Peter wrote:
what is the cheapest noncorrosive fluid that dissolves frost and ice?
Maybe this?
Which brings this incident of an airliner being de-iced with whiskey to mind.
Flyer59 wrote:
Yes, like to Munich, Salzburg or Innsbruck and then drive.
Funny. Someone asks “which swiss airport should I fly to for skiing?” and the answers all are in France, Austria and Germany, places where you’d mostly be better off by airline. But probably not even a problem of those answering, but indicative of “why is GA in Europe declining”.
I recommended Innsbruck, because it is a pretty short drive to Switzerland.
I need to check out hangarage… unless somebody knows?
Saanen offers hangarage for sure. Lausanne might but it’s quite busy so not sure they have space for transients. Sion can offer hangarage.
I went to Sion in 2004. Really spectacular… many thanks 
If you’re going to Sion I would highly recommend Crans Montana for your skiing. It’s a fantastic skiing area including beginners slopes and only just up the side of the valley from Sion.
Just looked it up – looks great.
BTW I have just heard from a very experienced GA+bizjet pilot that perhaps the only Austrian hard runway which allows overnight parking, and is near ski locations, is Zell am See. When I was there, there were ski lifts everywhere.
I wonder what they do at Innsbruck and Salzburg if the wx closes in. Obviously they cannot make you fly out. Is there is a fine?
No, most will never land there if parking is PPR. That is sufficient to reduce the amount of light GA to (for them) acceptable levels.
You can add Niederöblarn, Hohenems and St. Johann to the list above.
As a general rule, one can say that in the winter period, all IFR airports in or very close to the Alps are subject to huge parking restrictions, whereas the VFR fields are not. But the latter have other problems, i.e. no instrument approaches, little hangarge, unreliable runway clearing and usually no rental cars on site.
Thanks for that info. I was going to look at St Johann after someone mentioned it but it’s obviously useless except as a lunch stop. I think it will be Lausanne or Sion, with Sion looking better.
