I finally got to do my La Rochelle trip yesterday. From EGLG, it was about 3.5 hours outbound, and we were VMC on top at FL070 for most of it. Our max speed on level flight was 134kts, with a CAS of 110kts.
On the way back with some headwind, it was about 4 hours. I enjoyed the flight, although quite tiring, even with the AP on for most of it (but no altitude holding though), but found La Rochelle airport not to be the most interesting. I didn't have the time to really go into the city, otherwise that would have made it more interesting of course. However even though we landed about 12:30 local time and the Avgas was shut, someone did come out and give us some fuel :-) For me I was happy that all my planning paid off and all went to plan, and some of the help from this Forum helped a lot :-) I have got some photos but I am not sure I am happy with them. I may do a 'trip report' with some pictures soon anyhow.
Those who turned up flew in Saturday and flew out Sunday, I think.
Sunday wx was pretty good, indeed.
Finally, now, the UK is getting something resembling a summer 
How random, I flew in Sunday the 26th, in the evening to La Rochelle from Fairoaks, it was a lovely flight. Was that u guys departing ahead of me on Monday morning?
My 136ltr @ €2.13 = €289.42 arrived on my UK card as £256.25
Rate 0.885 or 1.1295 which ever way you like to look at it.
€2.13 = £1.885 / litre.
As has already been noted - not bad.
Think I've 'stood-on-my-head' correctly here :-)
Don't think I'd make an international money dealer!!
289.42 Quite cheap that was
Is that referring to the LFBH fuel?
I thought it was OK considering.
289.42 Quite cheap that was
Thanks Peter - will read up on that. Climb 2 feet and level off right now.
LFBH fuel invoice.
Don't know how to do this 'here' thing you all seem to use to 'capture' a link.
[link fixed up - see Posting Tips]
Thank you to Peter and the others for a great Bank Holiday weekend in La Rochelle.
My VFR trip to La Rochelle in the RV, was out on Saturday morning and back Sunday morning, routing SAM GARMI AKIKI REN NTS LUSON. The weather in France was a concern, so decided to go out from the UK early, before the towering cumulus built at La Rochelle, but they didn’t materialise. Crossed the channel at 9000ft and the cloud was rising just south of Dinard but Rennes were giving scattered and the ATIS from Nantes and La Rochelle which I could get 75 miles from each where ok, so I continued on top all the way at 9000ft, getting a ground speed of 175kt.
As others have said the La Rochelle gate system is a bit flaky, but always carry your pilots license and it’s not a problem, just takes 10 minutes to go thru security.
The bus stop can be seen from the grass parking area and is 50 metres on the right from the pilot’s gate. Bus #7 costs 1.30e to Place de Verdun which is at the top of the old town. It is a 10 minute walk through the very sophisticated cloistered streets to the St Nicholas hotel which is just south of the river.
The return trip didn’t start too well, it seems the alternator wanted to stay a bit longer and went on strike during climb out. I have an A5 set of crib cards in a binder for such contingencies, and quickly switched over to backup alternator, this is a small B&C driven from the vacuum pump and requires some load shedding. So I dropped the Laser (Unison) electronic ignition, strobes, second radio and dimmed EFIS and Flymap GPS (dimming saves 4 amps and is still readable). It would have been prudent to have returned but every thing looked good and the weather was CAVOK so continued without further incident cruising at FL105 until Southampton where I got a transit at 5000ft.
Removed the cowlings and every thing looks good, power to the F (field) and circuits all checked ok. This is a Plane Power belt driven 60amp alternator 2 years old. I have heard of several of these stopping at quite low hours, so am looking to replace it with a B&C.
Looking at the good things, it was the first reasonably long trip using the Mountain High 02D2 oxygen kit. Over the last 2 years I have been monitoring my SP02 and find it drops into the 80s very quickly above 5000ft. With the 02D2 you can set it to start at 5000ft and it self adjusts to your altitude. Very pleased with this piece of kit – thanks to Peter for the write ups.
I do like the PMA audio box, where I can monitor another frequency, if the main frequency has activity, the monitored one is muted, when activity finishes it switches back to the monitored one.
Roll on the next meeting.
I was the pilot (N2136E) that did VFR on the Friday afternoon from EGCF - see first line of Peter's posting #84.
Unlike Peter we did buy fuel, 136lt @ €2.13 = €289.xx or something. I can't read these hand written numerical hieroglyphics used on the Continent and with all the intermediate entries on the invoice you have to be a charted accounted to follow it through!!
I will scan and try to 'up-load'.
We had 'one landing and two nights park' to pay. But on the Friday evenings arrival the 'system' was down. Guy says pay on Sunday PM departure. But the Sunday PM guy says you 'can't pay with cash or plastic' - invoice will be mailed to UK address. Perhaps the system was still down and I wasn't fully understanding him. Seems it could be two months before I see the invoice, but understood it will be in the region of €40.
The 'side gate' for PPL's was very good in theory, but a bit iffy in practice. You let yourself out by entering a number displayed electronically 'air-side'. You make a note of that number and enter it on the 'kerbside' keypad on return. However the number is not constant and was different on our Sunday return. The pilot who departed AM Sunday 'text' the new days number to us (and we 'text' it on to Peter for his later departure). We went to the aircraft to load bags and returned 'kerbside' for a coffee. On our second attempt at entering it all went wrong. It's a double airlock type gate and we failed to make the return through the 'air-side' gate. We had to return to the Terminal Building for human help (walkie talkie radios to air-side). Now they wanted to see my pilots license which of cause was in my bag in the aircraft by this time. All sorted in the end, but I've not much patience with that sort of thing and soon get ratty which doesn't help.
