I lived for 8 years on the other side of an international civilian & military runway with direct 1km line of sight of the tower and runway from my window, I can guarantee it was a nightmare the first 6 months but you get used to it later 
The worst noise (best sound if you ask me) was when few Cessna T37 Tweet do their run and break (that has stopped in 2015 and moved away due to new “rich neighbours” complaints & one takeoff accident)
I still think one should be considerate for neighbours, noise real (decibels) or imagined (jealousy & no welcome) is a real GA concern !
This has come up many times; last time here.
It would be great to see a summary, for Europe at least.
The UK allows it for sure. Initially there is the 28 day rule where operations are allowed on just 28 days each year, and you don’t need a permission for this level of activity.
In Germany, the general principle of Flugplatzpflicht allows landing and takeoff for all aircraft, including helicopters, only at designated airports. There is an exemption for rescue/police/state aircraft on certain missions.
It is possible to gain a permit for off-airport operations, though from my understanding this would have to be requested for each individual movement and is probably a very arduous process, which will differ from state to state in its details. I am not aware of any cases where a permanent permit was granted, although there may be a big incentive to keep these secret if they exist, to avoid NIMBY protests.
I once tried to read up on this topic on the Internet and only found one article where a aviation journalist did not manage to recieve permission to operate from his land somewhere in sparsely populated Brandenburg, while a farmer somewhere near the Baltic coast did successfully and legally create a “farm strip” on his land (IIRC it is now officially a “special purpose airfield” / Sonderlandeplatz ).
A friend has a private airfield in Burgundy. He said he had to talk to the mairie and gendarmerie, then submit an application to the préfecture (local government). The basic requirements were checking for obstructions, marking the edges of the runway, and installing a windsock. The only part that is potentially a problem is getting agreement from the local mayor.
The relevant legislation is articles D233-1 to D233-8 of the code de l’aviation civile (pdf). Quick summary:
This is the two page form to complete, including:
For microlights, the FFPLUM has a Guide de creation plateforme ULM with an application form at the end.
Edit: bullet points start at 2 for some reason
Seems like our French neighbours got a sensible process in place. Although “mayor’s approval” sounds like you are at the whims of your local mayor’s personal preferences.
Sweden allows it without any kind of bureaucracy as long as you don’t expect to have more than 500 movements/year. If you do, you’ll have to apply to the Swedish CAA for approval.
PS. You can even use land other than your own for “temporary or limited” operations without the landowners permission as long as you don’t cause “noticeable damage or inconvenience” to the landowner.
In Norway it is limited to 12 movements per week without any application or bureaucracy. You need permission from the owner of the land. More than that, and you need to apply for an airfield.
The answer from Capitaine confirm with more details what I’ve heard and seen, it is possible to get a private airstrip in France.
Then as always when you need to deal with bureaucracy and local authorities, doing this in a reasonable time frame will widely
depend on the people you’ll have to deal with.
In the UK, for a beach landing between high and low tide marks, the landowner would be the Crown Estates Commissioners. Has anyone ever asked, or been contacted for not asking?
Possible in Austria. There are quite many fields in use. Those that have them keep a low profile.
Permission required from
- Landowner
- Austrocontrol
- Governor
Landings and takeoffs other than on airfields
Section 9. (1) Unless otherwise specified in Paragraphs 2 to 4 and in Section 10, only airfields (Section 58) may be used for the take-off and landing of aircraft.
(2) Take-offs and landings outside an airfield (external take-offs and landings) may only be carried out with the approval of the governor, provided that they are civil aircraft. The application for approval of external take-offs and landings must be submitted by the operator or the pilot in charge of the civil aircraft. Authorization is to be granted if there are no conflicting public interests or if a public interest in the external departure or landing outweighs any conflicting public interest. The approval is limited in time and, insofar as this is necessary to safeguard public interests, must be granted with conditions and obligations. It must be revoked immediately if one of the prerequisites that led to its issuance is not or is no longer present or if conditions have been violated.
(2a) If, due to the planned use of civil aircraft, it is not possible to specify the areas intended for external take-offs or landings in the application for authorization for external take-offs and landings, the granting of a general authorization is permissible if the stipulation of requirements and conditions is ensured can ensure that the external take-offs or landings do not conflict with any public interests. The remaining provisions according to Paragraph 2 remain unaffected.
(3) External take-offs and landings of military aircraft are permitted if public interests that outweigh the interest in external take-offs or landings do not conflict.
(4) If a land area is used, the landing or take-off in accordance with Paragraphs 2 or 3 is only permitted if the person entitled to dispose of the property agrees to the use.
(5) For parachute jumps outside of airfields over densely populated areas (Z 18 of Annex I of Regulation (EU) No. 965/2012 laying down technical regulations and administrative procedures with regard to flight operations in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 216 / 2008, OJ No. L 296 dated October 25, 2012 p. 1, in the version of Regulation (EU) 2015/2338, OJ No. L 330 dated December 16, 2015 p. 1), the provisions of paragraphs 2 to apply 4th
(6) The provisions of Paragraphs 1 to 4 also apply mutatis mutandis to self-powered movement of aircraft on the ground.
Landings and take-offs that do not require a permit
§ 10. (1) The provisions of § 9 do not apply
1.
for unforeseen external landings (emergency landings) that are necessary for safety reasons or that are forced by a lack of propulsive power or buoyancy and for self-rescue parachute jumps,
2.
for landings and take-offs in the course of rescue or disaster operations, operations by the demining service and accident investigations in accordance with Section 137,
3.
for landings of gliders and free balloons,
4th
for external take-offs and landings of hang gliders or paragliders,
5.
for parachute landings outside of densely populated areas as well
6th
for outside take-offs of free balloons outside of densely populated areas.
Landings and take-offs in accordance with Z 4 to 6 are only permitted if the person entitled to dispose of the property agrees to its use.
(2) In the event of an emergency landing (para. 1 no. 1), a permit from Austro Control GmbH is required for an external departure in civil aviation. This must be issued if the security of the external departure is guaranteed.
(3) In the area of civil aviation, the pilot in charge (Section 125), or his deputy in the event of failure, must immediately report a foreign landing within the meaning of Paragraph 1 No. 1 to the nearest air traffic control center and the nearest public security service.
(4) The organs of the public security service are obliged to disclose the name and place of residence (seat) of the aircraft operator to persons who can substantiate damage caused by a foreign landing.
