Cool Cannes

For several months,I had been hoping to arrange a trip to the airfields of  Cannes and Cuers in the South of France; however,circumstances had always prevented me from actually arranging the flight.

Several of my students and ex students live in the south of France and they are often asking me to come down to do some flying with them.

I also have pilot friends in this area, so I have been looking forward to a chance to fly down south, however pressure of work in Limoges has not enabled me to turn the dream into reality.

When my daughter Kirsty informed me that she and her boyfriend were holidaying in Antibes in July and could I come down to spend some time with them, the idea started to take shape.While at the aero club I happened to mention this to Stine and Matthew and they immediately said Ok let's fly there, so our adventure was about to begin!

Stine is nearly at the end of her PPL training and she is hoping  to gain as much flying  experience as possible before returning home to Norway. The prospect of a flight over the mountains, and to fly in airspace that is more restrictive than she has encountered at Limoges had her "champing at the bit “and ready to go.

Matthew is always looking to gain knowledge in new flying environments as his long term aim is to be a Professional Pilot, so we began to arrange the flight.

Upon hearing of the proposed trip Stuart Morton (one of my students  who lives near to Cuers) sent  a message that he wanted to fly as many hours as possible when I was in his area, he would provide the accommodation and transport if I would supply the training.

Matt offered to plan the trip on the Monday afternoon; therefore, all I had to do the following morning was to arrive at the club ready to fly.

Tuesday saw Stine, Matt and I at the club early in the morning, we had chosen the Robin F-GMKT DR400/180 which is fast and very comfortable for long journeys.

The weather forecast was excellent for the whole trip so we chose the direct route over the mountains en route to Cannes.

Stine chose to fly this first flight, she had not flown over the mountains before and she was pleasantly surprised at the deep river gorges which reminded her of her native Norway.

We enjoyed cloudless skies until we were midway between the VOR's of Saint Flour and Montelimar then we were forced  to climb to avoid cloud between the mountains. This was also a new and exciting experience for Stine.

When we reached Montelimar the clouds vanished and we continued our flight over the high ground, passing the impressive Mount Ventoux (6263 ft) until we were abeam Vinon  (LFNF) now we descended to follow the valley between the hills which would lead us to our destination Cannes( LFMD).

During the flight, we had not seen another aircraft; however, that was soon to change as we neared our destination airfield.

Cannes tower was very busy, however, the controller was friendly and helpful, we were asked if we wanted to join long final from the north which we readily accepted and we landed behind a sleek business jet arriving from Beirut.

After landing we changed to Cannes ground frequency they directed us to the  park via runway 04, we were soon parked on the grass and waiting for the minibus to shuttle us to the terminal.

Matt could not keep his eyes away from the wonderful selection of business jets lined up adjacent to the terminal. This was a different scene to the last time that I had landed at Cannes two years previously when the airport was almost empty,obviously,everyone had arrived for their summer holidays ---- no sign of the credit crunch here!

After an expensive taxi ride into town we met Kirsty and Sam at a charming cafe and enjoyed a light  lunch outside on the terrace.

After lunch, it was time to wander the streets of Cannes in the hope of seeing some of the rich and famous,sadly we did not recognise anyone in  the expensive cars which roared by.

We explored the old part of town and finally said our goodbyes and returned to the airport for the 40 minute flight up the coast to Cuers.

The journey to the plane only takes three minutes but it is forbidden to walk across the airport to the parked aircraft.

This time we had a long  wait  for the minibus, so we were twiddling our thumbs in the heat for over 45 minutes.

Aircraft were departing every two minutes, therefore the controllers were really working hard.Upon start up, it was heartwarming to hear the same controller say "hello again" when I asked for taxi instructions to the active runway

Incidentally, the landing fee here was 12 euros for the first three hours and 25 euros for the full day inclusive of handling charges.

