PART 1 :
This is the story of a good flying weekend, gone wrong then good again!
In short: a hiking fly-in was planned from May 4 to May 7 in LECD, on the Spanish Side of the Pyrenees. This field proved to be perfectly suited for the task and everyone involved was eager to get there. But weather decided to get bad over the pyrenes and Southern France. So, on May 3, we looked for another destination because we all had our days off and planes ready! To meet everyone’s need and VFR weather, we chose La Rochelle LFBH. Most flew in on May 4 but I delayed to May 5. As I was off until May 8, I thought I would make a flight trip until May 7 or 8, with nothing planned ahead.
May 5: here we are, preflight is done. I ask the club for a tie down kit (which I won’t need) and a sun shield (which will be of great use). I add a ridiculous 24 liters in the 182L tank of my 172, but it was just to know precisely how much I had, for further planning. Then I take off to LFBH, a 230nm straight line. And I have to say, it was the very first time I got bored in a cockpit:
Fortunately I had a good tailwind that gave me an average of 115kts.
Runway 09 was in use at LFBH, which flying the coast southbound and turn just before the Ile de Ré. What a scenic approach for a stranger!
I was a bit worried that La Rochelle apron would be full, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, on a Bank holiday. It was not, which was good for me, but got me even more worried about the state of GA in Europe.
The Elixir protoype running. They are based in La Rochelle. I met them a AERO 2 weeks ago !
My forum mates had told me about a coded gate that allows GA pilots to avoid the main terminal. It didn’t work for me but a kind security guard let me out. Then a Irish (?) guy noticed my EuroGA t-shirt and asked me if a fly-in was happening. I was happy to invite him to join us !
We then had a great time and a good diner together with StevenR, Rob2701, Jojo, Jean, Peter and the other Patrick (private joke).
Lesson learned :
Part 2 to come soon
@Jujupilote It‘s interesting that you get bored alone in the cockpit, that‘s something I never felt although flying together with someone ist much mure fun, then flying alone.
Instead of the hiking fly-in we have choosen the complete oposite direction, going east and north, here is my short write up.
PART 2 :
May 6 : We spent the morning to further visit La Rochelle, which to me looks like 50% Saint Malo and 50% Arcachon. I don’t know what you guys think ? Several places are worth the visit but I had little time left (the Cathedral is the only one I saw well and it is worth a walk inside). It is just in front of the main bus station.
We then discovered with Jean that no bus goes to the Airport on Sundays (one every 20mins on weekdays, one every 30 on Saturdays). A king bus driver took us the harbor and told us the way to go. We took about an hour from the city centre to the apron. The coded gate worked and we got to our respective aircraft. When the fuel guys are missing, a form allows filling your details so that the fee is sent, with no added charge.
I took off to a grass airfield called Couhe Verac LFDV, located south of Poitiers. There I discovered a Mecca of Flying Freedom, a flying club unchanged from the good times. People spent their Sunday afternoon at the club, with wives and kids, just chatting and watching airplanes and UL flying around. Airfield is self-managed (but helped by the local council). They have 100LL and 91UL, really cheap because it comes from Warter in drums.
A friend of mine is based there. And he is no joker. He has (and flies) a Broussard !!! it is a French observation STOLplane, between the Bird-Dog and the Bronco. It has roughly the same engine than the T6.
And he took me on a ride ! Along with a friend of his and his grand-son, we enjoyed this piece of flying history for about 20 mins ! Maximum altitude was maybe, 700ft AGL
Amazing experience nonetheless ! But then it was time to find somehere to spend the night. Some family members were waiting for me in Aurillac LFLW, but weather was getting convective so I canceled and looked for somewhere to stay for the night, not too much in the hills where TS were forming. So I thought Chateauroux LFLX would be a good idea. I knew from previous study that restaurants and hotels are nearby, they have a TOTAL pump (my tanks were getting below my comfort zone). So there I went, making a full stop and taxi back in Argenton LFEG just for fun on the way.
LFLX is a former NATO air force base, one of the few that kept all its runway for airline maintenance and training. No parking nor landing fee below 2 tons. The TWR was replaced by an AFIS, who sent me to a marshaller.
Parked the plane beside an abandoned 747, got to the desk, who recommended me one of the hotels and gave me their number. Called them while on my way on foot. It was a 25 minute walk with my bags, my second hike of the day ! Several restaurants nearby, including one well known called L’Escale. I was not disappointed ! Back to the hotel and quickly asleep.
It’s amazing how tiring flying can be, even with no pressure, no bad weather, just while enjoying our freedom to fly ! Do you feel the same ?
PART 3 (the last) to come
eddsPeter wrote:
that‘s something I never felt although flying together with someone ist much mure fun, then flying alone.
I did get bored once. 1,5 hours over the North Sea in a TB20 between Aberdeen and Bergen. Nothing to look at — not even an oil rig on my route. No radio communications to speak of except a change of frequency between Scottish and Oslo.
