Thanks for the inputs folks.
It is a project right now, as I still lack the primary thing I need which is time. But I’ll probably go the way of the distance learning course and do that, once I am done with it, then I will see about the flying. The flying part doesn’t bother me as long as I can do it in my own airplane.
Aviathor wrote:
Yesterday afternoon I flew an almost straight line from Marseille (actually Aix) to Pontoise (across 3/4 of France), VFR, and landed a few minutes before nightfall in 3900 m visibility with a special VFR clearance. Of course it is easier to do on week-ends but did someone say this was difficult?
Totally agree. Flying VFR in France gets extremely simple in the moment that you push the PTT and establish communication with FIS.
In my humble experience usually you say where you are going, which level do you want, and two or three IFR points along the way do you intend to pass by, and then everything goes smooth as silk.
Coolhand wrote:
Flying VFR in France gets extremely simple in the moment that you push the PTT
yes……unless the PPT is kept pushed in by the guy on the other end of “wire”. happened to me back in 2008. Nice way to solve his lack of English…
I wonder where exactly VFR is “difficult”. I know only Norway and Sweden, and there is nothing “difficult” here, except lack of light and bad weather in the winter. I have also flown in Belgium, but that was before the concept of airspaces was a widely accepted standard.
Is it only the UK?
LeSving wrote:
I wonder where exactly VFR is “difficult”.
Here?
what_next wrote:
Here?
Nah. Piece of cake. The fear of the great unknown is the only thing holding you back.
I wonder where exactly VFR is “difficult”. I know only Norway and Sweden, and there is nothing “difficult” here, except lack of light and bad weather in the winter. I have also flown in Belgium, but that was before the concept of airspaces was a widely accepted standard.
Is it only the UK?
Assuming this is a serious Q, it may be worth comparing the preflight process of one of my long VFR trips here with one of the IFR trips.
Of course this is not in Norway or Sweden.
The fear of the great unknown is the only thing holding you back.
Let’s hope nobody follows that advice 
I believe there is a €10k fine for busting certain prohibited areas. I did so in 2003… got away because I didn’t land in France afterwards.
Flying VFR in France gets extremely simple in the moment that you push the PTT
Almost true. ATC can clear you through most CAS but they will assume you are still looking after any restricted areas. That is also what I got in the case above, and that was the main reason the UK CAA told the DGAC to stuff it.
So I switched to the “3D” view
The 3D view is completely useless.
Peter wrote:
The 3D view is completely useless.
Absolutely. Who knows why they have this option… There is however a worldwide 3D airspace structure available for display in Google Earth (3d Airspace it looks a bit strange in my image because I still have an old version of Google Earth on this computer) which is much more useful. The problem is only that the airspace data might be out of date.
@what_next
I have flown through the area multiple times, including on some of my earliest VFR long distance trips, long before I had a clue what I was doing. Really a piece of cake. I have a funny story or two to tell you when we meet in person. I actually feel French ATC can be quite kind to the clueless.
