This was a mini meet-up, sort of replacing the LECD one which got moves several times due to wx and eventually got dropped. So several of us decided to salvage something out of it 
There was an unusual gap in the November wx:
for the planned route
Normally I use windy.com and this showed that the day after the wx was going to get bad again. Tafs and Metars were ok
EGKK 110650Z 20009KT 160V230 9999 FEW015 BKN030 14/12 Q1025
EGKA: no results found
EGHI 110650Z 20011KT 9999 FEW016 BKN028 15/12 Q1024
EGHH 110650Z 21011KT 9999 FEW018 BKN022 15/12 Q1024
LFMP 110700Z AUTO 23006KT CAVOK 11/07 Q1029 BECMG BKN013 OVC026
LFMT 110700Z AUTO 03009KT CAVOK 13/09 Q1031 TEMPO BKN014
LFMU 110700Z AUTO 05007KT 9999 BKN016 BKN021 BKN031 14/11 Q1030 TEMPO OVC012
EGKK 110501Z 1106/1212 20010KT 9999 SCT020 PROB30 TEMPO 1106/1109 BKN014 PROB40 TEMPO 1109/1121 BKN010 BECMG 1121/1124 14004KT TEMPO 1121/1124 8000 BKN007 TEMPO 1200/1210 4000 BR BKN004 PROB30 1200/1209 0300 FG VV///
EGKA 110155Z 1103/1112 21015KT 9999 SCT020 TEMPO 1103/1112 21018G28KT
EGHI 110625Z 1106/1115 19012KT 9999 SCT015 PROB30 TEMPO 1106/1115 20015G27KT BKN014
EGHH 110654Z 1106/1115 19012KT 9999 SCT020 PROB30 TEMPO 1106/1115 20015G27KT BKN014
LFMP 110200Z 1103/1203 VRB04KT 9999 BKN013 OVC026 BECMG 1110/1112 10010KT -RA OVC007 TEMPO 1112/1203 4000
LFMT 110200Z 1103/1203 03010KT 9999 SCT026 BKN040 TEMPO 1104/1112 BKN014 BECMG 1112/1114 03005KT CAVOK
LFMU 110200Z 1103/1203 07010KT 9999 BKN020 TEMPO 1103/1203 OVC012
Note the extremely unusual 0155 UTC TAF at EGKA. Thread.
Nice departure wx. It was an IFR flight but going straight to London Control gets you sent all over the place so nowadays I just depart OCAS, 5000ft, later climbing FL070, and fly straight to France and call up Paris Info for the IFR clearance. This time I never got “IFR starts [time]” but the wx was fine at FL070 so I didn’t worry about it. Probably a bad move because while ATC look after you re CAS they don’t do so for military airspace on VFR flights! Later ATC asked me if I was VFR or IFR and I replied I asked for an IFR clearance some time back. Later they came back saying I am actually IFR already and there was a problem in their system.
Nice winter photos
Cloud layer perfectly aligned with the N French coast – thread
Flow totaliser forecasting landing with 37 USG which is loads – more than 3hrs’ reserve. There was a constant 20-30kt headwind
France gets more scenic after the first 200-300 miles
The instrument approach (GPS RWY 12) was in IMC. I got some fun stuff there. I flew all the way at FL070 and earlier ATC asked me whether I am visual with the ground. I said Yes but ahead is cloud and I will be above it. No idea if he actually understood this. Then I got a shortcut to a waypoint partway down the IAP, MT505, for which there was no published profile, so I asked him whether he will give me descent instructions. He thought about it for a bit and told me to go back and fly the original full procedure It’s a great example of the pilot being responsible for obstacle clearance (unless vectored). I may not have hit any rocks but who knows?
Then I got sent to GIGNA, presumably for the hold while some airliner was coming in, but I got a DCT to elsewhere before entering the hold, and this time I was happy with the obstacle clearance. I have the video and the sound track (but need a new conversion program written to generate the SRT subtitles from the ex-Foreflight track log (KML)) which I will produce when I get time.
Now visual
Fuel turned up quick. LFMT is a slightly funny place. It has a great reputation for a no-hassle airport, with great opening hours, and is one of the very few French airports which have no crazy 24hr/48hr PN for customs/immigration but this is true only if you do not do the “right thing” and try to get your passport stamped, because the police are nowhere to be seen and usually the GA terminal is totally deserted – here
Parked and ready to go. As per the above link, the GA terminal was dark and empty and you just walk straight through to the taxi rank outside, to make a very generous donation to the French taxi industry, around €35 (€45 on Sundays) for a 15 min ride
There is a lot of great food. I am mostly plant-based (almost no meat or dairy) but could not resist getting a photo of this work of art
Montpellier has tons of great architecture and generally things to photograph
The medical school
The botanic gardens were good
although this telescope had not been used since Newton (I mean the French equivalent of Newton )
The day of return. Two others had Rotax powered planes and here is a very nice one
Aart’s one is built to an unusually high standard
Return wx was still good – departing straight to FL100. With tailwind it is better to fly as high as possible (usually).
Being Sunday, I thought the French military might be inactive so I said this to ATC and asked for this huge shortcut to KOVAK, and got it!
The N French coast
Finally, home at EGKA
Unusually, the bad wx is slower turning up, so the day after is still OK. I almost never do a trip which is boxed-in by bad wx, with zero extra days left for a delayed return, because usually these go badly wrong. This time it was OK. This was the forecast for the day after
and this is the actual (today)
Outbound from Flightaware
and return
The return wind was between a few kt of headwind and 15kt of tailwind – exactly as forecast by windy.com.
It was a super trip. Thanks to the others for coming; we had a great time and great laughs
It’s nice you met at least, location is of less importance although it would be nice to hike around LECD area.
Your French anti-Newton is probably Cassini
Thanks for the photos – the architecture in Montpellier really is nice.
I guess my life was a little easier on a simple VFR trip from the South.
Just after ‘coasting in’ 
crossing the Spanish/French border:
Descended to 1000 ft for a nice stroll along the coast. Several VFR traffic doing the same, but ATC (Montpellier info) did a good job alerting:
Approaching Montpellier, tower asked me which runway I would prefer. I really wanted to say ‘well, the cheapest one of course’ but bit off my tongue just in time. Just to learn, do French controllers like a bit of humor? It really varies per country..
Peter posted nice pictures of the lovely and lively town, and we had a nice time.
Followed the exact same route going back. Wx was quite different. Some quite low clouds below a sharp inversion layer, especially near Perpignan, and a high layer of clouds. In between as crystal clear air as it gets..
Perpignan area:
The area of the the French/Spanish border:
Approaching home. I had the island in slight the whole way from the mainland:
This is what you can expect from my aircraft. 105-110 KTAS at around 5 USG/hr of mogas. 31 gal useable, so 6 hours until empty tanks. Of course sitting for 4-6 hours is not what one wants, but I have to say that the cabin is very quiet, the seats are ergonomical and there is enough wiggle room to be able to pee. I personally won’t do more than 3,5 hours:
There was nobody to be found to pay the landing fees. So I mailed them and they thanked me and would send the invoice by mail. Let’s see.. I still have one yet to be received from Avignon since this summer.
Lovely photos Aart I could improve my Lightroom skills…
@Antonia: It’s the oil tank.
You have to take of the cap for checking the oil level:
- remove cap;
- turn the prop until you hear the gurgling sound (dry sump lubrication);
- check the oil level with the oil stick which is below the cap;
- put the cap on the oil tank again.
I put the cap on the wing walk, so hardly any risk that I will forget.
Here is a video of the flight EGKA-LFMT
