I listed better choices above, Ostend is brilliant by the way !
Lille will work on weekdays
Peter wrote:
We did a Zoom tonight but no Fernando
oh no! This forum is too effective! I posted at 4 pm, Zoom call was proposed a few minutes later, and all was done and dusted by 8 pm! 😂
On a serious note, I’m really sorry. I didn’t have a chance to read any responses until now. Do you have a recording? :)
johnh wrote:
For flying VFR in France, I strongly recommend installing SDVFR on a phone or tablet
Thank you John. Downloaded! Dan wrote:
Fernando, don’t overrate flying in France, difficultly wise, or any EU country as a matter of fact.
Dan, that’s reassuring. Thank you!
Ibra wrote:
Hi Fernando, congrats for your new toy, ping if you are coming to Paris or Normandie
Thank you, Ibra. I will. I don’t speak much french, but my partner speaks it natively, so I just need to take her with me :) However, I can’t make it to a 400m grass on a Cirrus.
Zoom next Tuesday 2000 UTC on the topic of this thread.
but my partner speaks it natively
Be careful about that. Talking to ATC etc is not the same as anything else. I speak fluent, almost bilingual French and never have trouble in any normal situation (social, professional) but I still struggle with doing the radio in French. It takes practice and above all knowing exactly what people are likely to say.
All ATC speak English?
Peter wrote:
Zoom next Tuesday 2000 UTC on the topic of this thread.
Fantastic! I’ll be there :)
All ATC speak English?
In Europe, all are required to have ELP4. But of course many don’t – it’s a business with powerful unions, not to mention other reasons 
Fine, ATC can’t speak English on radio and the partner can’t speak French even she is fluent, jeez Fernando is doomed
All ATC speak English?
For sure all professional ATC can be done in English, though sometimes you have to make the same allowances you would like them to make if you use French.
AFIS at smaller places I think in theory can be done in English but other pilots will for sure be speaking French.
Untowered fields are (always I think) French only, but you will only be doing self-announce on the radio and at most of them the chances of there being anyone else active are pretty small.
I’ll leave it to an experienced French pilot (by birth!) to suggest the actual words to use.
