johnh wrote:
It’s 46 nm, not even a cross country by FAA standards.
It is a cross country by FAA standards under 61.1 Cross Country Time (i), but does not meet the 50 NM requirement required for the private pilot rating. So if you don’t use the time towards a rating, in the US, you can count it as cross country because it is in an airplane and you land at an airport other than the departure airport. :)
Its not a usual thing for a club to have a rule such as no Skydemon or more likely no SDVFR.
Most checkrides here, if you are talking about about thr SEP revalidation by experience usually start with a discussion about what the pilot being checked would find most useful.
But all clubs are different and make their own rules. Some here have SDVFR because of speed of planning etc, others really enjoy the paper chart and map. Each to his own.
As to multiple frequency changes. I would advise anyone flying VFR in France to buy the VFR guide for planning.
There are a number of occasions when you will use one SIV frequency going and a different one on return. One of these is LFEY. Off the top of my head going the SIV frequency is 132.xxx whilst coming back they will give you a IIRC 120.xxx frequency. If you don’t know this and you think your radios are preset you can find yourself asking “what did he say?”
Sorry I can’t.be more exact as at the moment I am on my way back from Egypt. Sadly not GA. And even sadder is that you can’t get Euroga on their wifi systems. Have no clue why but have just gone 2 weeks without my daily fix🙂
How realistic are checkrides which do not allow every day operation?
Not very realistic at all. But both aeroclubs I’ve dealt with here insist on it and won’t allow an iPad in the cockpit for training flights. I don’t care much, as Snoopy says it’s a useful skill and quite fun to do. I’ve loved maps since I was 4 years old, one reason I enjoy flying so much.
As far as actual navigation is concerned, it’s not that big a deal. The problem is figuring out where you are with respect to complex airspace that changes literally every few minutes.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
What?How realistic are checkrides which do not allow every day operation?
Totally agree – I could fly in my neighborhood without the ipad, but on a long cross country, I’d just stay at about 900ft and turn off my transponder!
johnh wrote:
this was checkride prep, meaning no iPad, no SDVFR, no GPS.
What?
How realistic are checkrides which do not allow every day operation?
To make it more fun, this was checkride prep, meaning no iPad, no SDVFR, no GPS.
It doesn’t hurt to be able to find one’s way without an iPad, however I wonder if such rules are really necessary?
@skydriller Yes I was flying with the Aeroclub – a very good one by the way. I did look into getting permission to land there. It looks hard, lots and lots of questions and documents needed. I’m told it is possible. There are a handful of based aircraft. It’s also a very challenging field, since there are tall trees just off the approach end of 25, the usual runway. There is just 1500’ feet of usable runway and you get to count the leaves on the trees on short final.
The heli museum is good and definitely worth a visit. If you COULD land there, I think you would have to walk about 1.5 km round the outside of the field to get there.
One problem with this area is that there is really nowhere to fly to. Biarritz is possible but expensive (€40/night I think). Dax is essentially impossible. There’s Rion des Landes but (a) it’s in the middle of nowhere and (b) right now it’s open to based aircraft only, apparently because the grass runway is under constant attack by boars (a huge problem in rural France).
@johnh
Dax is a restricted use half mil/civvy airfield, are you with the club there? If so, can you tell me how easy it is to get permission to fly in? Also what entry/exit to the airside is like? I fancy visiting the helicopter museum there sometime, what better way than to fly in.
Regards, SD..
johnh wrote:
All in all a very enjoyable flight, but a good illustration of why VFR flight in France is challenging.
Post skill test you’ll just use SkyDemon to find the frequency. And as you have found, when in doubt just call the frequency you think is right and they’ll give you the right one if you’re not.
Well done, excellent experience.
It’s those kind of flights that separate many of us.
Some are bold, go for it and it all works out.
When it doesn’t they don’t get stressed and find a way. Eventually ending up in a bar somewhere, and don’t give it another thought.
Others (more like me) hate the uncertainty and do get a little stressed when unable to clearly get a clearance, or are left airborne, struggling for a usable frequency.
It’s not usually that bad but it does happen.
