I wonder who else might turn up? I would do Sat/Mon.
Airplanes are like women, once they turn 35, you realize that there are certain advantages in having a younger model
Tsk, please don’t dent my high opinion of an intelligent man such as yourself, achimha! 
Let me drag this thread (kicking and screaming ) back on topic.
Elba?
Doing a day trip to Colmar tomorrow, if you wanted to break the journey and clear schengen.
I have only the Saturday available, so it would have to be a day return for me. Colmar at the very most, and only if wx is perfect. Which it doesn’t look like: little if any wind but low cloud, at least around here. How’s about Calais LFAT? Not sufficiently exciting, perhaps, to some.
As for the little riddle: I think I could name an aerodrome on a smaller island AND more northerly than LIRJ, yet in Italy. And, though I’ve never been there, I have every confidence there are restaurants of quite high level within walking distance.
The island is confermed by the fuel price.
If i am not busy on Saturday I might fly up and say hello.
If you are an AOPA member you can ask for a discount on airport fees.
Can make the trip but have to return on the Sunday.
I think I could name an aerodrome on a smaller island AND more northerly than LIRJ, yet in Italy.
Venezia Lido. I have been there ( but with the boat, the aeroplane was at Venezia tessera airoprt ) in a beautiful hotel once (Villa Mabapa). Unfortunately, it only has a grass runway…
Due to various complications, if I go to Elba it won’t be Saturday but might be Sunday+Monday.
The data I have is 2hrs PNR for Customs but presumably if I do a stop in France that doesn’t matter and one can just turn up.
I will try to call them later (can’t speak a word of Italian) but is there anything special I should know about Elba – other than that it doesn’t have an ILS ?
Is the parking surface reasonable? It must be for bizjets but many airports push piston GA off somewhere else…
Due to various complications, if I go it won’t be Saturday but might be Sunday+Monday.
I will be there only between Saturday noon and four O’clock…
but is there anything special I should know about Elba – other than that it doesn’t have an ILS ?
VFR only, but you can fly “airways” till ELB VOR, which is slightly to the soutwest of the airfield and cancel there. Descending towards the west from there is safe, the first thing you are going to hit is Corsica. But my personal limit would be 2000ft overcast (legality of flying in IMC within uncontrolled airspace apart). If you approach form the north (runway 16), be sure not to overfly the “Guardiola” reporting point higher than the 1200ft written on the chart, otherwise you might not make it to the touchdown point, especially with a fast/slippery plane. Configure your plane fully before commencing final descent and fly as close to the mountain as you dare (but not closer than the power lines – Intersky clipped one not long ago with one of their Dash Eights…). If you have some kind of GPWS, you will probably need to turn it off and/or pull the circuit breaker, otherwise it is going to be a constant nuisance.
Again with a fast plane you might need to follow the departure path of this chart in opposite direction on arrival, flying through the valley and turning final late. The passengers will be scared stiff because you have to turn close to terrain at very, very low altitude, but with some planes there is no other way:
Coming in from the sea towards the mountain (rwy 34) you absolutely need a “plan B” in case of a go-around. Many aeroplanes can’t climb straight over the mountain ahead so you either abort your landing early and turn away while still over the sea or follow the little valley the rises to the right of the extended centreline as on the chart above. In case of an engine failure during go-around or after takeoff, there will be nowhere to land. A German Malibu crashed on takeoff in 2006 with four fatalities, flown by a very experienced commercial pilot. Wind is usually quite calm with temperatures of 30 degrees or above during the day, so take this in account in your landing and departure performance calculations.
This current Notam here has some opening hour restrictions:
C0556/14 NOTAMN
Q) LIRR/QFALC/IV/B/A/000/999/
A) LIRJ B) 1406200600 C) 1408301800
D) MON THU FRI 0600-0700, TUE WED 0600-0700 1700-1800 AND SAT 1700-1800
E) TESTO ITALIANO:
AEROPORTO CHIUSO A TUTTO IL TRAFFICO.
ENGLISH TEXT:
AERODROME CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC.
REF AIP AD2 LIRJ 1-1
Is the parking surface reasonable? It must be for bizjets but many airports push piston GA off somewhere else…
Parking is very nice. There is a lot of tarmac available usually, but even if not, the unpaved surface is very firm and clean. I wouldn’t even mind having our jet pushed there if necessary.
And one more thing: The website of the airport Link has a “pilot information” section with some AIP charts (but the Jeppesen VFR charts are better!) and little movies of approching and departing with lightplanes. (Or used to have, as I can’t access it right now from my Macintosh using Firefox).
