All,
I floated an idea with Peter, maybe a few months ago now, about a Euroga fly-in. This is to canvass for opinion on two questions: -
1) Is there interest for a Euro wide fly-in? 2) Potential locations?
In terms of location, I did a completely random and unscientific browse through the forums to get a feel of where people are based. As a starter my very rough exercise gave me the feel that there is a fairly even spread through Europe; with possibly a bias towards the northern EU states. As a result of this my gut feeling is to offer the suggestion of a location to start the debate as somewhere in the circle described by 140NM from Ramstein in Germany... This is roughly a radius Ramstein to Reims, and how i came up with the 140 figure.
So what do you all think?
Yes I am certainly interested.
And my first choice would be Dahlemer Binz: has a good hard runway, fuel, good radio, modest landing fee, an acceptable and inexpensive restaurant, even a couple of hotel rooms.
On the negative side the place is quite busy with gliders and parajumpers, but both are organised so as to not interrupt or hinder motor flying.
At second thoughts, Trier-Föhren is much the same, and I hear the same about Koblenz. This last one seems to offer spectacular sights, on top.
I think we need
Customs (for visitors from UK, Switzerland, Croatia)
Avgas
An IAP
and an alternate with an ILS from which one can easily travel to the original airport via bus/train.
For myself, anywhere within 700nm of Shoreham EGKA but I am sure most would like it a lot closer.
I agree with Peter and a similar distance would work for me so long as it has customs so I could do it in one leg.
Sorry to disagree: it would be VERY hard to find a place that has both an instrument approach and accepts microlights. So we will have to exclude either the one or the other. Now in case of adverse weather, how many would still come? Three cups of tea for the instrument rated few and all the others sulking at their home a/d? Do we really want to favour a handful of IR-pilots, by excluding the (possibly more numerous) microlighters?
And even if we find that rarest of fields that does have ILS and does accept microlights, its fees are likely to be high. Seen from my point of view, the landing fee might well correspond to the cost of fuel for an hour's flying (+/- 25 euro), which I think very expensive. Of course that is only how I see it.
Sure, but the cost for those coming from further away will vastly exceed the landing fee. If there is somewhere with a €25 fee but that accommodates everyone, would that not be a good outcome?
And I think Peter was suggesting an ILS at an alternate nearby in case the weather was off, not that the airfield itself has an ILS.
Well, yes, but I still have to see such a place to be found. Saint Yann in Burgundy might be one, but I am far from sure it meets the other criteria.
If there is somewhere with a €25 fee but that accommodates everyone, would that not be a good outcome?
EDTY ;-) (ILS, Customs, AVGAS, Microlights, good Hotels and Restaurants not too far away)
One would obviously cancel a fly-in if the wx was obviously going to be sub-VFR, but an IFR-capable airfield is desirable for those arriving via an IFR route, otherwise one ends up scud running (or doing some DIY letdown) to get in. The enroute radar controller will vector you only down to his MVA, which may be well above the cloudbase (below which VFR flight may be perfectly possible, for those who stayed below the cloud the whole time). It's one thing doing this off Shoreham over the sea, but...
However if most took the view that a €25 landing fee is too much, that probably rules out most Customs airfields.
St Yan LFLN has no Customs anymore. Nothing down there has Customs.
