FLYER Air Portal - Flying in France

That little land on the other side of the Channel provides us with some truely great flying. As a means of discovering some of the hidden treasures, we've put together, with the help of our French friends (Aviation and Pilote magazine), a few ideas. Read, plan, fly and enjoy!

I can remember the first time that I flew to France. Talk about apprehensive, I must have planned the flight 15 times, checked the weather even more and read all that I could about ditching. My preflight inspection probably lasted about an hour and, after I could find no more excuses, I climbed in and set course. The Channel provided the customary 'automatic rough running' but before I knew it the French coast was in view and it was time to leave the comfort of London Information for my very first chat with French ATC. Breathe deeply, think about what I'm going to say and eventually go for the PTT.

For those of you who have already flown in France, it will come as no surprise that I discovered a country made for aviation. Friendly controllers, great airfields,a healthy attitude towards small aeroplanes and great restaurants. Flying in France really is easy, so if you've never ventured across the Channel then make sure that you do it this summer. If you have, then try out some of these destinations for some Gallic charm.

You may want to consider getting hold of a book called "VFR Flight Rules - France", which covers general and specific regulations for VFR flights relative to French airspace, procedures to enter or leave French airspace, aerodrome circuit joining procedures, and information services for VFR. It is available from Editions Cepadues who publish a number of aviation books (most are in French though!)

Editions Cepadues
111 rue Nicholas-Vauquelin
31100 Toulouse
France

Tel. 0033 5 61 40 57 36
Fax 0033 5 61 41 79 89

A comment from a contributor to the Flyer Mailing List: "Someone was asking about making calls in French. The following was posted some time ago, hope its useful!"
French	Pronunciation	English
Vent arriere	vont arry-air	Downwind
En Basse	on basss	Base leg
Finale	fee-nahl	Final!
Piste degage	peest day-gazhay	Runway vacated
Je m'aligne	zhe ma-lleen	Lining up
Je decolle	zhe day-coll	Literally, I am taking off
The Transport Canada site has an excellent query tool for the Civil Aviation Terminology System.

Other useful links:

Fédération Nationale Aéronautique - in French but apparently fairly easy to follow

Le Tourquet - Paris Plage - LFAT

Almost every Brit who has flown in France will have landed here. Apart from being just over the pond, they have permanent customs, two hard runways and a manned control tower; in fact on many weekends there'll be more G- registered aeroplanes than locals. Another advantage with Le Tourquet is the proximity of the town. Just a twenty minute walk away, you'll find the Rue Saint-Jean, the town's vibrant main street. And of course, no visit to Le Tourquet would be complete without a walk along their beaches.

Runways 14/32 2250 x 40m and 06/24 1200 x 40m
Fuel available
Airfield tel. 0033 3 21 06 72 00

Fontenay Trésigny - LFPQ

Although close to Paris, this airfield provides a haven from the bustle of city life. You'll need to talk to the State airfield on 121.5 or Seine 1 CTR on 123.2 if you happen to be arriving from the south or south-east. Calls before joining and in the circuit should be made (possibly blind) on 120.225. Make sure you don't overfly the nearby village on base for 12 - and the displaced threshold for 30 shortens the landing distance available to 535m. One of the more unusual restaurants can be found on the field - you'll find yourself dining inside a converted Breguet Deux where you'll get an excellent meal for 100ff both at lunchtime and in the evening. If, however, you feel the need to eat in complete luxury, there's also a four star hotel and restaurant less then 100m away. There are plenty of walks in the area to aid digestion - if you are staying at the hotel, they'll lend you a mountain bike and EuroDisney is only 25km if you have restless children with you ( a taxi to the train station will cost you about 250ff).

Runway 12/30 100 x 18m
Fuel available
Aeroclub de Chaubuisson tel. 0033 1 64 25 18 00

Vicq-Sur-Nahon
vicq sur nahon

Get back to something a little simpler at Vicq-Sur-Nahon. Situated 100 miles or so south south west of Paris, between the towns of Romorantin and Châteauroux, it's in a Departement which is rich in historical monuments; in particular, the Château de Valençay is just 6km to the north. You'll have to have a good gaze at the map before you get there, because the airfield is situated under airspace. It's not particularly easy to spot, but once you arrive you'll find three grass runways, the longest and best being 33/15 at 684m (although if you're landing northwards you'll find trees and hangars just short of the threshold, so it's best to land long). Helmut Moskowicz, who runs the field, also has a microlight school on site, so why not give that a go too? Helmut has also introduced four gites for tired pilots, and his Thai wife is a great exponent of her native cuisine.

