Hey All,
Here is another trip report from last summer: flying IFR from Kortrijk to Bordeaux to visit Dassault, and back.
Trip with oxygen on board. I got some light icing.
Link
All reactions welcome.
Meery Christmas!
Niner Mike.
So I suspected that convective cloud + negative temperatures could imply airframe icing
A great report!
“could” is not the word I would use 
But you handled it exactly right. The climb capability up there is not much so a descent to a lower level is the right thing to do. Obviously not possible when above the Alps, etc…
I would give ATC about 30 seconds and if the radio is still busy, set 7700 and just get on with it.
You would have collected ice in any cloud, convective or not, sooner or later. -5C or so is the worst temperature for ice, and the temp inside a cloud is usually about 2-3C lower than in the air just outside it (during the day). So if outside is +1C then you can expect ice inside.
Thanks Peter.
It was my first icing in 450 hours of flying, and the onset was immediate and even loud on the windshield.
By clicking on the pics in my post, you can slightly see the effect of 1 minute in ice.
Great report, and great flights!
“We had trouble refuelling” – Bordeaux is notorious. Once I ended up doing a short hop to Arcachon for refuel, I was back in the air before the ETA of the Bordeaux fuel truck!
I couldn’t put it better than your concluding words. Flying is wonderful.
Thanks Denopa.
On the refueling: nobody showed up, so I walked up to the offices of the handler. There they told me I should phone for fueling, with the phone near the fuel pumps. I didn’t find any phone. After a while somebody showed up who would inform the fuelers. He said he should charge me for handling, but he waived it. Finally the fuel bowser showed up and he helped me out.
You mean paying twice for handling?
A slap in the face of your “first” handler.
I get really aggressive with handling agents who don’t manage to do their job, for example arrange fuel. They will (especially in places like Spain) sometimes say “sorry, there is nothing I can do if the fueller is busy”, but I don’t care and when that happens, ask them for a discount on the handling charge which has worked a couple of times. One of them was at….Bordeaux.
Hi Niner Mike,
Thanks for this great article.
Mérignac is not a GA-friendly airport, but, being invited by Dassault Aviation, you definitely had to land there for pleasure and convenience.
Most flying clubs, including Dassault’s, are based at LFCS (Bordeaux – Léognan – Saucats).
This airfield has an 800m paved runway.
On the refueling: nobody showed up, so I walked up to the offices of the handler. There they told me I should phone for fueling, with the phone near the fuel pumps. I didn’t find any phone. After a while somebody showed up who would inform the fuelers. He said he should charge me for handling, but he waived it. Finally the fuel bowser showed up and he helped me out.
That just describes a scene which could be played out at any airport in France or anywhere south of the Alps. Or even UK or Germany on a bad day. That’s why one contacts the airport before flying there and checks fuel availability and the times when it is available. If one just flies to an airport just because it isn’t “PPR or PNR” one invites these surprises. It’s the way Europe is…
@Bosmantico & Peter: well I had requested Dassault’s ground services to arrange for Avgas, but that didn’t work out, so they sent me last minute to the GA apron and the BP bowser. I didn’t pay any handling at all after all, just a landing fee.
In general, when flying in France, I especially look for airfields with a Total pump as that is often do-it-yourself 24/24 no-headache no-handling. That’s why I like that Total card, but as far as I know it still requires a French bank-account.
@Nestor: yes, no complaints. I was very happy to have been invited by Dassault.
That’s why I like that Total card, but as far as I know it still requires a French bank-account.
No more, thanks to SEPA. This spring, I wrote an article in Pilot & Flugzeug on how to get the card. It is still a quirky process, but can be done. I agree with you, that card is like magic for flying in France!
