This summer, I am (again) planning a trip to Norway. I will first head to Roskilde to pick up a couple of friends. We will then be headed for Sandefjord (ENTO) before, weather permitting, we head for Stavanger and coastwise to Bergen. After a few days in Bergen we will be flying to Ålesund and stay the night, and then to Røros and Oslo. At last I will need to drop our friends off at Roskilde.
So I’ve got the route lined up, I have booked hotels (I am an optimist – and IR rated – but not so much so that I haven’t made sure I can cancel the day before) and am in the process of determining what restrictions there might be at the various airports.
Roskilde is a no-brainer, and so is Torp. Bergen however do require a slot (according to AIP) and PPR for parking, and AIP says Røros have mandatory ground handling. Flying in Norway in general is completely free of hassles. Even the “biggest” airports make you feel welcome, parking is never an issue (or never was when I lived there back in the 90’s), there is generally no PPR or slots, no handling, You enter airside through “Lufthavnvakta” – the fire station where you also pay the fees.
So I called Bergen to enquire about the slot requirements and parking.
Me: “Hi, my name is Aviathor. I am planning to come to Bergen in the beginning of July. I have not been there since the 90’s. What’s new?”
She: “Will you be flying IFR or VFR?”
Me: “Whichever is the most convenient”
She: “If you fly VFR you won’t need any slot. That only applies to IFR.”
Me: “With respect to slots, what is the tolerance in terms of offset?”
She: “The slots are not for flow control, so they apply loosely. They are just to get a general idea of the traffic at any given time. But we would appreciate that you notify us if you are more than 30 minutes off the slot, just to let us know.”
Me: “I see. What about parking?”
She: “You send us an e-mail with the information listed in the AIP, registration, date/time of arrival and departure etc the day before or a few hours prior. We will park you on the technical area.”
Me: “Is availability ever a problem? In the old days we would just be assigned a spot alongside a fence up by the aeroclub”
She: “It still is the same old fence by the aeroclub. In general availability is never a problem except sometimes in the summer when a bunch of planes arrive simultaneously. But we’ll always find a spot. And then you call our OPS center that will send a car for you to drive you to the terminal. Getting back to the airplane will be the same. Just meet at the Avinor service desk in the terminal and we’ll take care of you.”
Me: “Sounds very accomodating. Thank you”
She: “Should you have any other questions, please drop us an e-mail. Some of us are a little old-fashioned and may not check e-mail as often as we should, so it may sometimes take a little time before you get a reply. In that case you have our phone number. Just call.”
Then I called Røros and pretty much got the same treatment. Ground handling only applies to bigger planes. Everything else is as it used to be. No slots. No reservation for parking. “You’re welcome anytime during our opening hours. And by the way you can apply for the PFly card which allows you to use our airports outside opening hours. From the 12th June or thereabout we will probably be open from around 8 am to 7:30 pm LT. It will be published by NOTAM”
I have yet to decide what airport I will use in Oslo, but chances are that I will end up at ENGM this time around, because even THE biggest airport in Norway accepts light GA.
I wanted to share with you all the way light aviation is treated in Norway in contrast to what is the case further south. “Head North”, is my message.
I can confirm that about Bergen and Norway in general from last year’s experience. You should check Avinor’s weekly card for landing fees.
Avgas is cheap and everything generally works well (as you can expect in Scandinavia). The scenery on the coast is absolutely gorgeous. From Bergen, we took a detour to fly up Lysefjord, you just need to stay above the cables spanning the fjord. It is just around the corner if you stay at Stavanger. I also liked Sogndal for the scenery and the interesting approach.
It wouldn’t have been possible to keep the schedule without the possibility to do some flights IFR though. Usually, weather in Norway changes quickly but we saw three days of IMC at one point, in the middle of summer.
If you are heading up the West Coast of Norway check very carefully about the availability of Avgas. It is only available in a very limited number of locations.
Sounds like a good place for a flyin next year 
A pity the place is so expensive!
I was last there during the “Celtic Tiger” when everyone thought Ireland was really expensive (and it was). But Norway made Ireland look like a freebie!
The scenery in Norway (from the ground at least) is unbeatable!
Rwy20 wrote:
Avgas is cheap and everything generally works well (as you can expect in Scandinavia).
I actually have to correct my above post in two points: We went in the end of May, not summer (memory must be failing with age). And not everything was smooth – we came into the period of the (apparently) yearly (?) hotel workers’ strike. But it seemed very well organized for a strike and the impact wasn’t that big.
I didn’t find Avgas that hard to find. We did plan and call ahead to verify its availability though, but the indications in the AIP were always correct (something you can’t expect in other countries).
One point that I did miss is that for parking in Hammerfest, you need PPR since they only have one parking space. They were kind enough to give it to us for one night without PPR. 
dublinpilot wrote:
A pity the place is so expensive!
One advantage of living in Switzerland is that you aren’t even shocked about the prices in Norway (that is, until you order a glass of wine).
Timothy is correct in pointing out the lack availability of 100LL on the Norwegian coast. Between Værnes and Bodø for example, only Brønnøysund has 100LL, or so it seems. Between Bergen and Trondheim, only Molde has 100LL except a minor airfield or two where you would need to ask someone from the aeroclub to please help you. And here we are on LeSving’s turf! I made the same comment two years ago.
You should also call ahead and make sure they have not run out after having been raided by 100LL-thirsty German tourists , and you should refuel upon arrival. The fuel attendant at Molde told me that if a DC-3 decided to refuel there, it would severely shorten their supply, and it could take a week or more between the time they order until they are re-supplied.
On the other hand this is not very different from many other places in Europe.
You need to be doing quite a few landings for the week subscription to landings at Avinor airports to pay off. Also need to keep in mind that it is valid only at Avinor airports, which ENTO (Torp) and ENKJ (Kjeller) are not, for example.
Coming from ENTO, weather permitting, I will be flying out Lysefjorden towards Stavanger. One thing one has to look out for flying in fjords are aeronautical obstacles which may or may not be depicted on aeronautical charts. There’s been plenty of collisions with unmarked wire spans. There is another source for aeronautical obstacles, but I am not sure it is exhaustive.
Why not fly into Kjeller for Oslo?
It is a short distance to the (only) mid-way stop on the airport express, so you will be in town in no time. Small airport, so probably quick and easy to get in and out of. I ask because I have it in mind for when I fly to Oslo myself, so let me know if there is a good reason to go to Gardemoen.
mmgreve wrote:
Why not fly into Kjeller for Oslo?
That’s what I used last year. I think it was a good choice.
mmgreve wrote:
It is a short distance to the (only) mid-way stop on the airport express, so you will be in town in no time. Small airport, so probably quick and easy to get in and out of.Getting in and out of Kjeller is really very quick and easy. Only a few minutes walk to the nearest bus stop and then 5-10 minutes to the railway station with really frequent trains to Oslo central station.
I know Kjeller well. I learned to fly there
