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John Wullf writes:
Hi Sue,
Is there any procedure in place for a pilot with a US PPL to attain approval to fly in France? Can I get a JAR PPL or equivalent? What about instrument training in France?
Thanks.
John
John W Wulff
N24WF @ VKX
A '75 Grumman Traveler based in
the most secure airspace in the US!
Bob Davies writes:
Hi,
In early May, I will be flying an Aeronca Champ from the London area to Castelnau Magnoac [just south of Auch]
This is a trip I have made several times but always by Cherokee Arrow and for convenience I have often refuelled at Limoges.
In planning my Aeronca trip I am somewhat restricted in that I have a fairly limited range allied to the fact that as the aircraft has no electrics I am limited to a handheld radio with no transponder.
Earlier this week I spoke Controllers at Calais [Class D airspace] who confirmed that although I have no transponder provided they were not busy they would be able to allow me in to land/transit via VFR reporting points.
My questions are
1. Do you know if the same scenario exists with the Controllers at Limoges?
and
2. Are you aware of any nearby airfields where fuel would be readily available if I am unable to land at Limoges.
Many thanks in anticipation,
Bob Davies
Questions for publication on francoflyers.org: questions@francoflyers.org
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I received a text from a pupil yesterday which read “Thank you for making my dream come true”.
This really touched my heart because so many people from different walks of life, who wish to become pilots, make many sacrifices to achieve their ultimate goal.
This student, who originates from Italy, had passed all his ground examinations in England and set off to the USA to get a 4 week PPL
Sadly this turned into a bit of a disaster owing to circumstances which I shall not dwell upon.
He returned to his base in the South of France and continued his training with a French instructor who spoke English.
Once again, he ran into difficulty, this time with the DGAC who would not accept his English ground examinations.
Luckily, they gave him my name and telephone number and he duly arrived in Limoges to finish his training and to gain his JAR PPL (British issue).
When I first spoke to Marco, he was very concerned that I may not be able to help him as he had tried to find a solution to his problem for a very long time.
I was delighted to see the look on his face when he passed his flight test on Saturday morning.
Most young people who wish to have a successful career can go to university to obtain their training.
Sadly, this is not so for the person who wishes to become a professional pilot.
They must be totally dedicated in their ultimate goal, as the road to becoming an employed commercial pilot is expensive and very demanding.
Thankfully, the airline industry seems to be booming worldwide, particularly in India, and the demand for new pilots should be strong.
I have spent a lot of time this week flying in the DA 40, which is always a pleasure for me.
Matt and I went on a navigation to the beautiful airport at Aurillac. This airport which is south east of Limoges is set in fabulous countryside with snow-capped mountains in the distance.
The town is very interesting and has some good restaurants. The aero club on the field has recently opened its own restaurant and the reports from other pilots are all positive.
The airport has a controller who only speaks French therefore anyone wishing to join the pattern at Aurillac should 'brush up' their French telephony on this site.
On our return to Limoges, we flew to another spectacular airport, Ussel. This time we had the place to ourselves and practised a few touch and go landings before returning home.
The countryside in this area of France is wonderful and completely unspoilt. It is such a pleasure flying for miles and miles without seeing another plane or having to worry about violating restricted airspace.
Yesterday, again in the DA40, I flew to the south of France to Aixe les Milles airport near to Marseilles and, of course, the ocean.
The most noticeable thing about the flight was how busy the airspace was when approaching the coastline.
The military airfields were unusually active for a Sunday and we photographed a huge transport plane flying underneath us.
The flight took two hours twenty minutes (in a car it takes more than 9 hours) and we cleared the mountains at FL 95.
The weather was very hot and the airport was bustling with many light aircraft.
We had an excellent lunch on the terrace of the airport restaurant, chatting to many pilots of various nationalities before changing pilot and heading for home in near perfect weather conditions.
However, my day was not finished on arrival at Limoges. A quick change of aircraft and then off to Angouleme to practise more touch and go landings with Carl who was here on a weekend visit from England, for his PPL training.
Finally, at the end of a very long and satisfying day, I drove home to sample the longed-for Gin and Tonic and to watch the puppies playing in the paddock before coming in to their beds.