Upon landing, we noticed Stuart waving to us,after we secured the aircraft we were whisked  to his house nearby, We were introduced to his French wife Luce and his delightful two and a half year old son Thomas.

We related the day's adventures over a glass of excellent local rose wine, while Stuart cooked dinner.

We had a lovely evening, however were were all exhausted by the end of a long day, so it was not long before we were heading for our beds and oblivion.

The following day we made plans over breakfast, Stine decided to join Luce for a trip to Marseilles followed by spending some time relaxing  on the beach.

We headed to the airport and while the others prepared the aircraft, I went to find my friend Pierre Crozet.

After a distinguished career as général de l'armée d'air, Pierre now devotes his time to teaching flying to handicapped students.With help from the government and specially adapted aircraft, he trains his students for the PPL and then guides them to train for the CPL or for careers in other fields of aviation.

I have met several of his students over the last few years and I have seen the transformation in their confidence when they have achieved their goals. Many have been able to obtain useful jobs such as flying aircraft which spot fires or aerial  photography, others go into jobs which are aviation related such as compiling maps and charts or aviation journalism.

Pierre and I discussed the best options for the days flight and he suggested that we should go to Gap (LFNA) which is situated in the mountains surrounded by lakes.

When he also informed me that this field has an excellent restaurant  we did not need any further persuasion, a restaurant on the field is always a bonus.

We were warned that GAP was very busy, with parachute dropping and gliding in operation, Pierre explained the best way of entering the circuit and the use of the reporting points,so armed with this useful information we set off on our adventure.

The area surrounding Cuers has a minefield of military areas,however the controllers were helpful and guided us through without any problems.Stuart was flying this leg and although he had not sat in a plane for six months he was soon relaxed and handling the controls with ease.

Our route took us up a valley between the mountains some reaching nine thousand feet,we followed the riverbedwith it's fertile valley, a brilliant green contrasting with the austere mountains on each side of us.

We arrived a little too early for lunch, so we continued up the river until we came to Lac de Serre Poncon a beautiful lake set in a basin between the mountains,this was obviously a holiday destination,as we watched the numerous boats and water skiers in action below us.

We returned to Gap, we were sent on a rather unusual downwind leg to provide clearance for the parachutists who were landing on the field at that moment.

The airfield was idyllic, such a beautiful setting, everyone we met was helpful and friendly. We discovered a pilot shop but did not linger owing to severe hunger pangs.

The airport has reasonably priced accommodation and a swimming pool so perhaps we shall be returning for a slightly longer stay next time. 

We enjoyed an excellent light lunch on the terrace with views of the parachutists who were regularly landing just in front of us. We paid the exorbitant landing fee of five euros and it was time for the next flight.

Next destination Carpentras (LFNH) we followed the Sisteron valley and then climbed to seven thousand feet to cross the mountains, Stuart wanted to do some circuit practise at this uncontrolled airfield, upon arrival with a 15 knot crosswind blowing he had to change his technique!

That evening we chose to walk into the village to a local restaurant  French food with a hint of the exotic, as the owners were from the French island of Reunion. We sat outside next to the beautiful old church, Thomas spent most of the evening exploring the immediate area and giving his parents a few worries with his adventurous spirit !

We strolled back through the village, replete, content and basking in the afterglow of a wonderful days flying.

Our final day and we were in a quandary what to do as the forecast towards the north and  at Limoges was for  thunderstorms and it seemed that later in the day the weather was going to improve.

We decided to do delay our departure until later in the day hoping for an improvement in the forecast for the homeward trip.

We chose to do a  a local  sightseeing flight and to meet up at the restaurant on the field  for lunch with Pierre Crozet.

We  were very intrigued to fly over the home of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, their home was only five minutes flight from Cuers airport.

We were not disappointed, the house and the surrounding vineyards were enchanting situated in a very quiet area and well worth seeing.

Matthew who is our honorary photographer did the honours once again, it was a memorable flight.

