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Nice and friendly GA Airports in the area of Montpellier LFMT / Perpignan LFMP / Beziers LFMU

The funny thing is that the FP is filed with an EOBT, and the CTOT is a takeoff time. Say you file EOBT 1200 and the CTOT is 1210 (as mine was). High change of the FP getting chucked out.

That is a real pita in big airports with complicated taxi, I will let you imagine getting the same in Perpignan and not noticing it (ATC suggested to depart on 13 instead of taxi to 15, the weather was nice), to bring the FPL from death is doable but ATC need to call BNIA, you can start and taxi by CTOT-10min and takeoff between CTOT-5, CTOT+10min

You can get into load of delays before arriving, inside the aircraft or during checks that it’s hard to stay within CTOT+10 but some ATC tolerates it

I avoid flying with passengers or family in these difficult airports, if you are going to get treated like dog better do it alone lot of these are dysfunctional airport not ideal for GA but still cheap with no mandatory handling, I would be happy to fly there and walk around with time to spare, with passengers, I would have picked Cannes or Carcassonne

I think Perpignan is the best place in that corner, especially if you don’t need to see or speak to anyone (automated fuel, own gate digicode, walk yourself to customs if you wish, ATC are relaxed), I have not tried Montpellier but I would likely skip, I hate to send emails or speak to operations in these airports, I may try Beziers one day as it seems better

Last Edited by Ibra at 23 Sep 07:43
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Ibra wrote:

I avoid flying with passengers or family in these difficult airports,

So Montpellier and Perpignan are difficult airports now. Pity. Two more I used to like to fly to off the list. I wonder what is left.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

I would not use Cannes – got much the same as Montpellier, with the fuelling setup. ~3 hours to get fuel, and a resulting horrid journey back due to the delays (another French ATC strike needing a FP re-file with a long VFR section) piling up, and a diversion to Biggin Hill.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

I would not say the same for Cannes, it’s busy for sure and now has IFR slots but there are not that many airports left, AFAIK there are only two fully functional GA airports in France: LeTouquet and Cannes, having said that, I never fuelled in these, in Cannes there is no automated machine and prices are not competitive and in LeTouquet the truck is not reliable and bloody expensive (I use self service machine), so they may defeat “fuel stop purpose” but other than that they are pretty convenient

Ideally one should gets fuel on arrival, even in Shoreham

Last Edited by Ibra at 23 Sep 07:53
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

So Montpellier and Perpignan are difficult airports now. Pity. Two more I used to like to fly to off the list. I wonder what is left.

I think Perpignan is still fine but I would not go to Montpellier after the pirep above, surely not with passengers…

I think counting NOTAMS give you an idea of an airports, Montpellier has 25 (yes it has lot of obstacles, no pun intended) vs 7 in Perpignan

Last Edited by Ibra at 23 Sep 07:59
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

It is (was) the same if you could not speak French, which you can

Cannes did have the self service but not usable for non French speakers. Is it gone?

Absolutely always fuel immediately after landing.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Cannes did have the self service but not usable for non French speakers. Is it gone?

Yes no self service now

Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Sometimes EuroGA pireps reads like the Tripadvisor restaurant review section. You have to take everything with a pinch of salt.

FWIW, I had an international intra-Schengen fuel stop at LFMT on monday. It couldn’t have gone any smoother. Fuel truck came after 5 mins. ATC spoke completely fluent english. The woman at the GA terminal was perfectly pleasant, arranged for fees & fuel on the spot & I had zero issues. Only thing I agree on is the excessive amount of NOTAMs (including 30R being unavailable for light GA at the time) – the 3 day parking PPR is well hidden in there. On the plus side, I got an ACK reply within 5 mins after emailing them & they even gave me the actual parking spot ID, making it easy to preplan the taxi route before arrival.

I was wheels down & up within less than 60 mins. I would go back any time.

Stopped in Cannes too a week ago, and no, I didn’t wait 3 hrs for the fuel truck – the fuel truck came after 2 mins & the fuel guy had completed the refueling before I’d even finished putting the covers on the airplane.

Similarly when I stopped over at Venice Lido a few weeks ago. I read the EuroGA fly-in pirep with Emir’s bad fortune being stuck with the DA42 in the grass during rainy conditions. It gave me serious apprehension going in there. In the end, I decided to go, based on the good weather. I had blue skies & zero issues.

If I had dropped the Lido visit, based on the pirep only, I would have missed one of the greatest GA experiences of Europe. The approach is completely unique & the old Art Deco terminal is a masterpiece. I would go back anytime. (in dry conditions!) Also I followed boscomantico’s great tip on offsetting the touchdown zone to avoid stones/rocks in the centre of the wide grass runway.

Last Edited by Hodja at 23 Sep 11:18

You have to take everything with a pinch of salt.

What this variability tells you is poor organisation. You got lucky, others did too, while others didn’t. Did you deal with the airport, or with a handler? That is a key factor. Did you need your passport done? If not, that is another key factor.

Cannes has evidently changed.

Venice Lido is wx dependent, which is to be expected. Same story with any grass/mud surface.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

You got lucky, others did too, while others didn’t. Did you deal with the airport, or with a handler?

Airport only, no handler.

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