francoflyers

Flying in France (1962-2008)

I first flew over France in 1962, in a Tiger Moth, one third of which I owned for £300!

It had no radio and no brakes, and even in those days the French thought the English pilots were crazy to fly to France in such a vintage plane. Particularly when the inverted engine coughed because the plugs were oiled.

Little did they realise it was nearly out of hours!

It was a great place to fly over then, and it still is. The French encourage General Aviation, in England it has now become too expensive, we all know about the "Campaign Against Aviation" don’t we?

My original PPL for life was issued by the Ministry of Aviation, long debunked and superseded by the CAA.

After a lapse in my flying career of over 30 years, I was able to return to flying which, contrary to what I had been advised, was not quite like getting back on a bike.

I did a five day course in which all 7 subjects for the ground exams were taken. The theory being, that you study the subject during the day, and take the exam in the evening.

It worked well for me but I would question whether or not Air Law can be taken in just one day. Put the cross in the right box and you are OK.

Flying the aeroplane was quite a different matter for me, and what is more the JAR medical required an ECG to get the medical every year, and that becomes quite expensive.

Since I like flying in good weather I did a little research and found out that in the USA, an ICAO state, a PPL only requires a class 3 medical, to be issued every 2 years even for OAP’s, and no ECG.

The syllabus for the PPL is much the same as the JAR, but I would defy any normal person/pilot to digest and retain in the memory Air Law in just one day.

A previous correspondent mentions an unpleasant experience at a rogue US flying school. I too have had this experience, twice in the US.

The sad thing was they were both owned by Brits., from Yorkshire.

I have flown quite a few hours in the state of Florida, and have added both tail-wheel and seaplane ratings to my US licence. (Hi Sue, how about getting a couple of Cubs and keep one on that nearby lake you have there?)

For me there is no contest when comparing flying in France with Florida. France wins hands down every time.

In Florida you fly over grey swamps full of ‘gators, or scrub and building sites. The coast is lovely in places but that is only where they have not yet built blocks of concrete right up to the beach.

In France you fly over beautiful green countryside, hills and even mountains, and go west or south over lovely coastline.

In defence of non-British flight schools in the US, they are not all bad, but you would have to go a very long way to find an instructor/safety pilot who aspires to Sue Burgess-Virr's professional quality.

Can anyone advise me on the in’s and out’s of flying a ‘G’ registered aeroplane in France on a US PPL? There is no problem with an ‘N’ registration.

Happy and safe flying, and next time Sue I need some practice landing with a quartering tailwind.

NB Click on image for bigger picture

Flying at Limoges (first solo)

My name is Jack Allen. I am 17 years old.

I have been flying since I was 14 and am hoping to become an airline pilot.

A few summers back, my parents were looking for a holiday in France, and my dad just happened to come across Sue's website, and booked up for a week.

We arrived in Limoges at an extremely quiet international airport, a lot quieter than Elstree aerodrome, in Hertfordshire in the UK, where I have been having flying lessons.

We went to the farm house that Sue rents out, and received a warm welcome from her.

The farm house was a lovely building, with its own swimming pool.

The friendly aero-club at Limoges has a lovely fleet of Robins. The Robin is the best plane I have ever flown. It has amazing visibility and is a very easy plane to fly.

The weather was great every day I was there, and we managed to fit a lot into the week that I stayed.

Sue was very helpful and I managed to learn a lot from her.

On one of the days we flew to La Rochelle with my parents in the back, which was very interesting for me as it was the first time I had done any cross country.

La Rochelle has a runway which I had to approach from over the sea, another first for me.

Overall my first trip to Limoges was very memorable and fun. So much so that we went a second time in October last year.

During this trip I studied and passed my air law ground exam which meant that I could take the next big step which was my solo flight. Another pilot who was staying in Sue's accommodation kindly recorded this on film.

I hope to return again for more flying instruction with Sue later this year

NB Click on images for larger picture.

Flying the Robin DR400

Sadly, many pilots manage to go through life without experiencing the pleasure of flying a Robin Aircraft.

They learn to fly on Pipers or Cessna's and miss the joy of flying a Robin.

As mentioned in a previous article, I learned to fly in England with a club at Gloucester airport which had a fleet of Robins.

I suppose that what I experienced, without realising it, was the difference between learning to drive a 'luxury' car rather than a 'cheap runabout'.

So, you may ask, what is so different with this aircraft to make one 'fall in love' with it?

High on the list of good points is the excellent all-round visibility which makes flying such a pleasurable experience. It also has a stick which always seems more natural than a yoke and provides a much better view of the instruments.

The aircraft is light but stable and very responsive to all inputs of stick or rudder. It is a docile trainer in all respects (sometimes, it is difficult to stall a Robin).

