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Trip advice - Belgium/Flanders and a bit further south

Hej all,

Me and a flying friend is thinking of visiting Belgium during ascension holiday and would love to get some trip advice. We’ll be flying a C172S and are both IR rated, so IFR airports are always nice but not a requirement, as we are planning for blue skies and warm temperatures during our stay ;)

We will have 1-2 days to explore and since we both are into road biking, we are planning to rent two roadbikes for at least one of the days and do biking. Also, since I haven’t been in those areas before, any WW1/WW2 sites to visit is always interesting.

I found Oostende in some other thread as a good GA choice, but any other suggestions are most welcome! Thanks in advance!

Tailwinds!
//Martin

Hello,

EBKT is very closest to the WW1 sites at Ieper (Ypres) and within walking distance of the Red Baron Markebeke (former) airfield.
Here is a great book about WW1 archeology and aerial photography: /
EBKT has an LPV approach, customs and immigration, Avgas and JetA. About 25 minutes from Ieper by car.

Here are some items you may want to look up/visit:
Ypres Salient, Plugstreet, Messines Ridge, Caterpillar Crater, Hill 60, The Bluff, Menin Gate and The Last Post (20:00L every evening)

You can rent road bikes in town (near railway station) and drive along the river to Comines, then along the Ieper-Leie canal crossing the old front lines.

Last Edited by dirkdj at 26 Mar 14:56
EBKT

Thanks @dirkdj – much appreciated!

I fully support Dirks suggestion of EBKT Kortrijk – and I am less biased as I am not based there
Make sure to visit some WW1 graveyards, particularly the German one at Vladslo with a famous sculpture by Kaethe Kollwitz.
A famous British one is Tyne Cot Cemetary, where my godfather worked as a gardener – but it might be quite busy in this year of WW1 remembrance.
And indeed the sounding of the Last Post in Ieper (“Ypres”).

Depending on your condition, and your choice of stay, these might well be within cycling distance. Be careful when planning cycling trips: that region is quite popular with big commercial bike races, many crossing the nearby Kemmelberg hill, they might quite spoil your leisure.

While in Belgium you should also get a taste of the Ardennes region, hilly and wooded, quite different from the flat and open North. EBSH Saint Hubert might work well for you, or EBSP Spa. Both are however VFR only.

EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

I would also suggest EBKT for visiting Ypres. There are no bikes or cars for rent at the airport but you can easily take public transport to the city of Kortrijk where you will find everything you need (bikes, cars, train,…) to get to Ypres.

If you would go to Ostend I would recommend visiting Bruges (public transport from EBOS to Ostend train station and short hop by train to Bruges). A beautiful old town, world heritage and also called ‘Venice of the north’. Ostend may have higher landing fees than EBKT.

If you want something WW2, then you could land at the small and deserted airfield of St Omer in France (LFQN) and visit the ‘La Coupole’ bunker, which is a 30-40min walk from the airfield. It was a former V1/V2 bunker. LFQN is a short hop from EBKT and EBOS (+-30mins).

If you are looking for thriving GA airfields in Belgium with low landing fees I can also recommend Genk (EBZW), Namur (EBNM), Spa (EBSP) and Saint-Hubert (EBSU).

EBOS, EBAW, EBCI, EBLG have rather high landing fees but do provide IFR approaches and more extensive infrastructure to get around in the area.

If you need more information just ask!

EBKT, Belgium

I am once again thoroughly disappointed in this forum for not getting the slightest bit of reply, let alone appreciation, for my well-meant recommendations. And perhaps I am not the only one.

Last Edited by at 29 Mar 17:18
EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

Jan_Olieslagers wrote:

I am once again thoroughly disappointed in this forum for not getting the slightest bit of reply

Jan, Is this one any good ? …..

Fly to Namur-Suarlee airfield EBNM, hire a car and drive south 34km to Namur.

Next morning get the train from Anseremme to Houyet, once there hire a canoe and spend the next 5 hours Kayaking back to Anseramme, stopping and having a few beers on the way down.

Great place to take the kids

https://www.dinant-evasion.be/en/lesse-kayaks.html

Thanks, 4L. That said

  • 34 km South from EBNM will not get one to Namur (which is only a dusty sleepy provincial village anyway) even if I were allowed to land there but that might perhaps change soon now, as they are going to get an LSA production facility and even a hard runway. In fact 34 km due South of EBNM gets one closer to the very nice ULM field of EBML Maillen – very fair lady behind the bar, too, but she’s much in demand, understandably. Serving the bar, don’t mistake me.
  • the kayak descent down the Lesse is indeed commendable, did that for team building a year or-two-or-three ago… and it tolerates poor weather than this VFR flying hobby.

All that doesn’t change anything to the curious silence regarding the root of the present thread’s matter, though.

Last Edited by at 29 Mar 18:37
EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

Jan_Olieslagers wrote:

34 km South from EBNM will not get one to Namur

Sorry Jan, …. 34kn south of Namer EBNM is Dinant

Here is a vid of the Lesse (not me!) if anyone is interested



I am once again thoroughly disappointed in this forum for not getting the slightest bit of reply, let alone appreciation, for my well-meant recommendations. And perhaps I am not the only one.

What does it have with forum? It’s not the forum who gives credits and appreciations – people do that. BTW I like to help if I’m able to and don’t expect thanks or anything in exchange. But obviously people are different.

LDZA LDVA, Croatia
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