I think there is quite a difference if a type club
That must be the key point: a type specific club. You get a lot of automatic loyalty there. There was a recent Socata TB fly-out to a place in Hungary. That far out, I would not expect many (or any) to come, but they got a load of Brits too. None of them could have done it nonstop.
they are nearly all booked up before the year even starts
That’s why I fixed the venue for the May 2016 meet-up very early on, so people can put it into their diaries. And hopefully also the backup date, 2 weeks later.
I am sure it will be great. But I am still looking for ways to get more people to come along. S France is very accessible to just about everyone, which should help.
alioth wrote:
This was a lot easier for fly-ins when I lived in the United States. The answer to “Which airport is a good GA fuel stop or weather diversion” was nearly “virtually all of them”. It’s not quite so easy in Europe with some airports with short opening hours, bizarre bureaucratic practises (I really don’t want to end up at an airport where they insist on “Security” to find no one has seen an FAA pilot’s license before and holds me up for hours and tries to confiscate my water bottle, or wants printed flight plans etc), or unexpected and exorbitant fees.
This is one of the reasons why forums like EuroGA and PPL/IR are unvaluable in Europe. PPL/IR has a very nice section with airfield notes for airfields all over Europe.
I am organising my own personal fly-in to Vienna for New Year’s. Doing my own travel arrangements, planning my own route, fuel stops… Strasbourg, Salzburg, Linz(?) and Vienna. If the weather is really nice maybe I’ll make it into Zell am See. Don’t need COPA to do it for me 
I use the resources at hand: AIP, airfield web sites, PPL/IR airfield notes, Booking.com… And if I need more information I may even ask here what experience you guys have with LOWS, LOAV and LOWW.
I think that setting the date and location in advance is great, but I also think that providing more services is not really necessary.
I am not likely to go to LFMK due to the distance, unless I end up bumming a ride from someone, so my opinion is less relevant, but I was seriously considering LOWZ and LJPZ, both of which are much closer to where I’m sitting. I ended up not going, but had I went, I’d be all over the forum asking for advice and validation of my preparations. I actually would NOT want a “briefing pack” or whatnot, for me a big part of the fun is getting ready for the trip and doing it right, myself.
So, in summary, I think you’re doing it just right.
tmo wrote:
I am not likely to go to LFMK due to the distance, unless I end up bumming a ride from someone
I’m so sorry! That is 845 NM as the crow flies, right through the Alps… I can see how that is an expedition. To me that would be like going to a fly-in organised by LeSving at ENVA, but without the Alps. On the US west coast it is equivalent to the distance from Santa Barbara to Vancouver. I think that Graz might be a good venue for a future fly-in and that should be more doable for you, tmo.
Unfortunately I won’t be going to LOWZ because I just realised the runway is only 660 m which is a little bit on the short side for my 515 m ground roll… Another time with another plane.
I agree with comments above re: Cirrus and other type group flight-ins: they have different motivations. I would go to type-specific event because of the aircraft specific know-how and resources.
EUROGA’s fly-ins seem quite different. I really wanted to go to Portoroz/Brac/Athens, but work and family duties stopped me. I am now determined to go to Carcassone. The motivation is: PEOPLE and perhaps also the interesting GA-specific know how, which so much vibrates in this forum / and a fly-in is a really good opportunity to make good use of somebody else’s efforts in doing the (time consuming) destination research. The efforts already made are more than enough. All I would need to do is to file my own flight plan and to book a hotel where everybody else is staying or nearby. No need to do more to motivate me more.
Would I pay? If the fee is reasonable, why not. Would it make me more likely to come? Probably not: If the fee is reasonable, and I would have to cancel for some reason, I would do it anyway. If the fee is not reasonable to lose it on cancellation, I would not pay it until the last moment anyway, so the motivation factor is not there.
I have tried to do a couple of fly-ins and formation trainings in the offline world and gave up. Now I just tell friends when I am flying and where and it works equally well / and I am less frustrated when people don’t show-up. As an extra motivation factor for the next fly-in, I would suggest that I convince a friend of mine, who is a professional aircraft photographer, to fly with me… and you can imagine the rest of the story. If nobody comes, we will have a nice weekend in Carcassone, anyway.
I think a big factor are mountains. Well they are for me. We have a large range of equipment and licences on this forum, right from FL400 down to 500ft AGL, and that means it is very rare that we could all make it to every fly in. Put aside I lost quite a few weekends of flying this year to a vibration issue that still isn’t completely resolved, I wouldn’t cross the Alps unless the weather was absolutely guaranteed. Again not through fear or angst for my flying abilities, but that I need to get home to work etc, and I can’t guarantee that I can fly over the top. I would have to, in most alpine areas, fly the valleys. One thing I am not a fan if is “get-there-itis”; most of us fly for fun not necessity.
So I wouldn’t like to pay up front for a fly in, unless I could guarantee getting there by other transport means. Could be train, car, lift from an IR pilot etc (but only if it’s not VFR flying weather). I plan to come to the fly in next May, for me I can route without mountains, so therefore can expect the weather to be more stable.
In terms of answering the question, I don’t think there is one answer because we all have different aircraft, equipment and flying experience. I echo Jason’s suggestion for a forum for those who are going and then individual requests for help can made and specific relevant advice can be given, from formalities right through to accommodation recommendations.
italianjon I think you meant 501 feet
Italjon wrote:I think a big factor are mountains.
I could not agree more. Especcially VFR. I looked at some data recently as part of a project and I got a maximum of around 30% of days where alpine crossings are possible VFR. IFR it depends on the equipment. With normal SEP s I’d think about 40% in non turbo planes and 60% in turbos. FIKI would maybe add another 10% or so. If you really want to cross the alps often I think the bottom line is a Semeca 2 or higher. Sure Malibus or SET will do that too.
So for me, I stopped planning flights across the alps in my plane as with the time constrainzs I have they mostly wont happen. I did a personal stat last year and on my off duty days the alps were crossable on exactly 3 days in 2014. In 2015 it would have been more, but you can not know that when you plan your vaccations often 2-3 years ahead of time…
My experience is a lot higher than 30%, but it depends on how high you can go and what your attitude is to flying above an overcast.
I have often crossed the Alps in VMC but at FL140-190. And that isn’t possible (well, IME, 2005 and before) from the Swiss side, due to Zurich not allowing VFR in their FL130-base Class C. If you go via Austria and then NE Italy, you avoid that issue.
RobertL18C wrote:
italianjon I think you meant 501 feet
Really? You leave a whole 12 inches margin? 
I wore a black armband the day Blighty adopted SERA, I always wanted to do the mach loop in my europa.
@Mooney, yes! All I want is to know that I can get home after the flyin. I don’t mind flying MVFR, except when there are hard rocky bits hiding in clouds…. Upgrade plan, mode s, 8.33, then convince europaxs to sell me his turbo Rotax and over the top becomes an option
