I made an IFR training last week at 19:30Z from LFP (Pontoise) to LFOQ (Blois) with a GNSS approach at Blois followed by a missed approach procedure. Airport is in class G, ATS were closed for more than 5 hours, we were 1 h before sunshine (no use of PCL and STAP). Then no services used… unless GPS coordinates freely available on french AIS website.
At minimas (890 ft, 3kms of the threshold) I stopped the descent to fly the missed approached : I overfly the runway above 1000 ft.
The day after I was contacted by phone (found in FPL) by AD administration for an invoice for “the use of a GNSS” (7.32 € !). Seems that Blois as a right’s property on GPS coordinates… Be careful if you use “their” NDB or “their” waypoint (BARAX, BABOG, BALIV…), be careful if you transit and request to ATC local QHN … you could probably received an invoice !
Which you don’t have to pay as you did not agree to terms of use 
Obviously how do you know you have used their service? I would not be as sure as you as my GNSS aircraft equipment was switched off with CB pulled and no RT call were made…
We pay for such things in the UK when ATC is around and you get a decent service but nothing preventing you from flying in class G to down to 700ft & 3km as long as you are not talking to anyone but you should really listen 
You are not seriously considering paying that invoice are you?
Perhaps the US military should send them an invoice for the use of their GPS system!
You didn’t just use their GPS coordinates, you used an approach which was surveyed, designed, authorised… and all that cost them money. Isn’t that worth 7.32€ to you?
I see on their price list that go arounds are invoiced 50% of a landing fee. That’s the 7€, not much the approach.
I don’t remember any other french field asking money for go-arounds, but I may have missed one.
Let’s ask Boscopedia :)
denopa wrote:
Isn’t that worth 7.32€ to you?
I don’t mind paying when one receives a ‘service’ e.g. ATC; but if there is no interaction with anybody I would understand why people balk at a fee.
When I go to Calais [LFAC] I pay €10 for landing which includes as many Instrument Approaches in the day as I want.
[Sometimes, when there is no ATC, or the field is very quiet, they even wave the €10!]
Completely agree with Peter_G comment it is about the way how you get charge rather the amount itself…
Ibra wrote:
Completely agree with Peter_G comment it is about the way how you get charge rather the amount itself…
So how should the airport have done this better than calling the pilot?
I don’t know if this is an issue in France, but here in the UK any airport which did free IAPs got inundated with FTOs from many miles around going there, and taking up say a hour by going missed, doing the holds, doing it again, and then not contributing anything. This eventually led to most airports charging for approaches which don’t result in a landing. Nobody likes it, of course, but it was predictable.
