Hey everyone,
Me and a pilot friend are planning a trip this coming weekend in our club C172S, and we are looking for a bit of travel advice. We are departing from south Sweden (ESMI). The weather looks good in much of central/northern Europe so it seems VFR is doable (I have an IR but my friend does not).
Our plan is to depart Thursday towards Koblenz with a stop in Magdeburg for lunch and fuel. Koblenz is a scenic area and a good first stop that’s on the list of my pilot friend. From there we have three ideas, depending on weather and any advice from all you friendly forumites 
Would anyone advise against any of these destination? All advice and input is much appreciated. The most important is to go flying, a fantastic destination is a bonus
Thanks in advance everyone!
Caen does not require PN intra-Schengen (you can re-ask operations to confirm), D-day wing museum is worth a visit and it’s open all days 10am-6pm
PS: you still need 24H PPR for Caen anyway even for flight from Pontoise without even landing
I’ve flown in to Caen a few times and found it great. You can hire a car and then drive around the coast. The Mulberries are well worth a look as is the Pont Du Hoc and the gun emplacements which are still there. Go to Coalville to the American cemetery which is very moving indeed and a great museum. A lot of big history all along the coast.
All seem nice options to me.
From your location a trip to EBOS will be /could be a lot of coastal flying. For some it is a more interesting view from the cockpit. (Me included) But each to his own.
Wx may be more susceptible to changes along that coastline. Sometimes lots of low low cloud or fog, so do a couple of extra wx checks incase that would ruin your trip.
I can confirm a good experience at the airport.
We took the bus to the train station for the short train ride into Bruges and look forward to doing it again.
Son’t know how much parking they have but COPA will be in EBOS from 18-21 may.
So it might be a bit limited but i’m not sure.
The American WW2 museum at Caen is really good.
Thanks all for your advice, much appreciated!!
Also +1 for EBOS, and I would make time to also visit Ghent, which we enjoyed more than Bruges—unless your goal is to fill up on waffles and ice cream. Bruges is quaint but very touristy, whereas there’s more to do in Ghent. The castle/fortress in the city center is really interesting and worth a visit.
@Ibra where do you get your 24hr PPR for Caen from?
I have not long been there (about a month ago)and we didn’t PPR except as the VAC states
“Recommended for VFR flights not to cross overhead CNE except PPR tower 5 minutes prior to estimated overflight.”
Caen does get extra busy at the beginning and end of school holidays as students fly in from their schools and return after the holiday. It can quadruple and more the number of CAT flights on those days and getting fuel can be a bit slow.
Also make sure you have your pilot’s licence and ID card or passport with you to enter and leave the airport.
NOTAM.
