This was a little meet-up. Arranged at a short notice, as a replacement for Caen where we had a bit of a problem 
Currently EBOS does not accept light GA except at weekends. No idea why:
A0546/22
ONLY COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT ALLOWED. NO TRAINING FLIGHTS ALLOWED. NO
GENERAL AVIATION FLIGHTS BELOW 2T MTOW ALLOWED DUE TO WIP.
SCHEDULE: MON-FRI 0600-1000 1030-1430
FROM: 01 MAR 2022 11:00 TO: 25 MAR 2022 14:30
I am trying to work out how to use Foreflight. If/when the Autorouter is no longer available, the options are rather poor. I tried to do the flight “UK OCAS” i.e. about 5000ft and then get a clearance into CAS at KONAN. FF did manage to generate that route
EGKA SHM NIVKO KONAN MADUX EBOS
and it filed it. I got the email ack. There is no tracking link, unlike you get with the AR, but people can track you with Flightaware etc.
For the return route, FF could not produce anything meaningful (except pure VFR)
so after about half an hour I gave up and did it with the AR. EBOS KOK VFR LYD EGKA. This is still VFR for most of the distance but at least you get an IFR departure at EBOS.
One could have done this all-VFR but the vis was so bad on this flight that for most of it I saw almost nothing out of the window, so an IFR arrival was highly desirable just in case it was bad near the airport.
To be honest I am still struggling with FF and its somewhat bizzare user interface. You can develop a flight for say 5000ft, then it asks you if you want to adjust to the recommended 6000ft, and if you do, the Map still shows the profile view at 3000ft which you were playing with earlier… A key discovery is that the different functions are not joined-up, and it uses the Send To button to join them up
The outbound flight was in thick haze. For the entry to Belgian CAS, I asked Lille initially since I was flying very close to their airspace, but they didn’t have my flight plan so didn’t offer a service. They gave me the frequency for Ostende, which I already had as the Approach, and that worked from a long way out – probably about 40nm and well before KONAN.
The controller was extremely relaxed. I said 7000 VFR, request IFR clearance and vectors to ILS 08. The reply (at KONAN) was just “IFR, cleared for the ILS” and then some headings. Just amazing Well, that is how it should be.
Parked on the vast apron
Nice lounge You expect that with all the bizjets
The beach, and a walkabout
Apparently this chap owned the Congo, until some trouble started down there and then he donated it to Belgium
No idea what these signify? Perhaps the state of European politics?
The Mangerie restaurant. Posh and definitely reassuringly expensive
First time I saw a shop dedicated to CV19 masks They must find business hard now that the crisis is over.
Going back. My TB20 parked next to Lionel’s speed machine
Lots of haze again but a great flight. Again, super relaxed ATC. Got a KOK4S departure and a DCT KONAN really soon.
EBOS is a great experience as a well run airport, with everybody really friendly – including the police
Peter wrote:
To be honest I am still struggling with FF and its somewhat bizzare user interface. You can develop a flight for say 5000ft, then it asks you if you want to adjust to the recommended 6000ft, and if you do, the Map still shows the profile view at 3000ft which you were playing with earlier… A key discovery is that the different functions are not joined-up, and it uses the Send To button to join them up
I find this to be a benefit, as I have my flight as filed/planned in the flights tab, but I can mess around with it all I want in the maps tab. This is especially useful if you have a FlightStream where you’re syncing up with your panel. You can send the initial plan to the panel, then keep it in sync with the map as ATC routes you in real time. This happens both ways (I like making enroute changes in FF but dialing in procedures on the 530).
A day trip to Ostende looks a lot like a day trip to Le Touquet
