Mon May 09, 2022 11:18 pm
#1910810
Thanks again to all for the hints and tips - thought I'd post a quick follow-up.
I planned VFR to Le Touquet and then IFR to Toussus. That plan then went awry when we got a slot for an hour after LT closed. I did ponder sending a ready message to try for an improvement, but as time was getting on went VFR instead.
In the end, VFR on a sunny Friday evening was a piece of cake. We went DCT to HOL with transits readily given by Beauvais and Pontoise. Descent to 1500ft after Pontoise, catch the ATIS and contact Chevreuse who gave us a straight in for 07L, then on to Tower once established on final (I can't quite remember, but I think we were told to call at 7nm). We were re-cleared for 07R at about 2nm to allow a turbine departure 07L.
On the ground and parked as per @Ibra's instructions on stand 24. There is a card exit system to the 'terminal'. You press the 'take card' button first to get a keycard, then the 'open door' button. The keycard is needed to get back airside upon your return. We got a taxi to our hotel (2 blocks from the Arc de Triomphe) which took about 25 minutes and cost 70 Euro for a Mercedes minibus (there were 5 of us). I faffed around a bit at Toussus, but if I'd been more organised, I think we could've done LT to hotel in just over 1.5 hours.
Sunday's morning fog/mist lifted by lunchtime, cancelled IFR and filed VFR again for the return journey. 07 departures are quite straightforward, except the exit point 'Dampierre' is not clear on any of the charts I had. Nonetheless, the AIP 'Visual approach' chart shows the route quite clearly, and in the event Chevreuse approved DCT HOL (presumably as there were no IFR inbounds). This keeps you away from misc. danger areas etc., and gives plenty of time to get the northbound transit of Pontoise sorted out, or avoided altogether.
All-in-all, a pretty good a way to visit Paris, but certainly helped by cooperative weather and ATC, combined with not much traffic.