Best wishes
Sue
I am always happy to receive your questions and comments, as follows:
Questions for publication on francoflyers.org: questions@francoflyers.org
General queries not for publication: sue@francoflyers.org
Questions related to existing articles are best published as comments to those articles
Charles Flint writes:
Sue, I fly a Husky from North Wales and I would like to get to the European Mountain Pilots fly-in at Corlier on 10/11 May.
I have done a few hours in the Alps—and in New Zealand—but do not have a mountain qualification, nor the authorisation de site for Corlier—or any other altiport !
I have 200 hours on the Husky and fly off a 300 m hill strip but have not yet had the opportunity to get the mountain rating—I am thinking of trying to get to Megeve in September.
Question—do you happen to know of anyone—with the rating—who would like to fly with me from Bourg en Bresse into Corlier that weekend ??
I appreciate Limoges is not close, but I hope you do not mind this speculative enquiry.
Great site and very useful—keep it up !
Best wishes
Charles Flint
G-HSKI
Questions for publication on francoflyers.org: questions@francoflyers.org
General queries not for publication: sue@francoflyers.org
Questions related to existing articles are best published as comments to those articles
Came over on the 20th of April for a few days to convert to the DA40. The weather wasn't promising but Monday gave a glimmer of hope so off to the club we went. Sue gave me the rundown on the checklist, with a walk round to start with, then pull the plane out of the hangar and get into the left seat, which felt so good this time as a qualified new pilot.
So on with the checks, and how fantastic it was to see the plane doing so much itself, and having the gar-min 430 on board was a new and exciting experience. With all the checks done, rt call done and taxied to the hold, i looked at the checklist for power checks but the only thing to do was idle the power, apply the brakes and press the ecu button. With this pressed the aircraft went through its numerous checks which was simply fantastic.
The take off was fantastic and the aircraft was such a joy to fly, Sue went through the Garmins programmes, and the auto pilot settings, which was something totally new for me, But a pure delight.
The landings were slightly different as it seems you have to dive the plane into the ground it appears to want to float forever, but graceful too. i would say to anyone to try out this superb machine and judge it for yourself, you wont be disappointed.
Ian Bartlam
A Flying Club (www.aflyingclub.com), based in Toussus-le-Noble, is a flying club with a difference—it is intended for experienced pilots (minimum 200 hours) who are primarily interested in long-distance flights.
The club’s first aircraft is a diesel-engined Cessna 182 SMA which is fully-equipped for economical long-distance flights in IFR conditions.
At a cruising speed of 130 knots, this aircraft has a range of some 1400 nautical miles with 4 passengers and baggage,
The club intends to build a fleet of 5 aircraft, with similar capability, over the next 3 years.
Unlike most French aeroclubs, who operate as non-profit organisations, the club has been set up as a business from the outset and offers a price structure based on achieving maximum utilisation of the aircraft—for example, there will be lower rates for night flying and weekday bookings as well as volume discounts.
Prices start at 130€ per hour (dry) and the club welcomes enquiries from English-speaking pilots.
A press release (in French) announcing the club launch can be downloaded from here—an English section for the web site is in preparation.
Further details (in English) from:
Christophe Mathy
christophe.mathy@aflyingclub.com
0033 6 63 30 58 41
Kai writes:
Hi,
What a great site you have and what great fun you seem to have, admirable and exciting at the same time.
I would like to wish you all the best and maybe one day I will fly-in to visit.
Meanwhile, I am a novice at flying into France and am unfamiliar with 'whom' to talk to when I fly over there.
It might seem a silly question, but I don't know the answer hence my asking you as a seasoned traveller (and I have consulted a French VFR map).
My planned route is Southend to Abbeville.
My trip will take me from near Southend to Dover where I am planning to cross the channel and coast-in at Cap Gris-Nez, then onto the Bolougne BNE before heading due south into Abbeville.
I understand that Lille no longer speaks to VFR traffic, and I am not IMC but 'only' VMC / VFR, so with whom will I speak once I leave the FIR boundary, EGTT?
Do I switch to Lille Info anyhow or do I wait until I get to the BNE and contact Le Touquet for an FIS?
I do have a mode S transponder as well, which I understand helps.