We then continued to Saint Tropez and flew close to La Mole (LFTH) this the airport close to the coast ,the chosen  destination for the stars to land ther private jets. I understand that the landing fee is 80 euros.

The bay at Saint Tropez was full of yachts and boats of all sizes and shapes, many had their own private swimming pools and helicopters on the deck.

The place was teeming with boats, windsurfers and sunbathers, personally it was better to view Saint Tropez from the air rather than to be on the over crowded beaches.

We flew up the coast towards Cannes and Stuart pointed out the houses owned by Royal families and film stars, as we were approaching the Cannes CTR we turned around and headed further up the coast,once again passing Saint Tropez, then  negotiatingthe narrow passageway ( P63) between the prohibited areas close to the presidents summer residence, we viewed Cap Negre where Carla Bruni has her summer home, which is just  just 5 minutes drive from the presidents  summer palace.

The scenery was quite  stunning, soon we changed to Toulon approach and they kindly directed us past Hyeres (LFTH) airport and we headed back to Cuers by a circular route.

The outside air temperature was in the 40's so it was a relief to sit in the shade and have our final meal in the South of France.

We said our good byes and headed home, We needed to do quite a lot of climbing to negotiate clouds around the mountains.

Special thanks must go to Matt who was doing the navigating at that time, his navigation skills made the task of flying  over and around the mountains much easier for the pilots in the front of the plane.

Thankfully, upon arrival at Limoges the thunderstorms had dissipated and we landed in brilliant sunshine, however, the temperature was 20 degrees lower than at Cuers and we all felt rather cold and shivery!

Finally a message from Stuart, if any pilot's are coming to  his area he can offer a warm welcome,a glass of rose wine,plus a place to stay overnight if required.

 

Photographs courtesy of Stuart Morton and Matthew Galvin.

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Stuart Morton]

Thankyou so much for coming to visit, it was such a pleasure to have you all come and stay, the weather here is getting hotter and hotter, we were at 37 degrees this afternoon.
As Sue mentioned if any fellow franco flyers would like to visit the region, I am always happy to act as a guide to the local spots....and rose'
I am looking forward to the next stage of the training in Sept. see you then.

[Paul Beardsell]

"flying on top is allowed in France"? Perhaps by Sue, but not if all you have is a UK PPL. And the UK IMC is not valid in France. So you must have a French PPL or a full instrument rating to "fly on top" in France. You must fly "in sight of the surface" with a UK PPL.

[I just thought I would point this out in case anyone gets the wrong idea. The general rule is that when mixing nationality of licence, plane registration and territory of flight you must obey *all* the rules of *all* the involved jurisdictions - you can't pick and choose.]

[sue virr]

Do not worry Paul, we were always in sight of the surface, as the cloud was broken not overcast.

However, I have a licence endorsed by the french authorities to teach in France (under both sets of rules) and I was flying a French registered aircraft.

[Paul Beardsell]

I was just trying to avoid the *possible* misperception by readers of your blog entry that the holder of a UK PPL would be allowed to fly "on top" in France, which is how it read. The "in sight of the surface" rule applies to UK-licensed pilots no matter the registration of the a/c. I wasn't intending to comment on the Cannes flight, which of course would have been legal at all times.

[Patrick]

Wow. The photographs are amazing.

[Peter Cazalet]

What a brilliant trip
Peter Cazalet the Envious from Soggy Ireland

[Les King]

It would be good to have some precise guidance on the issue of 'VFR on Top'.

It is to avoid such confusion that I set up Francoflyers in the first place as questions about what people with UK-issued licences could and couldn't do all seemed very much 'a matter of confused opinion'.

The fact that Sue has a French endorsement to teach is France is neither here nor there.

Firstly, my understanding of the posiition is that a pilot may do what the Aviation Authority of the country in which they are flying will allow them to do.

Hence, a JAR licence holder may exercise the full privileges of that licence, as defined by the JAR country in which they are flying.

