Hi there you wrote "..IGN, SOME CALL IT .. ICAO-charts" the 1:500'000 charts ARE the ICAO chart. ICAO is the only and single official source. You want to fly in eastern region. But didn't mention where. The french Eastern boarder covers more then a half of continent and crosses at least 3 completely different meterologic zones. From about Maastricht /Strassbourg on down direction sout there is the Alsace, a mountainous region. Furter down southward is the Jura, from Basel to Geneva. Attention: crossing boarders needs a vfr flightplan! Don't do it accidentally. Beyound geneva then begins the french or western alps with montains up to 15'000 ft and winds often up to 65 kts. I know the aerea very well . It is a bad idea to do VFR in the Alps , the Jura or the Alsace. The conditions for light aircraft are fundamental different then in the plateau.
Correction: It is a bad idea to go vfr with only 1:1'000'000 or "sectional" charts. And without meteo consultation. Please respect METAR / TAF and our system called GAFOR. In the Alps it is strongly recommended to file vfr flight plans due to higher risks
Sorry, but still one remark: When I was crossing the alps, I was often detecting GPS Failures or missplaced positions up to 1 NM! This is due to few sigth to satellites wenn you fly down a valley at say 12'000 ft witch climps left and rhigt up to 14'000. Then you have plainty of signal reflections that erreonouses your GPS. I flew with Garmin 550, Garmin96C and built in King. All 3 have been wrong the same time. So: visual orientation!!!!
When I was crossing the alps, I was often detecting GPS Failures or missplaced positions up to 1 NM! This is due to few sigth to satellites wenn you fly down a valley at say 12'000 ft witch climps left and rhigt up to 14'000. Then you have plainty of signal reflections that erreonouses your GPS
I can believe that, but presumably when doing that sort of flying, you should
I have crossed the Alps many times but always well above the terrain; usually FL160-190. There was just 1 exception, when I flew with an experienced local pilot, Wangen-Lachen to Sion. Very scenic!
It is a bad idea to do VFR in the Alps
I would not agree with that statement as written. You just need to pick a day with decent weather and low winds.
The winds should be evident from the MSLP charts.
I have done a number of Alps crossings VFR, before I got the IR in 2006. The biggest problem by far with those were ATC restrictions, with the classic one being Swiss ATC not allowing VFR in their Class C, whose base is FL130, so you are flying only ~1000ft above some of the terrain. It is very scenic indeed
but you really must have as little wind as possible and I would say below 10kt. And obviously no cloud cover.
Swiss ATC not allowing VFR in their Class C
I never had that problem, they always let me fly as high as I wanted - but my ceiling is ~F150
The bigger problem was that on the italian side they wanted you to loose ~10000ft within a few miles; but that seems to have gotten better too lately.
Sounds like that policy has changed, which is good. It was completely stupid to keep traffic down to FL129 when there was so obviously nothing in the 15000+ feet of airspace above.
I suggest everybody who thinks that flying in the Alps is difficult or dangerous to take a course. Most flying schools in the area offer such courses.
It is not difficult at all. Austrians and Swiss pilots fly VFR in the valleys all the time. Flying low in the Alps is much more interesting than flying at FL150. One reason for flying through the valleys is actually a cloud cover. And the 10kt wind restriction would be very limiting, wind usually isn't an issue unless it's a special type of wind that would create strong downdrafts or turbulence at the ridges. When there is an updraft, there is a downdraft, know that and you're safe.
The accidents that happen in the Alps are typically with pilots from the flatlands that think they can apply their normal procedures at DA 6000ft in a C172 at MTOW.
And not having accurate GPS in the Alps must be a problem with your GPS. There is no such problem with a good GPS setup.
Swiss airspace is class C at FL130 only when the military are active otherwise its FL150. Usually it's no problem to be cleared into it. It's not like the Air Force is all over the place :-). We often cross Geneva TMA as well to hop over the Jura when it's cloudy. Re Italy, I found the Italians very accomodating as well when crossing from Switzerland to Italy at FL150 a bit east of Lugano - they told me I shouldn't be in class A flying VFR and I told them I was unable lower due cloud cover... I flew along an IFR route and they were happy with that and let me descend when able.
Flying in the Alps I've never had location errors neither with integrated GPS nor with ipad/skydemon.
I have been flying the Alps both VFR at FL150 with no problems in a PA28 and fly in the French Alps regularly in the Courchevel area. I really don't see the problem of flying in or over the Alps as opposed to flying elsewhere.
Fully agree. Why do so many people here share so little information about themselves through their profile? I am sure most of these people do not actually fly for a living therefore requiring to stay anonymous for that reason....
That statement about VFR flying in the Alps being dangerous sure was certainly, erm, unfortunate...but this, in connection with a completely empty profile sure raises doubts whether certain people actually have a pilot's license..