I am sorry that this is a simple question but I am lost, would you help?
At last it is raining so I can find the time to write my piece for the diary— I now have a new computer which should speed things up considerably.
I must thank Les King (Francoflyers Site Administrator) for coming over to France, solely to get me and the new PC running perfectly.
He spent most of his time over here setting up a 'foolproof' system to keep me from getting my messages into a mess.
I hope to now stay on the 'straight and narrow' and not even think of doing anything to encounter his wrath.
On his last day, Les managed to fly the DA40 for the first time is several months, prior to catching his flight back to the UK.
The cloud base was particularly low that morning so we left Limoges under 'Special VFR' rules.
Our route alongside the beautiful Vienne river led us to the very pretty town of Confolons, which is a particular favourite of mine.
We then circled and photographed a nearby grass strip before heading back to Limoges for some intensive circuit training.
Les enjoyed the variety of landings (flapless, EFATO, glide approach, low-level circuit, etc) which I threw at him—At Limoges, we can generally cope with an engine failure after take-off by landing straight-ahead on the 2500 metre runway and the glide approach is usually begun (with ATC permission) by flying a crosswind leg over the middle of the runway and then closing the throttle.
All of this intense activity worked up a good appetite which enabled him to once again sample the excellent food in the new Airport restaurant, before flying back to Stanstead.
My flying week has consisted of a lot of basic training in and around the airport together with some long distance flights to interesting destinations.
The most popular destination for long flights is the wonderful Millau Viaduct which is about one and a half hours flight from my home base.
This flight was piloted by Tony who normally flies microlights in England and relishes his time in the left hand seat of the Robin DR400/180.
He also keeps me amused with his very dry sense of humour.
After the usual photograph session, we were gasping for a cup of tea and hopefully a sticky bun to go with it. We therefore landed at the excellent Millau airfield and strolled the few hundred yards to the large hotel/cafeteria which is adjacent to the runway.
Alex now took the left hand seat and we headed for home by a different route, enabling Tony to photograph some of the spectacular scenery in the region.
The following day, I again attempted the flight to Millau in the DA40 with Matt. Unfortunately, we had to turn back at Rodez owing to low cloud.
On the return flight, we went to investigate the new International Airport at Brive. This airport was scheduled to open in January 2007 but, thusfar, has an excellent runway in place without any of the ancillary buildings ...watch this space!!
When the new Brive Airport opens, the original airport will close permanently.
On the return journey to Limoges, we flew over the town of Pompadour which is a fascinating place to visit if you are in the area.
The chateau and the National Stud is open for guided tours each afternoon.
The racecourse is delightful and is a place to go armed with a picnic and a bottle of champagne.
For the equestrian lover, there is a calendar of events throughout the summer months—more information on Pompadour.
Each time I see the racecourse, I reminisce about my days as a jockey. At Christmas parties, we always used to play 'Jockey's Knock' which is a bit like 'Postman's Knock' but with more Horseplay.
I have replaced that passion with flying and I certainly cannot regret it as I have a wonderful life here.
It is a privilege for me to fly in France.
On Sunday, I headed for the International Dog Show at Limoges, taking 'Visions of Success' and the young English import 'Meg'.
I was delighted to win 'Best of Breed' with Visions and 'Best Young Dog' with Meg.
We were pounded with storms for all of Sunday so I could relax knowing that I was not missing any flying.
The puppies are growing quickly and are turning into individuals who never cease to amuse me with their antics.
Best wishes
Sue
I am always happy to receive your questions and comments, as follows:
Questions for publication on francoflyers.org: questions@francoflyers.org
General queries not for publication: sue@francoflyers.org
Questions related to existing articles are best published as comments to those articles
The following classes of airspace are available for VFR flights in France.
NB There is a general speed limit of 250 knots below 10,000 feet AMSL
NB2 A Flight Information and alert service is provided in all classses of airspace
NB3 Click on pictures for larger image
In the interests of accuracy, please check the 'French Air Traffic Rules' link, on the sidebar of this blog, for up-to-date information..
I was wondering if there's a French equivalent of the UK low level forecast (form 215) and spot wind chart (form 214). I've had a look at www.meteofrance.com and can't find anything there, and I can't find anything on the SIA web site that would point me to something similar to the UK's Met Office.
