Hello all,
having returned from a 2 days trip to the German North Sea Coast yesterday evening this thread seems to be a good opportunity for a first post. Bosco is absolutely right, these islands are beautiful and worth a visit. My home base is EDTM (near Friedrichshafen EDNY). From there it was a 3 hours trip to Wilhelmshaven EDWI in a C172. EDWI may be also a good base for day trips, having an IFR approach. For lunch we went on to Norderney (EDWY) and then back to EDWI for the night. Yesterday morning we departed for a visit to Helgoland (EDXH) and in the afternoon we flew back home. Something to consider when planning are the opening hours. Many but not all airfields on the East Frisian islands have a lunch time break of about 1,5 or 2 hours.
During August we are regularly in East Frisia for holiday. I would be happy to accompany any English only pilot for a day trip to the islands out of one of the English speaking airports around (Wilhelmshaven EDWI, Emden EDWE).
Greetings,
Fabian
I landed at Wangerooge speaking English only 3-4 years ago. I did call the FISO first to check. Of course things may have changed? It would be a big shame if German only is being enforced in the same way as FR Seulement in France.
Anyway, thanks for the excellent report!
PS they all have ferry terminals, hence the miniature railway on Wangerooge. I dont know where they go and Nordholz is on the wrong side of the Estuary. Routing via Texel is a way to clear Schengen at a very nice airport on the way.
Aveling wrote:
Routing via Texel is a way to clear Schengen at a very nice airport on the way.
I thought there was no immigration at Texel, only customs?
I made a stop in Borkum in 1991, on the way home after a family vacation in the UK. Well, family at that point was me, my wife (also PPL) and a toddler in a pram.
It amazing how much easier international flights (and travel in general) have become. At that time there was no Schengen, no Euro and credit cards were not in common use. We got a shock when we realised that no ATMs and almost no hotels, shops or restaurants in Borkum would accept VISA or Mastercard – only some German charge card and occasionally American Express which we didn’t have). We had limited cash – enough for a night in a hotel, but not to refuel the aircraft so the next day saw a short flight to an airport on the mainland that would accept carnets. On the other hand, Borkum airport must have had immigration then as we arrived directly from Ostend (EBOS). EDIT: Checking again, I see that we did not fly straight from Ostend but via another airport in Germany.
Looking in my old logbook, I read a note I made of the first domestic flight in the UK (EGKB – EGLS), “English style uncontrolled IFR — ouch”. 
jgmusic wrote:
I thought there was no immigration at Texel, only customs?
I think ‘customs’ is a generic phrase. I’ve landed and departed there many times direct UK. Once the Dutch customs did insist on meeting me – did I mind waiting? – they had to come by boat from the mainland, glanced momentarily at my passport, exchanged a few pleasantries and sailed away. A nice afternoon out.
If in doubt, give Texel a ring.
Many German airports have Immigration “on request” but not so many have Customs.
Post-brexit, UK pilots will need both.
“Customs” is used internationally to mean an airport capable of international traffic. It is like “Port of Entry”. It is only in Europe (due to schengen) where some countries separate the two.
Regarding taking a chance of flying to a DE-only airport but not speaking German, I am sure that phoning ahead and checking is a good procedure. Germans will know best what is likely to work, of course. However, all it takes is somebody filing a complaint and a letter will go back to your home CAA, with a request to prosecute. Not sure I would risk it myself, due to the new UK hit-them-hard policy According to this post by a senior UK ATC guy the UK has an agreement with Germany on this stuff.
Got it. Sorry, this has indeed been covered before. The pre/post-Brexit realities are becoming a blur… in every way
Just a short question. On “German only” fields, do you use the German phonetic alphabet also ?
Just a short question. On “German only” fields, do you use the German phonetic alphabet also ?
No. Most German pilots use the “NATO Alphabet”, as it is called, even in German RT.
Generally East Frisians are very relaxed and on several airfields you will be fine even when speaking only English. For Leer-Papenburg EDWF I’m sure all Flugleiter speak English.
jgmusic wrote:
I thought there was no immigration at Texel, only customs?
Know some friends just did a recent fly-in this Jul9 from Stapleford, so “customs only” seems to work 
Peter wrote:
However, all it takes is somebody filing a complaint and a letter will go back to your home CAA
The complaint letter will be in German anyway
