Where have you been? What have you seen?
By LZ791
#1305448
In early August I decided to fly down to join my three brothers and sister on holiday near Bergerac in the Dordogne. This would be the first serious European flying adventure I would make since qualifying though I had made trips to both Scotland and the Isle Of Man.

To date I had enjoyed planning my routes using the 1:500 charts, marking tracks with chinograph pencil, adding headings and distances between way points. I find this form of navigating most satisfying and had managed to resist modern GPS until a couple of weeks back. My brother had to retrieve his PA32 from Cannes and we flew back with a night stop in Le Mans using Sky Demon the whole route.

He had a spare iPad with Sky Demon which allowed me a good few hours to play around with settings, plan routes etc and with the added advantage of having a seasoned user alongside to answer my many questions. I was dropped off at Thurrock airfield and vowed then that I had to have a GPS like this or similar.

The apple shop at Lakeside near my business supplied the iPad and by that night I was a paid up Sky Demon subscriber ready for action. Initial thoughts before buying into GPS had been to plan a route south through central France using charts which would have been doable but would have left a far greater chance of infringing airspace or danger areas. The night before departure I filed my GAR and flight plan for the next day.

Departure day dawned bright and sunny with wooly cumulus clouds dotted across the East Anglian sky, it held promise of a great days flying. A very thorough pre flight of the PA28 Archer ensued and at 12-25 AM my youngest son Sam and I were rolling, calling London information once airborne to open our flight plan. Leveling off at 2,500 London came back to say they had no record of the flight plan. Odd as I had received a confirmation email confirming this and GAR had been accepted. London said they would look into it and sort whilst we were on route, we heard no more.

First way point was Earls Colne where a cheery controller gave us an overhead transit and wished us bon voyage. Tuning into Southend Radar we were given a squawk and told to maintain 3000 ft and report east abeam. An easy jet was lining up for departure to Spain, we watched as it took off soon climbing south east through our level. Back to London information to route across Kent steadily climbing to 5000 ft for the channel crossing. Coasting out near Folkstone, the French coast could be seen ahead with plenty of shipping and ferries way below.

At the FIR boundary we called London information requesting frequency change to Lille approach who soon advised us to contact Le Touquet and we began a cruise descent. A smooth landing was made on heading 31 followed by closure of our flight plan and a prompt re fuel and oil check.

We called for start up clearance and were soon away climbing out over the coast, turning east following the coast before heading inland after the Somme estuary. What I appreciated about flying in France was the willingness of the controllers to assist in any way before handing you over to the next as we routed south. Weather was superb with scattered cumulus at 6500 ft making for a pleasant flight at around 6000 ft all the way. Sky Demon was certainly earning its subscription and we flew onwards with no drama. Even with a basic service we saw no other traffic just the odd call from locals well below our cruising altitude and a solitary Brit headed north to our west.

Three and a half hours later we began a cruise decent for the private 700m grass strip in the Dordogne. Calling up on safety com to advise traffic our intentions, the only aircraft seen was my brothers parked PA32. An overhead join landing checks completed downwind, then onto finals and a smooth landing on the scorched short brown grass.

My three brothers were there to greet us and we were driven to the holiday home where wine was already opened and girls busy in the kitchen. Four lazy days were spent doing not a lot, just enjoying each others company, eating far to much both at home and the excellent local restaurants. The green gauge tree in the garden was covered in the most delicious ripe fruits which we picked and ate daily.

The day for our return dawned with heavy persistent rain and clouds at 400 ft. Orbifly met map for Europe suggested it would clear by mid afternoon with better weather along the western seaboard. Lunch was taken in a local restaurant with regular visual checks outside for signs of an improvement.

I decided our return route would be the 16 miles into Périgueux for full fuel, then routing east and north of Bordeaux, up over La Rochelle, Nantes and a channel crossing from Cherbourg. On take off from the strip we climbed to 2500 for Périgueux and were pleased to note clearer conditions due north. At Périgueux we met an American lady in a Mooney flying to Oxford. She took off after us and we heard her radio calls as she cruised home at 11000 ft. Heading north we elected to continue this way only diverting west if conditions got worse but the weather just got better and better allowing us to fly for a large part of the leg at 7000 ft. Blue skies, sunshine, NX not missing a beat flying and life were good. We had a wonderful view of Chennoncaux Chateau straddling the Loire river. I have a picture taken by my parents of myself and siblings standing in front of the Chateau over fifty years ago.

Around Tours we encountered another British November Xray that caused some confusion to ATC who requested we both use our full call signs until on route frequency change. Most of the route we were flying into a headwind which slowed progress, three hours twenty minutes later we sighted the coast then tracked east. I figured with fuel burn to date we had sufficient to make the channel crossing and the final dash for Suffolk.

Calling Le Touquet they advised that fuel was still available provided we got in before 19-00 which we managed. Having more fuel I figured was prudent and safe flight planning. Opening out flight plan with Lille we were out over the channel again at 5000 ft transferring to Southend radar once past the FIR. I asked Southend if the danger areas to their east were active and was given clearance to track across making landfall at Mersea Island. Weather ahead looked pretty gloomy the worst of the trip so far. We tuned into Wattisham radar it was now gone 19-40 and all was quiet. An aircraft in the Elmsett circuit gave us the regional QFE and QNH and we descended to remain VFR at around 1400 ft. Shortly Bury St Edmunds was in sight and I brought NX in for a peach of a landing to be greeted by my wife and son number two.

In total just five minutes short of ten hours aloft and some of the most enjoyable flying experienced to date. I thoroughly recommend it to all would be channel crossers. Go and try it for yourselves, its easy and not as complicated as you might think and extraordinarily satisfying.
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By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1305700
Nice report: thanks.

AMOI what frequency 'safetycom' did you use in France?

Peter
By riverrock
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1305728
Nice - sounds like a great trip - although the 12-25 AM start sounds a bit late / early for my liking (just to prove I've read it!)...
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By skydriller
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1316223
Pete, The general frequency for non allocated airfields in France is 123.5 - safetycom if you will..