Hello,
First time posting in the forum, I am a low time PPL with some 30h-ish PIC and I am looking to start touring regularly betwen UK and France with my family: the only way to keep flying while spending weekends toghether :)
Most of my flying was solo with small navs with friends, so I don’t have much confidence that I can do (safe) extensive touring.
I did some cross-channels from the P2 seat, it did not seem complicated but I dont feel confident doing the same with my family.
To boost my confidence on weather factors, I am looking to do a UK IMC rating but I have a gut feeling that I should slow down a bit.
Any advices how to “train” on touring?
Thanks a lot,
Fly it solo a couple of times before you take your family. That’s the only training I think you can do. Just file a flightplan and go, sometimes you just have to throw yourself out there. :)
Welcome to EuroGA, blackmarch103 
For family flying, it is important to structure trips so they deliver lots of value, relative to the (mostly inevitable) hassles of flying somewhere. This is actually important anyway to keep flying, but is even more important when flying with non-aviation people.
So pick really nice destinations which are good candidates for GA. Northern France has quite a few, starting with the outstanding Le Touquet, which is a dead easy flight. Then there is Deauville (and surroundings), Caen, Cherbourg… And of course the “UK bits” i.e. Scilly Isles, Alderney, Jersey… offer great trips for a day or two. These destinations are hard to reach conventionally, which makes GA really stand out.
And pick nice weather. Everybody enjoys the trip much more then.
You need to do some planning; a bit more than Blackbushe to Sandown LeT is 2hrs PNR, Caen is 24hrs PNR, Cherbourg something similar. This is all in the respective AIPs. You need to file the GAR form, which is easily done (for free) by email, or using OnlineGAR if you want more facilities. You must carry a life raft. The actual flying is same as any other.
The IMC Rating is a brilliant step to do. It makes you a much better VFR pilot too, and enables you to fly safe VFR in conditions which are more marginal than a purely “map and compass and visual” pilot could fly in, and this is of course equally applicable to flying outside the UK even if the IFR privileges are limited to the UK. My early VFR trips here were done from that base, only.
Hello blackmarch103
Ditto Fly310 above. Cross the channel on your own first, and the thinking/planning/worrying is harder than the actual flight. Flying in France easier than in the UK, and with a bit of planning longer flights are essentially the same but with longer ‘boring’ bits in the middle. Find a nice destination, things for the passengers to do during the flight and once there, a plan B (different destination) and plan C (non-flying activity): I’ve cancelled a few flights to Normandy due to entrées maritimes (fog and stratus rolling in from the sea… doesn’t have the same ring in English) and left the family dangling, which was a mistake.
Re slowing down, I would do as much as your family allows while you can. I wish I could do these kind of trips more often, and I was lucky in that the club where I learnt would do a big trip most years, and it’s a hell of a lot easier when someone else does the planning, books rooms, hire cars etc and you just do the fun bit, i.e. flying :-)
Peter has covered everything else :-)
Based the UK yiu can’t fly far outside the UK without risk of Inc. so get le touquet done and your UK Inc rating, then do am ir
Interesting post. I am in a similar position, although slightly more P1 hours but still most flight legs less than 60 minutes and planning to complete the IMC later this year. I am not planning family outings but interested in flying into France and further around UK.
I’ve been to/from Le Touquet in the right hand seat and flown the return leg from Channel Islands – both with a competent Pilot. So I have made a start.
Blackmarch – where is your UK base?
PJL wrote:
I’ve been to/from Le Touquet in the right hand seat and flown the return leg from Channel Islands – both with a competent Pilot. So I have made a start.
That is just what I would recommend. Try seeking a cost sharing ride to gain experience.
I do a lot of mentoring (the AOPA Mentoring Scheme was my baby, originally) and very often accompany people in your position. I am halfway between Fairoaks, Redhill and Biggin.
No charge, but you buy lunch.
Let me know if I can help.
Mentoring is indeed the best answer to all these situations. It’s just hard to find experienced pilots willing to do it, cost sharing or no cost sharing. I do it when I can, the main problem I have found is a shortage of candidates who have enough enthusiasm, and enough time to get some flying done. The UK AOPA scheme didn’t get any critical mass, probably because they tied the requirements down so tightly; various past threads on it.
Thanks for the advice. Will try to take you up on it!
