Avioportolano produce an excellent aero-touring guide to Italy. I’m not talking about the formal AIP-Bottlang-Jeppesen stuff (which is readliy available from the usual sources) but local attractions, regional foods, accommodation, restaurants, fuel, taxis, contact details and other more qualitative practical info for touring around.
I was looking forward to Avioportolano’s planned Android version of a guide for Germany in English; however this plan has now been scrapped due to lack of market (so I am told) so I wonder whether there are other software-based guides to German airfields that welcome visitors?
I do have an elderly “Flugplatzfuhrer” which has a small selection of airfields, maybe the German contingent here have other suggestions? Preferably not in printed form as there’s a limit to the weight of paper I like carrying around Europe. Or an online guide?
My German language capability is somewhat limited but maybe this would be an opportunity to improve!
Bluebeard,
just a general remark. There is unfortunately one thing that somewhat restricts touring (and especially airfield-hopping) for foreigners in Germany and that is the fact that most of the smallish and very small GA airfields in Germany are – officially at least – “german only” on the radio.
If you look only at the german/english airfields, the choice is still not bad at all, but not nearly as good as the chart might suggest. Also, the nicest people are normally met at the very small aeroclub airfields…
Now, even at the “german-only” airfields, in most cases, the FISOs (no such thing as air/air-only airfields in Germany) are capable of doing the R/T with you in English, but if you happen to meet the wrong person, he might refuse to communicate in English, or possibly do it and then hand in a report…(that is unlikely, but not impossible).
What you should do instead is call the airfield in advance (which you probably have to do anyway since many of the small airfields are strictly PPR), hope that the person answering the phone speaks sufficient English and ask whether on day xy there could be a FISO on duty who could talk in English.
Anyway, most of the german/english airfields (and even most of the IFR airports) are quite GA friendly, well-organized and the fees are very reaonsable, so even if you restrict yourself to those, there are still lot of good places to go to.
I don’t know if a google translation would help much, but there is an airfield guide (with many pireps and pictures) on http://www.eddh.de/info/landeinfo.html. Another directory can be found at https://www.you-fly.com/airport and http://www.copilotsguide.de/.
Unfortunately, I don’t know of any English touring guides for Germany, but I think you can always ask here for tips, if you want to visit some part of Germany.
Is there any need for radio on small airfields?
Most Sonderlandeplätze are PPR, so you just ask whether English R/T is possible oder fly in a NORDO
German fields must legally have radio- basically handled by a (qualified) human on the ground. Only recently have some exceptions come up, where the radio is handled by some kind of AFIS. For an example, see http://www.flugplatz-alkersleben.de/Fliegen_ohne_Flugleiter.htm
Flying NORDO is AFAIK always illegal in German airspace, though perhaps exemptions may be granted for historical aircraft.
BTW it is not “MOST” Sonderlandeplätze are PPR, it is “ALL”, by definition of a Sonderlandeplatz – or I should have missed something. For the non-German speakers: German aerodromes are either Verkehrslandeplätze – the equivalent of a public aerodrome – or Sonderlandeplätze – a private or restricted field.
Flying NORDO is AFAIK always illegal in German airspace, though perhaps exemptions may be granted for historical aircraft.
No, it’s not. Most airfields have a requirement for radio contact in their AIP data though.
Regarding the difference between Sonderlandeplatz and Verkehrslandeplatz: the latter have mandatory opening hours, changes need to be NOTAMed. The former are not required to have formal opening hours and are not obligated to handle traffic. Usually they do have opening hours on their web page or at least a phone number.
English should not be a problem at 99% of the airfields. Just call ahead and ask, they will be delighted to see somebody other than the usual local traffic pattern population. A phone call is much better than a NORDO approach.
OK Achim, thanks for improving my knowledge and insight.
Out of sheer curiosity, and not as a sign of disbelief: could you name some non-radio fields? I feel they must be very few.
