KPAO (Palo Alto) ticked all the boxes for me but sadly it’s a long way away now.
15 mins drive from home is just a dream in Europe – though KPAO was. As airports go, LFMD (Cannes Mandelieu) is OK. It’s 30-35 minutes away except in the morning rush hour, open 24×7, has an OK approach (860 feet minima so not ideal). Too big for a real social scene, but it has a good restaurant overlooking the apron. Landing charges are pretty reasonable – around €30 iirc, and no mandatory handling. Otoh I’m paying a large-ish fortune for hangar space, and the waiting list for the airport hangars is about 10 years.
And as places to live go, the Cote d’Azur has a lot to be said for it – though cheap housing isn’t one of them.
open 24×7
Really? From AIP Cannes:
Outside ATS SKED :
- aerodrome is closed during night time
It closes at 8pm or SS+30, while you can still have access to your expensive hangar :). On the morning, you can TO at SR-30 uncontrolled until the tower opens at 8am. Anyway IFR is not really a need in regards to airfields of northern Europe.
One good aspect for fuel reserve is that LFMN (as alternate) is just 15 minutes IFR long, has 2 runways of 2km+, ILS with 200ft minima, and very well equipped to suck out your money.
I would have to choose where I am based or one of the airfields within 15min of here.
LFFK 960m tarmac and also parallel 960m grass.
Take off and land from 30min before dawn to 30min after dusk. Otherwise no restriction on access to your aircraft.
No landing fees, no parking fees. Hangarage available at around 1800€ p.a.
Good maintenance companies on site.
RNP/GPS approach down to 600ft.
Could do night landings but would have to arrange your own lights or do a deal with the town hall.
10 mins from my home by car. No car parking charges. Friendly people usually willing to lend hand.
3 other airfields within 10 min flight or 45mins by car each having night facilities and Avgas and JetA.
One has ILS and 2 LPV approaches the other 2 are LNAV/GNSS.
Landing fees at all 3 are under 30€
C+I is possible at all 3 with prior notice, or by prior arrangement.
Disadvantage for some is that calls in the circuit at LFFK are in French only.
Being able to use a freelance mechanic roughly halves maintenance costs, so a factor in choosing is whether the airfield politics allows working in the hangar.
This factor also has a dramatic impact on downtime.
Niort LFBN is also well equipped with cheap parking, AFIS, 1700m runway and RNP. I have been there to see an airplane just after Christmas. Weather sucked but it was a nice and problem-free airfield.
Yes LFBN Niort is also a great airfield at which to be based. I don’t know the cost of hangarage there or landing fees. IIRC it was around 5€. I used to be based there and know a number of the people who are members of a club for collectors aircraft.
It’s a bit further from me as it’s south of the town and is a 20 to 30 minute drive.
@Peter you.can work on your own aircraft with or without freelancers at any of the airfields around here. We have even borrowed tools and bought a few litres of oil from the maintenance companies.
They buy the oil by the barrel and then charge us the wholesale rate. Saves quite a bit on an oil change🙂
I don’t know of an airfield in France, even one with one or more maintenance companies on site, which stop you from working on your own plane.
I don’t know if there are any such restrictions at the more expensive airfields in France, such as Cannes LFMD.
greg_mp wrote:
that LFMN (as alternate) is just 15 minutes IFR long
Aren’t you turned away from there because of the A320s landing every 2 minutes ?
Aren’t you turned away from there because of the A320s landing every 2 minutes ?
Traffic at LFMN is very bursty. Sometimes it’s almost LHR-like. Other times nothing happens for 15 minutes or more. The other day we ate lunch sitting on the Promenade facing the final approach, and there was just one movement the whole time. When it’s quiet, they’re pretty cooperative. I once got cleared for and did a low pass along the runway in a helicopter.
I’ve never tried to do an approach there though. Maybe greg_mp has.