Vittel - LFSZ
vittel

Just minutes away from the IFR airfield of Epinal-Mirecourt, this grass (more correctly lawn) airfield couldn't be closer to local amenities. Two golf courses and a horse racing track form part of the same facility, and the centre of the town is just a 15 minute walk away. A local hotel takes care of 100LL fuel and can be found just 100m away from the runway, while a mere 300m away you'll find a superb four star establishment. In town you'll find the imposing thermal station built in 1854. Vittel is, of course, famous for its mineral water and if you feel like pampering yourself while in town, there are relaxing 'water treatments' available from 230ff. Or if you prefer something a little more active, Club Med have a facility there too.

Runway 14/32 1200 x 75m
Hotel L'Oree du Bois (fuel) tel. 0033 3 29 08 88 88
Establissement Thermal Vittel tel. 0033 3 29 08 76 54

La Chassagne

Situated close to autoroute A38, the Chateau de la Chassagne is a fine building dating from the start of the 19th century, recently renovated as a hotel. It's on the 282 radial from Dijon and is easy to spot because of its white facade. North of the buildings, in a break in the trees, you'll find the runway. Of course, you'll have phoned beforehand and all you have to do is make a call on 123.00 ten minutes before the overhead. Once you've landed on the lawn of a runway, watching out for the trees, you'll be met by a Rolls and a bottle of local produce. Now the catch. The approach is tricky, the hotel is select (only hotel clientele can land there) and, in addition, Monsieur Bach - the aeroplane and chateaux loving head honcho - sets a minimum of 250 hours as P1 for any pilot intending to visit his private paradise. Menus start at 145ff, rooms from around 590ff to 1,650ff.

Gap-Tallard - LFNA
For weather and a mixture of scenery Gap-Tallard is hard to beat, with great VFR weather for over 300 days a year. Situated in the southern Alps with a distinct lack of airspace restrictions (apart from R86) you'll find everything from large valleys, mountains, volcanic cliffs, green water canyons, blue lakes and plateaus where lavender is grown. In 1996 there were 70,000 movements, justifying an AFIS service on 119.1. Once on the ground there's a chateaux well worth visiting in Tallard - a good fifteen minutes walk away; but if want to visit Gap, a taxi would be a better option. Needless to say once in one of the towns it won't be difficult to find a decent restaurant!

Vendée Air Park
vendee

Situated (spookily enough) on the Vendée coast, this village is Europe's only 'aviation village'. The idea is simple - are you listening, British Government? - if you want to, you can live with your aeroplane in the garage. The airfield is particularly conspicuous; the runways (one hard; one grass) are alongside the village and are parallel. Circuits are to the south and the joining procedure avoids nearby villages. Watch out for the trees on short finals, and beware turbulence on the approach when the wind is ten knots or more. Although only two years old, the site is maturing nicely with tennis courts, a swimming pool and many houses. If you can't afford your own dream house for 5 million francs, then you can rent an apartment by the day/week/month. Phone the day before and you should be able to reserve a car or bikes to explore the region - there's lots to see.

Runways 04/22 850 x 12m hard; 700 x 30m grass
100LL available
Airfield tel. 0033 2 51 20 70 90

Marseille-Provence - LFML

You may well wonder what a large busy international airport is doing in a guide to VFR destinations. Marseille is a GA gem of big airports - in much the same way as they manage to in the US, the controllers seem to have no difficulty in slotting in PA-28s with 747s. If your aeroplane weighs less than 1.5 tonnes you'll find the landing fee a very reasonable 77ff - try that at Gatwick, Bristol, Bournemouth, Manchester and so on. Pilots have their own GA terminal including a flight briefing room with a Met terminal and a facility for filing flight plans. There's plenty to do in Marseille and plenty of public transport from the airport. If you're in the region for a meal, the local fish soup 'Bouillabaisse' is a speciality.

Runways 14/32 3500 x 45m and 2370 x 45m (you should be able to get in with a C172 ...)
Fuel available
Airport tel. 0033 4 42 14 25 00