If anyone knows of a source for French low level forecasts, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance! John
Malcolm Spalding writes:
Good Moaning
Can anyone help please?
I have decided to try ULM flying and I am currently having lessons from a French instructor but, although I think I am making progress with the practical, my real concern is with the French Theory test.
My French is not good (yes, I am trying to improve it) and there is no way that I can guess at what the questions are asking me!
My instructor says that he thinks it may be possible for me to take the test in English but that special preparations would have to be made.
He has not heard of this being done before.
My obvious question is, do you know if this is possible?
If this is not possible, am I allowed to take a dictionary into the examination?
This test is specific to ULM's
I was wondering if anyone might be able to answer a question about transiting through the military airspace in northern France. I'm planning to fly from London Elstree to Luxembourg and am planning to route via Le Touquet, Cambrai Epinoy (LFQI) and the MMD VOR. That routing takes me through a number of military restricted areas. As best I can tell from reading the French AIP, I need to talk to the following in order to get permission to transit the restricted airspace:
For LF(R)102 - Cambrai Approach on 118.525
For LF(R)53 - Reims Approach on 119.8
For LF(R)26 - Reims Approach on 119.8
The owner of my flying club in London assures me that I won’t have any trouble getting permission to go through as long as I'm talking to the appropriate air traffic control facilities. However, I was wondering if anyone has any experience of flying in those areas and whether 1) I'm likely to get through without problems and 2) whether my RT plan listed above is the correct one.
Some of the restricted areas are notified by NOTAM, so I may find that they're not actually active for the time I'm planning to go through. Nevertheless, I'd rather be prepared in case they are.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Life is always busy here (who said come to France for a quieter lifestyle) and was frenetic last week which is why my diary is a bit late.
My first topic must be the magnificent response to the Ryanair photographs on the blog, which generated over 5000 page-views in 3 days.
The 'Ryanair' incident closed the runway for a couple of days so I had an enforced rest until the aircraft had been recovered and flown away from Limoges.
I think that the pilot did an excellent job in dreadful weather conditions—we have all experienced 'aquaplaning' in a car and can imagine the nightmare of doing it in a large aircraft.
On Good Friday, I landed at Poitiers airfield where I was thrilled to see 10 Easter Bunnies playing on the grass adjacent to the taxiway (actually, they were mad March hares).
I have never seen so many hares in one place at the same time.
On the way home to Limoges, we did a PFL at a private strip which just finished the day nicely for me.
It has been a very positive week. Matt successfully completed his qualifying cross country (150 nautical miles), Limoges—Angouleme—Poitiers—Limoges. He commented that everyone was very friendly and he had no problems getting his X-country certificate signed.
Indeed, a controller came down from the tower to sign it for him.
Incidentally, one of the controllers at Poitiers is an English guy with a terrific command of the French language. It is always a pleasure to talk to him when I am in his FIS area.
Our Site Administrator, Les King, has been staying here for several days, enjoying the flying and the wonderful food, which is one of his main motivations for flying in France.
We managed several flights in some very changeable weather conditions, doing some navigation trips to Perigueux and Brive with 'touch and go landings' at both airfields.
At Perigueux, I asked the controller if he wanted us to come and pay for the landings and he just said that they were "gratuit" today which is one of the nice things about flying in France.
Our next trip was to La Rochelle where we sampled the delights of the restaurant 'Andre' in the old port area of the city.
This is our favourite eating place in La Rochelle where the seafood is perfection itself. I chose the sea bass and Les chose the swordfish. Both were excellent and the desserts were 'to die for'
The trip out was rather interesting with Les navigating around heavy showers and landing against a 25-knot headwind.
Returning home with a strong tailwind, we had a ground speed of 148 knots and arrived back at Limoges in record time with huge smiles on our faces.
This was flown by Alex who is one of Les's old flying-syndicate colleagues.
What more could we ask for; excellent food, fabulous aircraft, wonderful countryside and a warm welcome everywhere.
At home, the horses are enjoying fresh spring grass at last.
