Airports and airfields
General
France has a large number of airports and airfields. Most of
them (more than 400) are open to public aviation, and most of
them are state owned. If you fly an ULM, your choice is even greater,
since you may land and takeoff almost everywhere provided you
have the land's owner agreement and you endanger noone. Beside,
a large number of ULM platforms are specific and not usable by
planes. On the other hand, many plane airports are forbidden to
ULM. Similar restrictions apply for Gliders, Helicopter... Check
your airports guide.
Since the begining of January 2004, the SIA, in charge of publishing the official
aeronautical information for France has made the whole AIP, including
the airports charts available on its web page. Their page is available
in English. An other way to get information about airfields is
to use Nav3000.free.fr,
a website where information is provided by pilots and therefore
should be checked. Nav3000.free.fr airfields cards include a direct link to the corresponding SIA-AIP airfield chart, when available. Many airports
cards also include real pictures of the airfield as well as maps of what is around. The site is available in English.
You will get information such as taxes prices, availability of
gas, of a restaurant on the airfield... An other interesting feature, especially for you foreign pilots, is that you can tell this site where you want to go (any place, not only an airfield) and it'll find out the nearest airfields where you can land.
If you fly a plane, you cannot land and takeoff outside an
official and authorized airfield. (Obviously, this is not true
any more in case of an emergency.) If the airfield is privately
owned, you must have the owner agreement before you use it, and
if it is restricted, you may have to request an authorization
by the local DAC (Direction de l'aviation civile, our CAAor FAA),
before you may use it. The phone number to call in this case is
indicated on the airfield chart, and the need to get a prior authorisation
also.
On some airports, theorically open to general aviation, light
aircrafts are not welcome at all. If they're issued a clearance
to land there, taxes are so high that you regret your landing
as soon as you see the bill. This is true for exemple in Nice
(LFMN) airport. Light aircrafts should consider landing rather
at the nearby Cannes (LFMD) airport, run by the same operator.
Same thing in Lyon, where we're supposed to use Lyon-Bron instead
of Lyon St Exupéry. Orly and Roissy are, as far as I know
out of reach even for IFR flights unless you sent a PPR several
days before. If you really want to land near Paris, use le Bourget,
if you fly IFR. Otherwise, the closest airport for VFR flights
is Toussus le Noble, SW of Paris. But like from other general
aviation APT around Paris, it is almost impossible to go to the
center of Paris from Toussus using public transport. An other
solution could be to choose Beauvais, where Easy Jet has its Paris
destination airport, and therefore linked to Paris by bus shuttles.
(1 hour trip)
Generally, unlike what happens in
other countries, especially in the USA, light aircrafts and heavy
iron don't mix each other. More and more "large" airports
are becoming difficult to use when you fly a small plane, and
you are not welcome there. Fortunately, we still have many little
airfields. But this might be a problem for a non French speaking
pilot, unable to use most of these little airfields.
Pattern
Unless stated otherwise on the airfield chart, pattern elevation
for planes is usually 1000 ft AAL. When you're heading toward
an uncontrolled airfield, you are supposed to fly overhead the
airfield, 500 ft ABOVE the pattern, 1500ft AAL. Then, after checking
the windsock and the QFU, and being very cautious of course, you
may enter the downwind leg.
Radio
This is a very important problem if you don't speak French,
because it will prevent you from using many airports. Viewed from the radio point of view, we have 3 categories of airfields or strips:
- controlled airfields: on the main airports or each time a controlled airspace (A to E)
is associated (TWR, APP), English is possible on the radio. Beware of working hours, many of them are not towered H24
- uncontrolled but towered airports (AFIS) where
very often French only is spoken
- untowered
airports where pilots report their positions making blind calls; and eventually airports
where no radio at all is requested
Some airports have their own frequencies
(ATIS, TWR, AFIS, APP), others have no frequency. If radio is
however to be used to land or take off on these platforms, you
must then use 123.5, a kind of unicom frequency. Don't forget
to begin your message with the name of the airport you're going
to use, because others nearby airports may use the same frequency, with pilots searching where this damned pilot announcing "turning
base" may be. Of course, French only is allowed on this frequency,
as in many airports.It is always written on the airport chart.
