In reality, hangarage in Switzerland is difficult to find and where it exists it is expensive. I’ve been on the waiting list at 2 airfields around ZRH for 5 years now and there is no chance at all, despite new hangars being built on one of them.
We pay CHF 344.-/month in ZRH for outside parking, hangars are actually available but in the CHF 1200-1500.-/month range. However, in ZRH I pay parking only if I am there, that means for the last 3 months when the airplane was in the upgrade, I did not pay anything. For Lausanne, if outside parking is 350 per month I find this very steep, equally 500 for hangarage. I recall prices of around 130.-/month outside and 350.- inside at the GA fields around here, IF you can find a vacant space.
The trouble with most airfields in Switzerland is that they are private property of the operating clubs. That means, you have to be a member and pay sometimes hefty yearly fees only to be allowed to operate there as a based operator. In some cases this leads to the absurd situation that considering all membership fees e.t.c. it may be more expensive to operate from some of these airfields than from Zurich, landing fees and handling nonwithstanding! There is usually no problem for visiting airplanes, but basing and hangaring airplanes is often quite difficult. On top, most of these places are VFR only, most do not have night or unrestricted customs (including non-schengen).
Lausanne was a mighty breath of fresh air to see, that is quite unique to have an airport like that at any Swiss city.It is also a pretty nice area to live in. I can well imagine the noise problems they have with the buildings so close by it, hopefully they will prevail though, they definitly have been there longer than most of the building which has been going on.
The restaurant was great quality too, if a bit pricy. Funnily, the ice cream menu was cheap in comparison to the rest.I would not say that these prices were normal for Switzerland (don’t know Lausanne too well but also there I would expect more economical places to exist), around ZRH I know a few good places where you can get a meal for around 20.- including a drink, which I’d regard as normal in Switzerland if you don’t go to the top class places. Airport restaurants, I recall Wangen Lachen to be quite good and not too expensive, Birrfeld neither and I think Langenthal was ok as well. Very nice but about in the range of the Lausanne place is the restaurant at Bressaucourt (LSZQ).
Mt Blanc attempt #2
RAW (DNG) – Photoshop CS3 – crop – Topaz de-noise
I think it needs to be whiter…
Surprising how much snow there was on level ground, with relatively little on the mountains
This is a feature of this years winter. We had weeks of low stratus with low temperatures at low terrain, but sunshine and quite warm temperatures above. So I guess that’s the reason why this winter there was little snow on the mountains, but quite a lot on low terrain.
I recall prices of around 130.-/month
When and where was that? Last millenium? From what I’ve seen, roughly 500CHF/month is pretty standard for a 10m wingspan plane.
That means, you have to be a member and pay sometimes hefty yearly fees only to be allowed to operate there as a based operator.
Well yes, but once you start to consider hangarage for a 10m wingspan plane this mostly vanishes in the noise. I’m a member of a few clubs, and I pay between 150 and 500 CHF annually for membership.
In some cases this leads to the absurd situation that considering all membership fees e.t.c. it may be more expensive to operate from some of these airfields than from Zurich, landing fees and handling nonwithstanding!
Which cases? Your case?
It might indeed be the case for the pathological use case of an aircraft that virtually never flies and is parked in Zürich in open air, because outside parking in Zürich is indeed surprisingly cheap. But once you start to actually fly, landing, approach, whatnot fees in Zürich quickly exceed any club membership fees. Club membership is never really more than about 5 landings in Zürich.
Great pics!
Looks like you had a really good time – it’s always nice to put faces to names.
My dream Swiss fly-in would be to Berne, then walk into town along the Aare, stopping for a dip at the Marzilibad.
Food? Has to be rösti mit geschätzlets! Mmmm! Lecker! 
When and where was that? Last millenium?
LSZK, last time I asked was about 2 years ago. Not that there is space available. Nor would I probably go there.
I’m a member of a few clubs, and I pay between 150 and 500 CHF annually for membership.
The one which offered me parking cost 500.- per pilot who wants to fly. Additionally, they limit the number of pilots flying with your plane to 4.
But once you start to actually fly, landing, approach, whatnot fees in Zürich quickly exceed any club membership fees. Club membership is never really more than about 5 landings in Zürich.
I had a word with the others who fly my plane and we came to the conclusion that the place in question was indeed more expensive or at least not sufficiently more economical to make the move worthwile. Parking there was approximately the same as in ZRH.
- They had a 500.- per pilot and year membership requirement.