The puppies are thriving and adorable. I am trying to choose their pedigree names which must all begin with a D this year, so all suggestions are welcome!
Les also took the opportunity to sample the new Limoges Airport restaurant (twice) and reports that it offers excellent food at very reasonable prices—a very good way to while away an hour after checking-in for the flight home.
The restaurant is called les Helices and is located above the ground-floor bar/newsagent.
Best wishes
Sue
I am always happy to receive your questions and comments, as follows:
Questions for publication on francoflyers.org: questions@francoflyers.org
General queries not for publication: sue@francoflyers.org
Questions related to existing articles are best published as comments to those articles
French VFR rules are similar to the UK but with a few significant differences.
VFR cruising levels
The rules on terrain clearance generally were re-vamped at the beginning of 2007 and are dealt with more-fully in another article here
When flying at 3000’ or more above surface level during the en-route stage of flight, the semi-circular rule should be used to select the cruising altitude or flight level, as follows:
From transition altitude, Flight Levels should be flown using an altimeter setting of 1013.25 hPa / mb.
Track 0°—179° FL 35, 55, 75, etc
Track 180°—359° FL 45, 65, 85, etc
Below transition altitude, same principle but using the local QNH to fly the appropriate altitude measured in feet (3500', etc).
In France, transition altitude is effectively 3000 feet above surface (ground or sea) level in uncontrolled airspace.
In controlled airspace, transition altitude varies from place to place and from time to time, as notified—current transition altitude may be obtained from the recorded aerodrome ATIS or directly from an Air Traffic Controller.
In the absence of a notified transition altitude, use 3000’ above the surface.
VFR On Top
Aircraft with serviceable radio and radio navigation equipment may conduct daytime VFR flights above cloud—non-radio aircraft must remain within sight of the surface.
This rule does not allow a non-IR pilot to climb and descend through cloud which must therefore be sufficiently ‘broken’ to maintain VFR in all phases of flight.
VFR ‘on top’ was legal in the UK some years ago, but is not presently allowed.
VFR Flight in Airways
Unlike the UK, VFR flights are allowed in airways which are classified as either Class E airspace (generally up to FL115) or Class D airspace (generally above FL115).
Radio communication is compulsory in class D airspace but not in Class E (except for Night VFR) though the semi-circular rule must be operated when flying along or crossing a Class E airway.
Night VFR
Night VFR is permitted subject to the following limitations:
* The pilot must hold a valid IFR licence (Instrument Rating) or Night VFR licence (Night Rating).
* The aircraft must be equipped for night flying (this can be verified by reference to the Flight Manual).
* The departure/destination airfields should be equipped and available for night flying ('VFR Nuit' will be specified on the airfield chart)
* Cloud base must be at least 1500 feet above surface (local flights) or planned cruising level (non-local) and visibility must be at least 5 kilometres (local) rising to 8 kilometres (non-local)—all night VFR flights should be within sight of the surface
* Apart from take-off, landing and alternative ‘official’ instructions, local VFR night flights should be conducted at a height at least 1000 feet above the nearest object within 8 kilometres—this is raised to 1500’ for non-local flights and 2000’ over areas where terrain reaches an altitude of 5000’
* Flight plans are mandatory for Night VFR except for those defined as ‘local’— for example, flight plans would not be required for flights taking off and landing at the same aerodromes or operating between two aerodromes for which the approach is provided by the same air traffic control service.
In each case, flights would also need to remain within the same controlled airspace.
In the absence of controlled airspace, local flights are defined as those operating within 12 kilometres (6.5 nm) of the departure aerodrome
Flight plans should be filed at least 30 minutes before the night flight—i.e. the FPL could be filed shortly before take-off so long as this is 30 minutes before ‘official night’.
NB There is no obvious indication on VFR charts or VFR Airfield charts which aerodromes operate under the same air traffic control service and this seems to be a matter of ‘local knowledge’ among French Flying Instructors.
If in doubt, ask the control tower before departures or file a flight plan anyway.
In the interests of accuracy, please check 'the 'French Air Traffic Rules' link, on the sidebar of this blog, for up-to-date information..
Acknowledgement
I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Aéro-club de Limoges Flying Instructor Georges Thety for checking this article prior to publication
