What is a “most enjoyable airfield”?
If one is going to a place to have a meet-up, and it is over possibly a few days rather than just say a lunch at Le Touquet, one is not going to an airport as the end point. You land, pack up, fill up, and head into town. One runway is just a runway like any other (if it’s long enough, etc). Even at Le Touquet I would never just stop at the airport.
I have been to countless grass airfields in the TB20. Grass is OK if it is dry. If it is wet, the plane gets covered in muck, and if there has been recent heavy rain then some types may need a truck to pull them out, especially after a few days. I recall needing a 4×4 to pull me out from “grass” at Southend EGMC (where I was parking next to a school, not on the tarmac apron). They turned up with a van but it would not move it. They also tried to tie a rope around the nose wheel but I caught them just in time and got them to use two ropes and put them around the main gear. And that is just a 1400kg TB20 which would normally be fine on grass. Also much depends on who the passengers are. If you have two strong assistants, they can help to push the plane out (had to do that at EDNY a couple of times).
So, and looking at who turned up at LDLO in May, I think grass could cause unnecessary hassle for many.
Re Calvi, avgas comes in a truck and should be available. It is best to still check a few days before the actual arrival date that there will be enough. If they have an idea that x number of aircraft are coming on such and such date with some local coordination, that may help on ensuring a supply.
This French document summarises current fuel, landing and parking rates at page 13, section III.5 and III.6 (http://www.calvi.aeroport.fr/AeroportCal/telechargement/tarifsredevancescly.pdf)
All prices ex VAT
100LL @ 0.52€ ex VAT / hectolitre
<1.5 tonnes : Landing/Parking 24,67€ then 3,52 € per day or part thereof
1,5 T à 2,5 T : Landing/Parking 35,24 € then 4,39 € per day or par thereof
If flying from an aeroclub from France, then 30% discount.
Some care perhaps as these prices are from 1 April so may change but probably not by that much. Alboule can validate on their passage on 22 June as they kindly offered..
You probably all know this, but you can find all the plates for France here http://www.sia.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/html/frameset_aip_fr.htm. (I am a neophyte at this, sorry, but I guess it was an education for me at least)
If the wx is nice, we can reckon on 20 aircraft turning up.
How many can they park on (a) hard and (b) grass?
They have a LOC and two GPS/LNAV approaches, all for runway 18.
The runway is a bit short however 
NB: 100LL @ 0.52€ ex VAT / hectolitre – that is not the Avgas price.
They can park almost zero light GA on the hard, since basically all GA parking is (fairly stony) soil with a bit of mediterranean-type grass. However, since it’s all sandy soil, one won’t sink in after heavy rain (like is the case in northern Europe).
What the procedure is for being able to park an SEP on one of those (few) spots reserved for the Citations, I don’t know.
In ither places, one can contact (and pay) one of the local handling companies (Jersey for example) but I don’t know which the “jet handling company” at LFKC is (if there is one).
Possibly it is sufficient to just ask Ground after landing for parking on the apron. September is off peak-season after all.
Avgas will be about 2,30€, i.e. very slightly above the French average.
Would you say whether 2 people can push a 1400kg (or so) SEP on that surface?
They listed it as “essence 100LL” and the price does seem low (certainly compared to the UK).
They have a mix of clay, grass and asphalt parking and looks like 46 spaces, but it depends on weight. Spoke to someone at Calvi and told her 1.5- 2.5 tonnes, but she asked that I drop her an email with approximate weights and she can give me a better answer.
Runway is 3 times as long as what I fly out of…
0.52 EUR per hectoliter is 0.0052 EUR per liter – so that can only be the uplift charge or something like that. Definitely not the total price per liter :-)
@ Shorrick Mk2
Wow. I have not had a brain by-pass of that proportion in a long time – why would avgas be fixed in a pdf dated 1 April? What happened to market rates? Hectolitres are not litres! All the clues are there and nope, did not see it. Thanks for s p e l l i n g i t o u t for me!
My pathetic excuse is that I was doing this during a conference call and when they started arguing on withholding tax in Morocco, my brain activity flatlined
Peter,
I didn’t know the TB20 weighed 1400kgs when empty.
Yes, I would say two people would be able to push/pull it. Again, it’s not like the soil and the grass of Sandown in springtime.
