It has always felt to me that GA is barely tolerated in the country, but most people would be quite happy if it just disappeared.
Not quite unrelated, flying in Switzerland is not just challenging due to the topology and weather, but also due to administrative aspects. For instance, here’s an overview of the PPR situation for all but the largest aerodromes in the country:
| PPR required? | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| no | 9 | 23% |
| no (glider only) | 2 | 5% |
| yes | 25 | 63% |
| yes (glider only) | 4 | 10% |
| Grand Total | 40 | 100% |
So only about a fifth of these aerodromes are no-PPR — quite frustrating if you want to spontaneously fly somewhere on the weekend, just for fun.
The nine (small) aerodromes without PPR requirement are:
PPR is a bit frustrating (here in the UK pretty much all airports / airfields are), but I don’t feel it really hinders operations (especially when compared to tight opening hours etc)
@Zorg Switzerland is like many of the small strips in Ireland and the UK also having PPR, where a telephone call is enough to verify ok to come. The website gives further detail, and often a status which if „green“ or „open“ is to be considered as PPR given…. so not really a deterrent, e.g. LSZK 3rd bullet under „Piloteninfos“
Google rather poorly translates this as:
Grüezi, at the airfield Speck gilded for Foreign “PPR”. If the airline answering machine points you to the FGZO home page and displays the airfield as “OPEN”, this is a positive answer for PPR. Foreign helicopters always need a permit from the airport management. Listed restrictions and the current slope condition must be observed.
If this is considered too much effort, then flying in Europe has indeed a bleak future 
Agree with @Noe that limited or complicated opening hours is a much more challenging issue.
PPR is fine if there is somebody on the phone, who speaks the language you know 
Here in the UK we have / have had PPR airfields where nobody answered.
However it does mean you cannot fly somewhere if your departure is before the destination opens, if the phone is staffed only during opening hours.
Makes one wonder how the world managed without PPR – during an era when GA activity was a lot higher than it is today??
I hope this Swiss thing doesn’t happen. It will otherwise become a monument to human stupidity, but in “modern” Europe, not where you might expect it e.g. the Peoples’ Republic of Upper Volta.
chflyer wrote:
where a telephone call is enough to verify ok to come
That’s what I don’t quite understand: Why is PPR necessary at all here, but not in other countries? If it’s about local conditions (such as grass strips after rain), then I put forth that a pilot can judge himself whether the aerodrome is suitable for landing. If there is an event (like an airshow or model flying), then that could be NOTAMed. But maybe I’m missing something … is it perhaps because most aerodromes are in private ownership?
chflyer wrote:
If this is considered too much effort, then flying in Europe has indeed a bleak future
In a way, yes – too much effort … All those who spend some time flying in countries like the US or France know how VFR flying can be: Minimal planning, maximum flexibility, essentially use the airplane like a car. No PPR, no opening hours, no “Flugleiter”, no tower, no yellow vests, no landing fee, no noise certificate, no VACs with IFR-style approaches and +/-50 ft tolerance … fly / spot airfield / land / take-off / repeat / be happy … but I digress :-)
Peter wrote:
However it does mean you cannot fly somewhere if your departure is before the destination opens, if the phone is staffed only during opening hours.In the case of Switzerland, some PPR numbers have automatic voicemails. A good example here is LSPV (Wangen-Lachen), where a ‘tape’ tells if the airfield is “open” or not. Other CH-airfields with PPR have online forms. After you submit the request, an automatic e-mail or pop-up tells you that the PPR has been granted. Examples here are LSGR, LSTA etc. Still, there are some airfields where you have to call with a real person, but none of them notice your airplane registration. They just tell you “yes, you can land, the airfield is open” Thats basically it. In Switzerland, there is a difference between PPR and so-called “PPR(R)” airfields. PPR(R) = “PPR Restricted”, which means you need an approval for each single landing from the airfield management (LSPG, LSZN etc.) Normal “PPR” airfields are almost like open airfields to the public in Switzerland, just the PPR(R) airfields are real PPR with restrictive procedures.
Frans wrote:
Normal “PPR” airfields are almost like open airfields to the public in Switzerland
So why not turn things around — skip the PPR and close the airfield by NOTAM if need be. That’s how it usually works.
@Airborne_Again That is also my point of view. Perhaps someone from Switzerland can tell more about why many Swiss airfields choose this construction?
I read somewhere that PPR is misunderstood. PPR stands, in it’s original form, for “Prior Permission Requirements”, not “Prior Permission Required”. Fact or not I don’t know, but it makes sense. In Norway there are public airports and non-public airports. The public airports have no PPR, they have NOTAM and general info as usual. Non-public airports have PPR. In most cases they have a “standing PPR”, meaning the are open without any prior permission. Several have started using this MyPPR app thing, and the way they configure it is always open, unless something pops up. The MyPPR app also have all the info on the field.
PPR really is no problem whatsoever. The problem is there is usually no system built around it. MyPPR is one solution that works great IMO.
This kind of PPR is not a problem, as all it does is mostly to make sure the airport is actually open. You call, if someone is there tell them you’d like to come and ok.
PPR gets really bad if it is combined with slots or strict time restraints when you can come or not. Or if there are ridiculous parking PPR’s for airports with lots of space but who don’t want the traffic (or so it seems). In Switzerland, only Zurich and Geneva have slots. The rest is quite straightforward.