As rightly pointed out, the IMC rating is not valid in France (or any other country) because it has alway been UK-only qualification unrelated to JAR or ICAO.

The position of a non-JAR licence holders is another matter which has already been discussed at length in previous posts.

The crucial issue is that the French allow the concept of 'VFR on top' which means that you can fly out of sight of the surface for hundreds of niles but you cannnot climb and descend through cloud.

I have certainly done that on several occasions under Sue's supervision.

This was allowed in the UK some years ago but the rules were changed.

However, I am neither an aviation lawyer nor a Qualified Flying Instructor so I think that an informed opinion should be obtained as soon as possible.

---------------------------------

PS: In April 2008, Sue Posted:

I believe that it is legal to fly on top in France subject to the criteria in the article.

I hold a JAR licence issued in Britain, I do not hold a French licence,however my licence has been validated by the DGAC.

If the rules of the air (France) allow Pilot's to fly VFR on top in their country then one imagines we are not breaking any laws.therefore I cannot see a problem.

I regret that I am not able to give a definitive answer to this type of question.I am currently trying to find someone suitably qualified to answer these Air Law questions.
-----------------------------------

Perhaps, after 16 months, a definitive answer is possible

[sue virr]

Following your questions and comments on my trip over the mountains.
I asked Mike Grierson to read the the individual comments and answer the various queries.His reply is below:
...................................................

Firstly, my understanding of the position is that a pilot may do what the Aviation Authority of the country in which they are flying will allow them to do?.
NO! They must comply with the privileges of the licence held. A UK issued JAA Licence does not permit flight out of sight of the surface therefore VFR on top is illegal ANO Schedule 8

UK NATIONAL PPL

(c) unless his licence includes an instrument rating (aeroplane) or an instrument
meteorological conditions rating (aeroplanes), fly as pilot in command of such an
aeroplane:
(i) on a flight outside controlled airspace when the flight visibility is less than
3 km;
(ii) on a special VFR flight in a control zone in a flight visibility of less than 10
km except on a route or in an aerodrome traffic zone notified for the
purpose of this sub-paragraph; or
(iii) out of sight of the surface;
JAA PPL
(3) The holder shall not:
(a) unless his licence includes an instrument rating (aeroplane) or an instrument
meteorological conditions rating (aeroplanes), fly as pilot in command of such an
aeroplane:
(i) on a flight outside controlled airspace when the flight visibility is less than
3 km;
(ii) on a special VFR flight in a control zone in a flight visibility of less than 10
km except on a route or in an aerodrome traffic zone notified for the
purpose of this sub-paragraph; or
(iii) out of sight of the surface.

Hence, a JAR licence holder may exercise the full privileges of that licence, as defined by the JAR country in which they are flying.
NO NO NO! If you want the privileges, you must convert to a JAA licence issued in that State.
As rightly pointed out, the IMC rating is not valid in France (or any other country) because it has always been UK-only qualification unrelated to JAR or ICAO.
The UK IMC rating is not valid for IFR Flight in France, but the IMC rating also removes the restriction "not to fly out of sight of the surface" and reduces the "3k visibility to 1800" metres therefore, parts of it are valid in France and if you want to fly VFR on top you must have a valid IMC rating
Instrument meteorological conditions rating (aeroplanes)
(1) Subject to paragraph (2), within the United Kingdom an instrument meteorological
conditions rating (aeroplanes) rating entitles:
(a) the holder of a United Kingdom Private Pilot's Licence (Aeroplanes) or a United
Kingdom Basic Commercial Pilot's Licence (Aeroplanes) to fly as pilot in
command of an aeroplane without being subject to the restrictions contained
respectively in paragraph (2)(c) or (f) of the privileges of the United Kingdom
Private Pilot's Licence (Aeroplanes) or paragraph (3)(g) or (i) of the privileges of
the United Kingdom Basic Commercial Pilot's Licence (Aeroplanes); and
(b) the holder of a JAR-FCL Private Pilot Licence (Aeroplane) to fly as pilot in
command of an aeroplane in Class D or E airspace in circumstances which
require compliance with the Instrument Flight Rules.
(2) The rating does not entitle the holder of the licence to fly:
(a) on a special VFR flight in a control zone in a flight visibility of less than 3 km; or
(b) when the aeroplane is taking off or landing at any place if the flight visibility below
cloud is less than 1800 metres.
The position of non-JAR licence holders is another matter which has already been discussed at length in previous posts.
JAA licences do not all confer the same privileges, they are still licences issued nationally albeit, in accordance with JAA Standards but subject to National Law. All they do that applies to all JAA States is to entitle the holder to fly an aircraft registered in another JAA State. Rules of the Air and ATC rules that apply are those of the Country in which the flight takes place.