- They ask a landing fee of 30.- per landing
- They ask 30.- per movement for international flights (Schengen area only). (so a flight from/to Schengen would amount to 90.- in total, pretty much the same as here in ZRH)
- They only allow 4 pilots to fly, which means some of the people who fly my plane would have had to stop. That alone was a showstopper.
If you deduct the prices for landing and customs from the ZRH taxes you end up with a difference of between 20 and 30 Francs per landing. If you divide the accumulated membership fees (2000.- for 4 pilots) you end up with quite a few movements before it becomes really significantly cheaper. Ok, there is the handling fees but even then.
These things are not as straightforward as they seem. Of course if the powers that are get their way here and landing fees go up to 200-300 francs as a minimum, then the situation changes, but so far the FOCA and other regulators have stopped them from doing that.
LSZK, last time I asked was about 2 years ago. Not that there is space available. Nor would I probably go there.
I don’t know who told you that, but apparently that guy got it totally wrong. Ok if you whack off the fuselage of your mooney, then the hangarage fee would be 170 CHF/m 
The hangarage fee would be length * wingspan CHF/m^2 + 170 CHF per month. Outside parking would be 140.40 CHF/month. Check the price list (and no it hasn’t changed during the last 2 years).
They ask a landing fee of 30.- per landing
No idea where you got that from, the official price list is here
They ask 30.- per movement for international flights
Not for based planes. Again, check the price list.
That alone was a showstopper.
Well yes if you want to operate a charter business, that won’t be possible at LSZK. I personally wouldn’t want to do that, as charter operations break even at best, but most of the time generate a loss, so that’s not much of a limitation for me.
I know you’re working for the met office, and meteorology is a rather imprecise science, believe me, accounting is different. So if you want to come to the right conclusions, you should take a look at actual price lists and use the correct numbers.
Wait a minute, you are mixing two issues here.
LSZK was the place where I remember 130.-/month outside (it has apparently risen to 140 now). As they have the restriction in place of 4 pilots and a grass runway which is not usable for most of winter (or if, leaves the plane in a horrendous mess) we did not follow up on that. By now they don’t have any spaces available I know of anyway. Also, i find their membership fee of 500.- quite steep, particularly if it is per pilot.
We checked some others in the vicinity, would have to look up where what was, but those were the figures we were given at the time. That and also they had the same restrictions. I am still on 2 waiting lists at suitable aerodromes around ZRH, but I will not go anywhere where my ownership rights are disputed AND where costs are not massively under what we pay now. Then I’d rather stay here, where I have 06-22 operation, IFR, Night, Customs and Immigration.
The point is not so much the cost, but the fact that you are heavily restricted in the usage of traffic infrastructure by the private clubs who own those places. It is not that you have the choice in operating from public airports, as they are very few and far between. The smaller airfields are all owned by clubs who will protect their own business and therefore restrict the airplane owners
I think that is the huge difference between flying in Europe and the US. Most cities and larger villages in the US have public airports, not clubs who decide if you are welcome or not and under what conditions. Sure, there are private fields too, but the choice is much larger.
Realistically, for me there are 2 airports other than ZRH which are useable, Bern or Altenrhein. Both are in the same price range than ZRH and both are over 1 hour driving time away. Actually, there is a 3rd, Donaueschingen, which may well be a variant if ZRH finds a way to get rid of us. Closer to where I live, VERY much cheaper, and no need for intra-EU customs. Yet, it’s also 1 hour or more to drive away.
A situation where you have a public airport like Lausanne directly in the city is really nice, even if it is only a VFR field.
Then I’d rather stay here, where I have 06-22 operation
ROTFL
With a restrictive slot regime that made MFGZ cancel their lunch flights, with additional handling costs of up to 170 CHF after 19:40LT for the escort from parking to GAT
But I’m glad there still are a few GA holdouts at LSZH
My dream Swiss fly-in would be to Berne, then walk into town along the Aare, stopping for a dip at the Marzilibad.
My dream Swiss fly-in would be to Ulrichen (which is not actually an airport now). I’d unload my motorcycle from the Cessna Caravan and ride across Furka pass to Andermatt for accommodations. The shopping wouldn’t be so good but the flying and ride would be fun. Mostly I’d just like to say I’d done it!
Some planes have a mod kit for ski carriage.
The TB20 has a large access panel in the back of the luggage compartment, and it would be easy to develop something. It would need to be done properly to ensure that the control linkages are not obstructed. However there would have to be a means of accessing that cavity afterwards, e.g. to access the pitch and pitch trim servos
