I’d like to know that too!
How would you that, when Toussus does not allow non-Schengen arrivals?
We did it as recently as about 2 weeks ago. I believe customs has been reinstated.
As Neil says, these decisions can be very complicated. It isn’t just TAS and Range.
We did it as recently as about 2 weeks ago. I believe customs has been reinstated.
Still prohibited according to NOTAM issued 31/3 and valid until 25/6.
Presumably, however, flying paying passengers presents very different considerations to an owner-pilot flying himself on business and pleasure.
For a start, the paying passengers don’t mind which plane is used so long as it gets them there, on time, etc. Whereas the owner-pilot is not going to buy a pile of different planes and use them for different missions, the way some people wear different watches on different kinds of social occasions.
Also, due to the speeds involved, a say 200hr piston pilot who buys a jet is going to be spending maybe 70hrs in the jet, which is a very low time to be current. That’s another reason to fly the same plane for everything possible. I have known of a fair number of TBM or KA owner-pilots who have such low time that they fly a lot with an instructor in the RHS… the instructor has a pretty hard life, having to hang out in Cannes, at a nice hotel, for a few days at a time 
I think that survey showing single pilot jet ops to be safe might well be good data but also pretty obviously there could be a massive amount of self selection going on. The vast majority of bizjets are flown by a paid crew, not by the owner. One US dealer I spoke to some years ago said the figure for him is about 99% professional crew. His sales were both SP and MP aircraft. So I would expect owner-pilots of jets to be an unusual population.
Regarding Customs at Toussus, FWIW, about 6 months after the airport officially lost the facility, I saw some bizjet(s) departing Biggin Hill for Toussus. It was on their departure board. I was meeting a bizjet pilot friend up there for a tea and I asked him how is this possible. He said that anything can be arranged if the client pays. He knew no more details; he was just the pilot.
these decisions can be very complicated
It would be interesting to know a bit more about the factors which affect this.
I think that survey showing single pilot jet ops to be safe might well be good data but also pretty obviously there could be a massive amount of self selection going on. The vast majority of bizjets are flown by a paid crew, not by the owner. One US dealer I spoke to some years ago said the figure for him is about 99% professional crew. His sales were both SP and MP aircraft. So I would expect owner-pilots of jets to be an unusual population.
I think that you are right. There is probably self selection going on in that it is a big hassle compared to even turboprops. Type ratings to ATP standards, annual 61.58 checkrides are all a lot more “hassle” than needed for example on N-reg on a turboprop ( just PPL-SEL needed). Maybe that is why the stats are better, self selection and tighter training standards.
Another thing is that the SP jet missions will likely be different to SP TP missions.
In the USA, where most of the SP jet ops take place, there is a nice hard runway next to most of the places one wants to go to with a jet which was purchased with that sort of flying already in mind. That makes it a lot safer. It’s a bit like an airline which flies Cat 3 even in CAVOK and bans circling approaches is going to be safer than one which does the opposite, even though the latter one will end up having much more skilled pilots.
In the USA, where most of the SP jet ops take place, there is a nice hard runway next to most of the places one wants to go to with a jet which was purchased with that sort of flying already in mind.
I am not sure I follow. There is a nice hard runway near most places I want to fly to here in Europe too. But I needed that for the TP as well. But I agree the US has more airports with better runway and approach capabilities.
What I was getting at is that someone is not going to buy a jet in the first place unless the places he wants to fly to have a decent piece of tarmac next to them, which helps to make jet ops safe because such runways are more likely to have an ILS, etc.
Whereas somebody who e.g. wants to fly to lots of places in Switzerland will buy a TBM or a PC12, and will be doing lots of hand flying. Then it depends on his currency; for sure a coupled ILS is much safer than hand flying, if somebody is flying say 50hrs/year.
Regarding Customs at Toussus, FWIW, about 6 months after the airport officially lost the facility, I saw some bizjet(s) departing Biggin Hill for Toussus. It was on their departure board. I was meeting a bizjet pilot friend up there for a tea and I asked him how is this possible. He said that anything can be arranged if the client pays. He knew no more details; he was just the pilot.
That’s interesting, but I suspect that there was another airport involved on that trip and it was not “arranged” direct .
PM me for the details on that.
