and one burns a load of fuel climbing back up again. Due to variable refuelling etc delays one often cannot file the advance flight plan in advance, so one has to mess around with that too. All just to have a pee....

Same goes for oxygen, avgas, etc :)

They are not airways in the UK sense which in the UK is Class A and prohibited to VFR. It is Class E airspace, which is open to VFR. But it has high bases - usually FL065, which means one can get stuck above cloud if the destination is totally overcast.