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Padova LIPU

After a 1.5 year flying hiatus, and a one-hour checkout in a DR400 on Monday, I thought what could be a better idea than to spontaneously pack up and leave on a simple trip from Mulhouse-Habsheim (yes, where the 320 crashed on the demo flight) across the Gotthard to Padova.

Padova requires 3h PN for EU flights to Customs and Polizia di Stato (State Police) – the addresses can be found on the relevant notam. Yes you can discuss the whys and hows, but that’s how it is and all ot takes is an email… anyone having crossed the US border and done the GA eApis, Customs call with ID code and secret handshake will know there are more ominous things out there.

Almost had a gotcha on departure when the simultaneous dealing with a 1000ft BKN ceiling, a new (to me) transponder and the radio with Basel Info to open the flight plan got me, ahem, flustered. Mulhouse-Habsheim is nestled between Basel International (and adjoining CTR/TMA) and the Fesselheim nuclear power plant. Screw up one way or the other and you will get either shot down or flown into…

Fed up with my failure to respond to “What are your intentions” in an accurate manner (mea culpa) Basel Info decided I was going to cross Zurich areas and promptly passed me over (sans opening the flight plan as required per border crossing rules…).

Zurich couldn’t care less and once VFR on top my radio skills had also noticeably improved (… ) and I was allowed to go on my merry way initially below TMA at 5500 then higher all the way to the Gotthard. Got cleared “your discretion to FL130” but with a 160hp engine my discretion stopped at about 9000 feet…

Crystal-clear Alps, no turbulence, despite a 8 point QNH difference between North and South.

Milano was equally non-plussed by the absence of a flight plan and asked for route and FIR boundary report. Padova Info also provided good flight following and para dropzone deconfliction advance warnings, so all in all very good service.

Padova AFIS was most helpful, and asked in advance if I would like to fuel up, which they organised upon arrival.

My email to the authorities resulted in two policemen being present, one checked my passport over the phone with Big Brother, the other one shooting the breeze with me while waiting. I have to say that despite my pidgin italian (and wrong kind of Eastern EU passport), they were most courteous to me. They did ask to check the bags, but again very polite.

The fuel/ramp employees fueled me up, and got my bag inside while I was repositioning the plane from pump to parking.

Two days parking works out to 45 EUR (cheaper than a car park downtown). Don’t know whether the landing fee is included in the 45, but nobody came running after me.

And of course, there is food and art galore in Padova… so can only encourage you to brave the Gotthard and the 3h PN challenge :-)

Great.

Just a small point: an enroute ATC or FIS unit will never know (nor are they interested) if a VFR FPL has been activated or not. First of all, most enroute ATCOs or FISOs in western Europe don’t even receive / have immediate access to VFR flightplans. But even if they did, they would not see whether it has been activated or not. Nor do they care. The VFR FPL acitivation only has SAR purposes – it starts a stopwatch at the ARO of departure. Nothing more.

Padova is nice. Short distances on the airport, quick turnarounds. Just need to pay attention to fog in the winter months.

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

I don’t know, but based on my experience with mostly French FISOs they seemed pretty well keyed in on handovers as to who i was and what i wanted :-)

This brings another question to mind. If you need a flight plan to cross borders (when I visited Michael’s shop they adamantly refused to let me move before the plan came in) but nobody sees it, what is the point of it?

The Scrovegni Chapel makes the trip worthwhile!

Tököl LHTL

boscomantico wrote:

Just a small point: an enroute ATC or FIS unit will never know (nor are they interested) if a VFR FPL has been activated or not.

Just another small point: this is not true as a blanket statement for Europe. Enroute FISOs in Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic (and probably many more countries, but I only know these) know and very much care about a VFR flightplan and its activation status.

Last Edited by JnsV at 15 Nov 12:05
Hajdúszoboszló LHHO

Please read. That’s why I wrote “most” and “western Europe”. And also in Italy.

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

Quick update on Padova from Easter Monday.

After a quick fuel stop in Zell (LOWZ) I climbed towards the Grossglockner and went along the pass there, which is the allowed “channel” through the Alpine nature reserve up to FL165.

After being getting touch with Padova Information and in cruise descent, I received advice that Treviso might want me at 2500ft or below – which turned out to be too cautious (later). Soon after they came back and gave me a clearance for both continued cruise descent and a direct from MALUG to VIC ;-) staying on their frequency.
Before VIC they handed me over to Treviso approach, whoc cleared me for a direct to LIPU and handed me quickly back to Padova Information.

Since it is a Monday, LIPU was A/A.
With a preferred landing on 04 and preferred departure on 22, and of course, one of the approx. 3 planes that day departing just when I arrived, there was actually some “see and avoid” accompanied by vhf.
Runway and taxiway are clean.

Landing is paid to the fireman on site. 15 EUR regardless of type and writing your details into the big book :-)
not sure how it is handled on other days. I saw and see no need for PNR when flying in within EU/Schengen, as I did.
Closed the FP after landing myself. On departure, Padova Information opened the FP for the return.

Still nice to go to and well worth a trip. Contrary to the airfield gradually eroding away, the town is very pretty.
And only 1/2hr walking distance.

Last Edited by ch.ess at 06 Apr 09:57
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EDM_, Germany
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