Peter wrote:
The funny thing is that one clever guy, especially a clever electronics engineer (i.e. not just a wireman like ~95% of avionics people are) could do everything in GA while sleeping. So why is there such a shortage of apparently reputable shops? How many people are there in Greece who know electronics?
None to rely upon if something in the combination of avionics/electronics does not match, hence the decision for Straubing. Also connection flights via Munich are 3~6 per day.
boscomantico wrote:
Lesson: never cancel any flight (no matter how bad it looks) two days in advance.
There were too many odds to beat in my case that I could not leave it to last minute.
Had family obligations with a schedule to commit too, I could not be away more than 2 days, had to be in office Friday afternoon and Monday morning, same for copilot, Airline return flight was not flexible and other options were much more expensive, the aircraft could not leave earlier date, could not leave weeks (few days OK) later either, initial departure airport (Athens LGMG) opens 0600z, flights’ total was 2+5 hours, Straubing EDMS closes 1800z, return flight leaves MUC 1700z and only specific random days were cheaper (guess due to availability of spare seats), Straubing-MUC train & bus connection is 2 hours, Kerkyra LGKR stopover for fuel topping and country exit can be 1 to 2 hours, I was on limited budget in general for off flying costs, hotels for Kerkyra (Corfu) overnight next to airport were almost booked in some of the nights considered for breaking the operation tow days via Kerkyra to leave for Straubing early morning, and and and …
For example the Saturday we eventually flew in one day from Athens the whole trip we arrived in Munich (city) by train at 2000z three hours after the time we would have to show up in MUC airport (1700z) for the 1800z return flight. Going to the airport by the train-bus connection would have taken 2 hours so we would be there at 1800z the time our flight was taking off
When such things build up cumulative and don’t leave you a clear brain to plan and execute a flight … you ABORT !
boscomantico wrote:
Also, in my opinion, Kerkyra is a disgrace. Regularly having people wait in 35 degrees for hours to get fuel (just because they can)
1 office, 2 refuel/driver personnel, two JET-A1 and one AVGAS fuel bowsers, to refuel 15 airliners and 3 corporate jets (that’s what I saw) that come in between 8am and 1pm and all have to turnaround in 45’.
GISCO will simply not have a 3rd refueler on permanent payrol for me and you. Its a budgetary thing,
I called them midweek (because I know the problem) they told me which are the peak times, (midday till early afternoon they calm down) they told me that priority have the “contracts” (meaning airliners) and still I elected to go in their peak zone because I had no other option. I knew it would take me more than an hour to turnaround. The Cirrus friends were waiting for the refueler 1 hr, we came later than them and got the refuel in 20’ after landing just after he finished with them. While the airliners were almost done they had to feed JET-A1 also to a medevac corporate jet which just came in and had to leave a.s.a.p. he was on APU being refueled when the ambulance left the apron.
So even though I hate it I still believe its not out of arrogance, we are simply the last priority after the CONTRACTS they have to adhere to and they have a very busy schedule.
Yes, but this is true for every airport that is primarily airline-driven! Yet others cope somewhat better.
Kerkyra always stands out as the place you will end up being grilled on the apron for hours, waiting for fuel (or if you want to stay for longer, getting bollocked because you haven’t booked your parking space – all the while the apron is empty).
I stand by my judgement that Kerkyra is a disgrace.
Kerkyra always stands out as the place you will end up being grilled on the apron for hours, waiting for fuel (or if you want to stay for longer, getting bollocked because you haven’t booked your parking space – all the while the apron is empty).
When was this, boscomantico?
I have been there 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and never saw that.
LGKR is PPR – currently 48 hrs
and they are known to refuse a landing clearance to people who didn’t get this (no reports of that for a few years, however). It is highly advisable to get it in writing (i.e. email or fax) or if that isn’t possible, get it from Handling. If it happened to me (it happened to somebody who merely got PPR by telephone) I would declare a mayday due to low oil pressure. The PPR also deals with any parking issues; in fact the CAA guy told me the reason for the PPR is to “manage apron capacity” (while looking out of the window at a vast empty apron) 
The food at Corfu is pretty crap nowadays, unfortunately – very rare for Greece.
Unfortunately LGKR is usually the most convenient Port of Entry for Greece which also has avgas.
GISCO will simply not have a 3rd refueler on permanent payrol for me and you. Its a budgetary thing,
Why not install a self-serve fuel pump? No need for another person on the payroll.
The worst thing to do is to give a monopoly concession to a company at an airport. The result is bad service. It’s communist thinking. The moment you add a 2nd fuel company, things start become 100x better for everybody involved. Knowing that not every airplane landing there will have to take their fuel, does wonders.
And I totally agree, a self service pump beats any fuel service…
Peter wrote:
I may be going thick but I haven’t yet seen one that works in a way which a non-local pilot can understand
I’ve used lots of them, they are quite common in Switzerland.
Some of them require a key from the C-Office, others work straight off the credit card. I agree it might be good to put some sort of instruction onto it in English as well as the local language. But then be sure there will be a guy who speaks Spanish and bitches as it wasn’t there in Italian.
As for the PPR mania in Greece and elsewhere: It is total rubbish and one bit which is a direct threat to GA and it’s purpose of flexibility. And, what hacks me off even more, it is in 99% of cases totally unnecessary and just a left over from plan economy which some of these people like so much.
Our small airplanes can park anywhere out of the way, there are maybe some very few cases where that is not the case, but most airports have PLENTY of space if they used their grey matter a bit. Korfu? Give me a break. They got two aprons, main apron and one on the other side of the runway and they do not have space? Nothing to do with it, all they want is to be able to plan their day and lunchbreaks, so they require you to PPR so they know 3 days ahead that one of them has to get up and service an airplane. Same elsewhere: Plenty of space, plenty of capacity but just unwilling to rise their ass fror a GA plane. As if we really want them to, the only one who has to is the fueller, the rest we can do ourselfs thank you very much.
PPR 48 hours in advance makes an airport unusable for most of the time. GA has to stay flexible, weather and all that, so if we can narrow down to a MONTH where we are going to be that is asking too much. PPR is simply another word for “we don’t like GA, go away”.
Would be one EASA rulemaking I would propose: Public Service Airports asking PPR need to provide proof that they are not able to handle traffic, especcially transit flights. They would also have to prove according to movement stats that they ever got into trouble parking GA planes. Only if they can prove that would they get permission to ask forPPR.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
Would be one EASA rulemaking I would propose: Public Service Airports asking PPR need to provide proof that they are not able to handle traffic, especcially transit flights. They would also have to prove according to movement stats that they ever got into trouble parking GA planes. Only if they can prove that would they get permission to ask forPPR.
I like this one
Often it is a seasonal thing, so it may makes sense if it is.
If it’s all year long than it makes no sense I think.