Hope that answers the question.
regards
Mike

[sue virr]

The french rules of the air can be found in English on the SIA website:

http://www.sia.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/default_uk.htm

[sue virr]

To avoid further confusion I have removed the "offending sentence from the article.

[Mike Grierson]

Sue,

to add to the above, if you hold a commercial license other than a BCPL, then the out of sight of the surface does not apply and you can fly VFR on top. I addressed my answer to the PPL holder.

[Les King]

Thanks Mike, for some clear guidance on this subject.

The IMC 'wrinkle' is interesting to know about.

I don't think that anybody was 'offended' by the sentence in the original article and the most important issue here is that we all have a full understanding of the rules.

[Lorraine Thomas]

What a fabulous trip,an inspiration for me to continue with my training and complete my PPL here in France!

[sue virr]

Hi Mike

Thank you for the information,yes I hold a CPL.

I was not trying to make a statement about rules merely writing a lighthearted article to show pilots how wonderful it is to fly in France.

[Paul Beardsell]

And wonderful it is, flying in France.

I didn't mean to detract from Sue's article but, nevertheless, responses to my note on the VFR-on-top-in-France comment show that most people do not have a full and complete understanding of the rules re VFR-on-top-in-France. Me too: I think (but i am unsure) someone has said authoritatively that VFR-on-top in France is allowed by the holder of a UK IMC. That was not my understanding but I am happy to be corrected, if I have been.

I note that the contention by some here that VFR-on-top in France is allowed by holders of UK-issued PPL (either JAR or old-style) without an instrument rating (or, possibly, IMC) has been soundly re-buffed.

It seems to me that someone who knows how could usefully separate out this discussion from the Cool Cannes article to a separate one on this particular issue.

[Peter Cazalet]

Sue:"I was not trying to make a statement about rules merely writing a lighthearted article to show pilots how wonderful it is to fly in France".
Seems to me this was abundantly clear from the article, pity so much comment focussed on the VFR bit, making Cool Cannes more like a Cannes of worms. Good to know the legal position but I suggest there is always room for pragmatic common sense in interpreting regulations, they may not always be black and white. So a respectful "Amen" to the regulations and a vibrant "Affirm" to flying in la belle France!

[Les King]

Paul Beardsell wrote:

It seems to me that someone who knows how could usefully separate out this discussion from the Cool Cannes article to a separate one on this particular issue

------

Thanks Paul—that's an excellent suggestion.

Over the next couple of days, I will dig out and amend the original article on the differences between French and UK rules as it's really useful to read that article as a whole.

As I mentioned, the principal purpose of this site was (and is) to provide English-speaking pilots with accurate information to keep them safe and legal.

Very much the sort of stuff that I learned in 'dribs and drabs' over the first year of flying in France—the information was 'kind of' available but not in any organised form.

Even in the UK, I have found that the finer points of Aviation Law are often a matter of debate and speculation among those whom you would expect to have a precise interpretation.

[Cannes Rental]

Thanks for sharing