TJ wrote:
Go in August, when most Parisians are on the beach. Makes for a much better experience of Paris.
Wrong. I lived there for eight years and August is horrid. Only tourists, many traditional French places closed, especially during the first half (after the 15th or the weekend following it, the city slowly creeps back to life)
172driver wrote:
Wrong. I lived there for eight years and August is horrid. Only tourists, many traditional French places closed, especially during the first half (after the 15th or the weekend following it, the city slowly creeps back to life)
Horrid ?
I (>20 years residence) think August in Paris is very nice, although it is true that all the best places are usually shut .
TJ wrote:
Nestor wrote:
You’re very right, OTOH if we Parisians are on vacation (I go away the whole month of August), we won’t be able to assist with logistics.
Agreed, and from what I read of the Carcassonne fly-in, your assistance was highly valued. The point I was making was that simply from a tourist standpoint, less crowded is better than more crowded. Your suggestion of the weekend 23/24 July is a good one – a less crowded Paris and you will be around to help with the logistics. Having missed out on the Carcassonne trip due to a grounded plane, I hope to make this o
Its too late to explain. You stepped into it and now have a few peoples feelings (pride) are (is) hurt. 
Compared to Carcassonne or Brac, Paris is a pretty big place. If we want a fly-in to the Paris area, I would suggest to make it a little more specific.
The first thing we should agree upon is what airport we should choose. Lognes is the only GA field around Paris with customs&immigration. It is located to the east. Toussus and Pontoise are located S-W and N-W respectively. Much closer to Nestor and myself
Next we should choose an area around which to regroup so that we do not end up on totally opposite ends of Paris. It does not even need to be inside Paris as long as there is convenient and rapid transportation into Paris, and good accommodation. Hotels outside the city will give better bang for the bucks.
Based on that center of gravity, we can select the venue(s) for dinner/lunch/drinks.
Aviathor wrote:
The first thing we should agree upon is what airport we should choose. Lognes is the only GA field around Paris with customs&immigration. It is located to the east. Toussus and Pontoise are located S-W and N-W respectively. Much closer to Nestor and myself
If it can help, to my knowledge, Pontoise (LFPT) also has customs (at least they’re mentioned in the VAC with a phone number to call), and IFR approaches are possible.
Aolean wrote:
If it can help, to my knowledge, Pontoise (LFPT) also has customs
It says:
- FLIGHT WITHIN SCHENGEN AND UE: authorized under conditions of franchises (funds and merchandises), refer to: ww
- FLIGHT OUTSIDE SCHENGEN AND UE (UK, Ireland, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia): prohibited
So customs yes, immigration no.
Airports being looked at are Pontoise, Toussus and Melun.
All of them have Customs but no Immigration. Some also close on some days when they become FR-only.
Lognes has Customs and Immigration but is VFR-only.
Also a decision needs to be made on where to meet-up, and where people will want to stay. Hotels in the centre are currently c. €130/night but you get a double room for that
Any views?
Some more information on Paris GA airfields here
Lognes is may favourite, unless I do need to fly at night or under IFR, and then either I take the train, or land at Toussus.
About Pontoise: Customs is available but from the UK you don’t need it (as long as the UK is still part of the UE …). What you need is immigration, because you are not in the Schengen Area. And there is no immigration at Pontoise.
[URL fixed]
Another factor is parking.
We don’t want a repeat of Carcassonne. I reckon a load of people cancelled when it became apparent they would have to be pushed onto the grass, and I can’t blame them because it takes at least 3 people to pull a 4-seater SEP off rough grass.
We might get 20-30 planes.
The airport “policy” on parking is important. For example La Rochelle has a huge apron but they keep it reserved for bizjets, even if there aren’t any coming. GA has to park on grass. Once I saw a friend’s Twin Comanche on the grass, and back then the grass area was at the far end and full of rocks. Consequently I would not recommend a fly-in to La Rochelle
On non ATS days, Toussus is forbidden to non based aircrafts. Non ATS days are not predictible: the information for the month is made available at the beginning of that month. You can get a special permission for a non ATS day, but certainly not for a fly-in. You can try to give them a call to check for a specific day in the future where they would know they provide the service.
