Noe wrote:
Aviator, everything went exactly as you mentioned. It seemed prophetic even! Only difference was TSU 072 and not 71!
I am glad it worked out for you. I did the ILS 25R following a POGO from LFPT shortly before and should have known about the 072. There seems to be a slight discrepancy between the INA ODILO plate and what you actually get.
Were you offered DCT EVX or did you ask for it?
I wasn’t offered.
Flight went:
Cleared DPE before departure, then before reaching, DCT LGL L Aigle, and “call you back as soon as possible fore more direct routing”. Before reaching Rouen and not hearing much talk on frequency, asked if they would be the ones starting my arrival (so could ask what I should expect and go VFR if necessary). They said “they were working on it”. Soon after came a descent to 70 and DCT TSU, with handover to Orly departures soon after that.
Advice and a couple of minutes of preparation made all super easy
Next time I think I’ll clear customs at Rouen LFOP though, which is very friendly (especially contoller “Fred”. Last time there was no one else on frequency and we had a friendly chat as she loves white Waltham. Next time, she was training the only other on frequency, talking in English, as she gives the languages courses locally)
If you ask, they can even tell if you customs are there or not, which can really speed up the stop (I still land as I don’t want to have the trouble (and if on an IFR flighplan I think diversion to toussus would be very dodgy, I don’t even put in alternate – beauvais LFOB is a good one)), but I implicitly understood some people don’t.
One thing which concerns me about Rouen, and I have no idea whether it is statistically significant, is that over the years Justine and I planned to go there about 5 times and each time it was fogged in. Eventually I made it last year.
That ATCO – do you mean Alexandra Zainal, who is also involved in Orbifly.com?
I always had it CAVOK :)
I am not sure. Spoke to her 2-3 times on the radio and would usually recognise by voice / she would say something about EGLM (where I used to fly from). I was under the impression she went by “Fred”, and was definitely native French speaker (the name you gave doesn’t sound very french)
Alexandra is deffo French. She is a “famous” cartoonist – do a google.
There is a bit of a “history” there from an old and today largely defunct UK pilot forum, which old-timers might remember 
Fred is a different person. She has, very unfortunately, retired. She used to provide the fastest custom clearance available :-)