Nice report, Jujupilote
Flying alone can be pretty boring and I much prefer to fly with someone else, but more often than not one cannot find a passenger who has the time, etc. Years ago, I had a long list of people (20+) who said “let me know next time you fly somewhere” and I would do that, and for each person one has to wait some hours to hear back, usually the answer was No due to doing something, and in the end I stopped doing it. And if you are in a relationship (which you value) then some 50% of the potential passengers are likely to be no-go too, which is a pity since that 50% tends to have a lot more time than the other 50% 
What reduces boredom is having something to do, something to eat, etc.
Just noticed that abandoned 747 is a Greek reg, SX-FIN Sure enough it comes up on the usual sites.
May 7: I took the hike back to the airport from the Hotel. It was 53€ for the night + breakfast if you’re curious. Doing exercise is good on flying days like these (I am still learning the ropes ). When I came close to the terminal, I saw an Air France A320 taking off. Nice ! Two minutes later, I saw the same : ok, he was doing circuits ! Chateauroux is known for this kind of training. Talked to the OPS guys, they warned me about the Airbus in the pattern, confirmed they have customs with 4 hrs notice but they are open from 8 am to 8 pm. Outside hours, no way to get in or out. They checked my license and ID and let me go.
After 2 days of flying around, I thought it was time to slowly head home because :
• I was getting tired
• I had no other destinations to go
• I wanted to keep some money to fly in 2018
But to soften the “end-of-holidays” state of mind, I decided to explore as much airfields as possible on the way back, mainly Blois LFOQ and Chartres LFOR. Both have been recently renovated so I wanted to see them with my eyes.
I had refueled on arrival so was quickly on the go. Once I got to the holding point, the A320 asked for a full stop and taxi back, so she had to taxi longer because of me !!
On the way to Blois, I wanted to to a touch and go at Amboise LFEF, to get some landing practice (I was getting real good at flying straight lines and briefing VFR arrivals).
Chateau of Chenonceaux
After Amboise (Ait-to-Air only), I headed north to Blois where a young female AFIS welcomed me. LFOQ is known to have a restaurant. It was about 11 am so far too early in French terms, but I stopped anyway. A local FI welcomed me at the club and showed a map of all castles within 20 minutes from LFOQ. There are roughly 50 of them. Of course he emphasized Cheverny and Chambord, warning me about the amount of traffic above Chambord, and gendarmes on the ground whi strictly enforce the restricted area up to 1300 ft QNH. The restaurant was closed for the week, which, with mixed reviews on the web, does not give me a good impression. AFIS sent a fireman to pay the landing fee (8€) and back I went. The Tower/Terminal has toilets airside and landside, and a nice waiting room, but it must be closed when AFIS and Fire go home.
Before leaving Blois, I called Chartres Aeroclub to know if a restaurant is accessible from their airfield on foot. A young guy told me yes so I departed, first to Cheverny and Chambord, then northbound to Chartres.
Chambord
I stayed with Blois Info over Cheverny and Chambord, then switched to Seine Info. By the time I got them, they warned me Orleans (Air Force Base) TMA is active, so I switched to them. They gave me a sqawk and cleared my transit direct to Chartres. Simple as that, so don’t be afraid when you see lots of stuff on the map.
Chartres LFOR is an active glider site that uses a winch. I monitored their frequency about 10 minutes and no sign of gliding, so I did a standard join-in for runway 09. Once landed, I walked to the main office which is the new club house. It is the most beautiful GA building I had ever seen (at least in Europe, can’t match a Millionair Lounge of course). The city of Chartres has completely renewed the airfield, in a smart and practical manner. No landing of parking fee either, just a book to fill in. And I found the Campanile restaurant, about 7 minutes from the club on foot, where I had a very decent lunch.
After chatting with the guys of the club, it was time to head home. Glider winching was in progress so I could witness it from the ground and get used to their procedure. LFOR will soon be be Night VFR capable. When I got to my aircraft, I saw the sky literally full of gliders to the north, like mosquitoes flying in swarms. It was beautiful and scary at the same time! (sorry, my phone’s camera didn’t pick the gliders of the blue sky).
So I took off, climbed eastbound, before turning slowly northbound when I couldn’t see any more gliders. It was the most intense flying of the trip, especially in a Cessna where you can’t see much on the sides.
Then, it was time to catch Pontoise ATIS (my first since La Rochelle), then to call them. The trip ended in a very long final to Runway 05.
Total engine time : 7h39mins but I had planned for 12 hrs for the Pyrenees trip so that’s a good compromise
Total cost : too much !
Conclusion : an outstanding trip, I was great fun to get to the small field’s flying scene. Meeting other members was a highlight too. Exploring La Rochelle was very pleasant also. I was glad I had studied many airports beforehand, which gave me LFLX as an option to stay for the night. Limoges LFBL was an option too. The Cessna’s range of almost 6 hrs give flexibility and peace of mind (even though I was restricted to TOTAL pumps). Staying in the CAVOK area made it a quite relaxing trip, but as I said above, I was quite tired every evening despite this. This trip expanded my horizons and capabilities.
Lessons learned :
Hope that gives everyone the will to fly further out ! Even with a simple VFR 172, you can have lots of fun when weather is fine !
Super report, Jujupilote
Great analysis of the various factors, too.
Yes; flying is usually quite tiring. I suspect it is the noise level, because one doesn’t get tired like that doing other things.