Do not even try to go to such an airfield unless your french
is very good. This could be lethal. To know more about radioing
in French, see the R/T page.
TWR - AFIS
You should be aware of the difference between TWR and AFIS
frequencies. TWR means that the airport is within controlled airspace.
You'll be speaking to an ATC who will issue clearances. You'll
have to comply of course. Good news is that in France, all ATC
speak English (they have to) and you'll be able to radio without
any problem.
AFIS is a completely different matter. AFIS agents are not
ATC. First of all, they don't issue clearance, nor do they give
orders. They just provide traffic information as far as the AD
vicinity is concerned. You don't request anything from them. You
just let them know what you're doing so that they can inform other
pilots. For exemple with a TWR you would call :
- Bron Tower, F-GCQN on apron Bravo with Delta information, VFR
flight to Strasbourg request taxi instructions.
and then, wait for the clearance. With an AFIS, your call would
rather be something like:
- Roanne info, F-GCQN on apron Bravo, going to Strasbourg VFR.
Taxiing to holding point 02.
AFIS agents didn't get the same teaching as ATC. Many (most)
of them don't speak English. They are usually hired by the airport
manager, but not by the DGAC like real ATC. Of course, they got
an agreement to be allowed to do the job, but the level is not
the same as a real ATC.
Eventually, airports you can use according to regulations if
you don't speak French are those where r/t in English is possible
(controlled airports), and those where radio is not obligatory.
Always check the charts, but there are probably more airports
than you believe.
Altiports and Altisurfaces
 In France, we also have altiports. To
land there, you must have a "mountain"rating. (click here for details)This French rating
is really useful to land on such platforms and you should really
not even consider landing on an altiport if you're not used to,
trained to and proficient. Why?
Altiports are located at VERY high elevations (4500 ft - 8000
ft), where aircrafts don't behave as they do at altitude you're
used to when you're near the ground. Moreover, Altiports have
steep slopes, and are used one way to land, the other to take
off. (Going up to land, going down to takeoff). These very particular
techniques MUST be learnt. The pattern is not rectangular but
rather like a drop of water shaped. Finally, there are no possible
missed approaches in short final, because the ground climbs quicklier than your aircraft
in these conditions. Altiports are lethal to unknowing pilots.
I would add that getting this "mountain rating" might
precisely be THE opportunity to come and fly in France you were
looking for. You will not only learn to use these platforms, overfly
passes, a lot of technical stuff, but also fly among mountains
topping your cruise altitude. And you will make the greatest and
most beautifull flights you can imagine above snow covered mountains.
In my opinion, a pilot's dream.
Apart from altiports, we also have altisurfaces, grass strips
located at very high altitude like altiports. They are official
and agreed for plane use, provided that the pilot has the mountain
rating. The difference with an altiport is usually the runway,
soft for altisurface often located in wild areas, on top of mountains,
and hard for altiports, near villages or ski resorts : Megeve,
Courchevel, Alpes d'Huez etc...) "Snow" mountain rating
allows you to land on glaciers as well, or on snow-covered altisurfaces
or altiports. I told you, a pilot's dream.
To know
more about this kind of flying, and where to learn it, contact
the Association
Française des pilotes de Montagne. (Association of
French Mountains pilots)
If you want to see what an altiport looks like in summer, (l'Alpe
d'Huez, elev 6100ft) try this.
Gas
Gas is not available everywhere. 100LL is much more common
than Jet A1 on small airfields. Beware the opening hours and days.
This kind of information is written on the APT chart. Usually,
you won't have to order or book your gas prior to your coming,
provided that you come when the station is open. We have very few
(too few) automatic stations open H24. But if you're careful enough,
filling your tanks should not be a problem in France. Beware,
though : in many places where gas is sold by aeroclubs, you won't
be able to use your credit card. Checks in foreign currencies
won't do either. The only way to pay then might be to pay cash.
Prepare yourself to that.
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