Hi All,
I am thinking of taking a relocation in France. With that, I am wondering about taking my P-Baron over there with me. I know it is much more expensive and complicated to fly GA there… but am I crazy to want to take it?
I can easily (with no real mods) get it to France, but is it worth it to pay to tie it down, and quench the thirst (30+ gal/hr) + all the fees to fly around?
What are the typical hangar costs and ATC fees? I see fuel at 1.5 to 2.5 Euros/l
Thanks for any opinions.
Bill
I know it is much more expensive and complicated to fly GA there
That depends where you are coming from. If you are now in Russia or Saudi Arabia you may well find Europe a delight. What might surprise you though is that one can’t really speak of “Europe” as one place with one set of flying conditions – differences between countries are still large, though EASA is working about it.
I know it is much more expensive and complicated to fly GA there… but am I crazy to want to take it?
At least after 30min-2h of flying, you’re already in a different country and in most cases there are no formalities required. In the US, you can’t have that and even flying to Canada is a major administrative undertaking.
A pressurized Baron is over 2t, that means hefty ATC enroute charges when flying IFR, like 100€/h. You won’t find a lot of these machines over here, SETs have replaced them.
Flying around Europe is basically easy.
It isn’t like the USA which is one unified country. Each country here is different, with different ways of doing stuff, different human attitudes, etc. You have to do more due diligence before flying somewhere – e.g. phone the airport and check opening hours, fuel, PPR, etc.
It’s less than €100/hr in IFR charges because a Baron is not as fast as a TBM. But yes the route charges are an incentive to flying “VFR” as much as possible 
It’s less than €100/hr in IFR charges because a Baron is not as fast as a TBM. But yes the route charges are an incentive to flying “VFR” as much as possible
But it is not far off. A 2.8t P58 cruising at 220knots will be around €75/hr.
If you CAN do it – do it! Isn’t it only the things we didn’t do which we regret later?
An airplane is a wonderful way to explore Europe. Especially France is a great flying country with many interesting places to go, and with the Baron you’re in Germany, Italy, Spain, England … in no time.
It will be expensive, of course, fuel from $ 7,70 (some airports in France AFAIK) to $ 12 (most of Germany) for a gallon of Avgas, landing fees, route charges …
Bill – I’m an American ex-pat, based Paris for over 25 years, A&P/IA, plane owner & pilot for over 20 years.
Drop me a PM and I’ll get you my cell number .
Cheers,
ps: flying in Europe is AWESOME ! Imagine in the same general size of Texas and Oklahoma, you’ve got 3 seas, 2 mountain ranges, over 20 Countries, thousands of islands (w landing), soooooo many places to visit without re-fueling, it’s mind boggling. Also, Hangars in France are cheap, and most strips have no landing or parking fees whatsoever.
Come on over, the water’s great !
Bill, buy a A36TN with tip tanks and fly all over Europe without Route Charges. Hangar cost will be less also as twin engined are mostly more expensive in landing fees and hanger…Apart from that eat Belgian Frietjes at lunch and in the evening a good Goulash in Hungary all possible.. if you have strong stomach
Hangar charges in France ….. I have no idea if this is typical but I pay € 24 / m2 (incl. VAT) for a place in a brand-new hangar. Places still available, I believe!
France is a very GA friendly country with a lot of airfields, many run by the local authority or Chamber of Commerce.
It is easy for us to find fault with what we have in Europe, and perceive the grass to be greener the FAA side of the fence. I am not sure this is universally true, although the financial setup in the US is certainly more benign for GA.
I think the person with the best view of both systems sounds to be Michael, although I don’t know him, as an American living in France knows both sides of the pond.