My dislikes of the Robin are slight, the first being the lack of a throttle friction nut which sometimes allows the engine vibrations to change your initial settings.

The second is the sometimes "skittish" landing performance on the ground in a strong crosswind.

When I first commenced teaching at Limoges, I was puzzled by the advice of fellow instructors to push the stick forward after landing.

When flying in the UK, I had never heard of this but soon realised that, having the choice of multiple runways at Staverton and other airfields, I had never really put the aircraft into a crosswind situation.

In France, most airfields do not offer several runways. Many have only one available which ensures that, most of the time, you have a crosswind landing to perform.

In a strong crosswind, the aircraft can be "skittish" if the following is not applied:

When landing, hold the nose wheel off of the ground while the aircraft slows down and then, as the nose wheel lowers, follow through by putting the stick forward of neutral to gain immediate control (not much different to riding thoroughbred horses really!!).

Most of the pilots/students who come to fly in France with me have never flown a Robin DR400 so it is initially difficult to convert from the heavy handling of something like the Cessna 172.

However, like driving different cars, most people soon get the hang of it and usually become ardent fans of Robin aircraft.

We have three Robins at the Aéro-club de Limoges; 2 Robin DR400/140 trainers, both with long range tanks, and the larger DR400/180 tourer which is a beautiful aircraft to use on sightseeing trips.

As the Robin is a French design, it is one of the most popular GA aircraft in France and there are numerous examples for hire at flying clubs around the country.

NB Click on images for larger picture

Flying the Diamond Star DA40 tdi

I learned to fly some 20 years ago at Gloucester (Staverton) airport on what may be termed a conventional training aircraft.

At that time, I did not know the difference between a Cessna and a Piper. I just wanted to fly.

Actually, I was lucky enough to learn on the Robin aircraft (still quite rare in Britain) and did not realise at the time just how privileged I was.

When I went to the US to take my Instrument Rating on a Cessna 172, it seemed to me that converting to that aircraft was like learning to land all over again.

When I had the opportunity to fly the Aéro-club de Limoges' Diamond Star, I was delighted by the modern cockpit layout and the rather different set of pre-flight checks which seemed a little daunting at first but were actually easier than those of the traditional aircraft I had trained on.

Despite my many hours of instructing, I initially had some difficulty in landing the DA40 as I couldn't get the perspective right and continually rounded out too high!!

Like anything new, it was just a matter of practice before I could land it just as gently as the club Robins.

Apart from that, the DA 40 is very easy to fly with fewer things like fuel pumps and carburettor icing to monitor during flight. The pre-flight and 'power' checks are finished very quickly with the assistance of the engine-management computer which saves both time and money.

The club Diamond Star is fitted with a Garmin GNS430 which combines a  GPS with NAV/COM radios in one neat package, centrally located where it is easily accessible from either front seat.

Immediately underneath is a modern 'Mode C' transponder and an autopilot which is a real luxury on long journeys.

The autopilot can be easily set up to keep the wings level, hold a heading, maintain an altitude or rate of climb and, most impressively, track the GPS or VOR.

The autopilot may be disengaged instantly using the prominent red button on the top of each stick.   

A CWS (Control Wheel Steering) button on the front of the left hand stick is depressed to temporarily disengage the autopilot (when manoeuvring to avoid restricted airspace, for example) which will re-engage with it’s previous settings when the button is released.

Other ‘big-aircraft’ features include electric flaps and trim.

Owing to the very long glider-type wings, one must be very careful during the taxi phase to avoid collision with hangar doors or other aircraft.

The take off and climb are relatively normal without startling performance, the straight and level is a pleasure and the landing a dream when you have become used to the slightly different cockpit aspect.

For long trips or a touring holiday, this is the plane I would choose though it is not really a load carrier and would probably need the entire 2500-metre Limoges runway to take-off with 4 adults, luggage and full fuel.

I understand that the AVGAS version of the DA40 is a bit more powerful but this diesel-powered model (which uses Jet-A1) is better for fuel-efficiency.

I personally think that the student gains most from a thorough basic training on conventional aircraft before moving on to the more-sophisticated Diamond Star which presents a different set of challenges.

This is also a great plane to use as a stepping stone or hours-builder for those pilots hoping to continue their careers in the commercial field.

I have flown the Diamond to the UK and across the ocean to Corsica where it handled impeccably through some very stormy weather. On these long journeys, the autopilot really comes into it's own and reduces the workload to allow viewing of the scenery and better enjoyment of the flight.

In my recent experience, conversion to the Diamond Star takes about 3 hours for most PPL-level pilots.

Knowledge of the GPS and autopilot are not essential to fly the aircraft but the available documentation is excellent and a study of this will enrich your flying experience.

NB Click on images for larger picture