Please feel free to drop me a line if you pass by here.
Will do, Martin! I’m nearby quite a lot for work these days. While sunset is still too early for any weekday evening flying I suppose, I’d very much like to meet up to share experiences or even go flying together. I’d happily buy you a dinner for some mountain flying stories (food for thought 
).
I may be around the weekend of 21/22 feb (preliminary plan is to go skiing at least one of those two days) and also the entire week thereafter (up to 27 feb). Then again possibly Sunday March 8 to March 12 and that week, I may fly myself. And then I’ll be coming with the airplane sometime around the 22nd/23 March and staying until around the 28th before heading further south to Italy if weather permits.
We should do an Euroga Alpine Formation outing… I was thinking of taking tomorrow off.
Not around this week, but something like that would be pretty cool.
Sion: often times the fog forms in the valley and raises later in the day. Weather can change quickly and there is only two ways out – power or west. I haven’t flown intot he actual airport but I posted a photo last year of a TS hovering west of the field with associated gusts. In that case, only power and routing east via Brig/Simplon would have worked. I’m have little or no mountain time so for these trips, I bring along an instructor, relax and enjoy the experience.
Albenga – firstly, it’s definitely worth the visit but stay in Alassio rather than Albenga itself. It’s a €15 taxi ride if I am remember. Flown here twice, and it’s not complex but did it on CAVOK days. I think CAVOK would be best for the first trip and I’d keep some Synthetic Vision running and hit the throttles if I lost vis on way in. If I recall, two VRPs on sea at either side of the town. Some radio blockage close buy due to terrain if low down checking out the sunbathers! Suspect you’ll be the only plane there!
Off topic but this week is great for an Alpine flight. We should do an Euroga Alpine Formation outing… I was thinking of taking tomorrow off.
Hi Patrick
I own a C172N and is based in Lausanne (LSGL). 41 years old, with 4 years of mountain VFR under the belt, i know the local area very well. Please feel free to drop me a line if you pass by here. LSGL is beautifully situated close to the city of Lausanne – right at the foot of the alps. It can work as a good base for you to (perhaps join me) flying the mountains.
Simplon is awesome, and not as demanding as many think. Perhaps also check out the alternative through Skt Bernard pass and behind the alps. Third could be the longer scenic route from LSGL behind Mt Blanc, Monte Rosa, Matterhorn and then onwards.
In any case, I’m here should you need some input.
but I wouldn’t describe the Simplon as overly demanding
Inbound from the Rhone valley it is generally easy to identify, although you still have a bit of a switchback going into Italy.
The problem tends to be the inversion and smog you encounter in the Po valley – which can stick around for days on end. VFR slant visibility becomes very poor, nearly cloudy fishbowl as you descend from 9-10,000’ feet to stay out of CAS – with plenty of sizable mountains between Domodossola and L. Maggiore. This also makes picking the valley for the Simplon pass for your return journey potentially hazardous. The valley just before, and the one just after, are dead ends and you would need to climb above 13,000’ to clear the ridges.
Leaving Italy, the valley for Simplon seems to be a dead end with a conical, symmetrical mountain at the end of it, below the higher peaks – you fly towards this and then the pass switches back to the west.
My advice on Simplon get used to it in CAVOK.
Plan B is to avoid the mountains via Geneva, Grenoble, and Nice.
Nice is a bit complicated and you need to fly quite low over the sea – perhaps less than optimal? Besides, it is quite out of the way. Depending on weather you could perhaps, after Grenoble, find a pass you can scale – I heard recommendations for the Col du Mont Cénis, among fliers of low-performance planes. But of course itt all depends on the weather.
Hello Urs,
well, I’m headed to ZRH in about 15 minutes from Bern, but today on a tight schedule. In any case – absolutely lets meet up some time, why not! Wouldn’t mind a first-hand look at your Mooney. 
One in five for CAVOK, so if I allow myself 5 days, I get a 100% chance! Ah d*, something wrong with that logic..
Patrick,
well, I am based at ZRH, so if you plan to come, let me know. I’d be very happy to meet you, GA inbound or not.
CAVOK in April, yea it is possible. Chances are about one in five I’d reckon.
Is CAVOK as you describe it realistic at the beginning of April or wishful thinking?
It’s possible at any time
Bern is better if you have work there anyway, but ZRH is feasible, but expensive.
The choice for ZRH would be an emotional one because the friend I’d be taking over the Alps and I both fly in and out of ZRH quite a lot on airlines and it would be fun to experience the airport from a first-person perspective.
For a first alpine crossing, I would want CAVOK conditions over the alps, that is no clouds below about 18000 ft MSL and very good visibility.
It’s not the first alpine crossing. I’ve done two crossings (well, round trip) last year, although in Austria (Eastern part) with less intimidating terrain tops. In that case, we had “CAVOK” above, but we were VFR over the top at 10.500 ft. max.
Is CAVOK as you describe it realistic at the beginning of April or wishful thinking?
Let us know once here, I am sure we can organise an impromptu EuroGA coffee meet… or a formation Alpine fly-over (now that is an idea…
That sounds good!
In fact, I’m already here. I’m in Bern every other week these days, but usually coming in on AB or 4U flights. Monday morning I spent 5 hours in the cabin of a fully packed AirBerlin A321 waiting initially for EDDH to re-open after it snowed, then for a new slot from Eurocontrol I suppose (not that I know much about the system) and then for LSZH to re-open, then for de-icing. Fun.
