Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
By Spet0789
#1913579
So…

Slight thread drift, but I made a trip to France with the family recently. We filed a PNR form and notified the Douaniers by email. They met us on arrival and stamped passports. In the same email I advised them when I would be leaving. We arrived at the airfield 45 mins before that time. No douaniers on site. I called the number shown at the airport for customs, no answer. We ended up leaving around 10 mins after the ETD provided, still having seen no customs officers.

Pre-Brexit, if customs not there when you said you would leave, no issue. I’ve don’t that before.

Post Brexit, any issue with the lack of an exit stamp? What do people think? FWIW I have since been let into another Schengen country on a commercial flight so so far so good!
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By Rob P
#1913584
According to my passport stamps I am still in the USA, so I can't see the French border people have much of a case, particularly as I have since been stamped entering France on a flight from Calais to Le Touquet.

"You're English, we have to stamp your passport (if we are here)"

Rob P
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By skydriller
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1913585
Are you going to play hunt the douanier around France to get a passport stamp??

Sample of one : I have randomly had/not had entry/exit stamps to/from the UK travelling on Airlines since Brexit and not a word has been said either in Europe or the UK. If they dont always stamp passports for airline travel, why worry about GA?

And you have since travelled without issue, right? So there you go...

Sample now "2"...

Regards, SD..
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By G-BLEW
Boss Man  Boss Man
#1913597
PNR for douaniers is increasingly troublesome if not going via Le Touquet or Calais

Ian
By Ibra
#1913618
G-BLEW wrote:PNR for douaniers is increasingly troublesome if not going via Le Touquet or Calais

Ian


It’s a real pain…

Now I tend to send them very early, like yesterday Tuesday for my flight this Sunday, with convective forcast on my trip, I just sent PN to 3 airports, I will cancel two of them by email one day before my flight depending on where the MSLP synoptic chart evolves…

I also subscribe to NOTAMS as they come live during the week, finding out on Saturday morning that Deauville has some runway work, restriction or fuel NOTAMS automatically means L2K or Calais, it’s too late to change plans when it comes in places where “PN is before 1400LT on Friday”
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By 2Donkeys
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1913646
Other destinations that I don't think have been mentioned so far...

Quimper, Rennes, Albert, Caen. All are customs airports, although they suffer from requiring between 24 and 48 hours prior notice. All are close to town or cheap public transport, and all are lovely.
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By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1913660
2Donkeys wrote:Other destinations that I don't think have been mentioned so far...

Quimper, Rennes, Albert, Caen. All are customs airports, although they suffer from requiring between 24 and 48 hours prior notice. All are close to town or cheap public transport, and all are lovely.


Just don't arrive at Quimper just before an Air France, or you can kiss goodbye to the rest of the day................... :wink:

No 1 son and I called off our Raduno one year when a row of CBs sat in the Rhone valley for a day.

Great coastal car touring including Concarneau...............
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By 2Donkeys
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1913665
PeteSpencer wrote:Just don't arrive at Quimper just before an Air France, or you can kiss goodbye to the rest of the day................... :wink:


I think that's universally true at the small French regional airports. Never arrive at the same time as *the* Ryanair/Easyjet/Air France/HOP flight or you will discover that there is a class of handling just below 'second class citizen'
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By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1913682
2Donkeys wrote:
PeteSpencer wrote:Just don't arrive at Quimper just before an Air France, or you can kiss goodbye to the rest of the day................... :wink:


I think that's universally true at the small French regional airports. Never arrive at the same time as *the* Ryanair/Easyjet/Air France/HOP flight or you will discover that there is a class of handling just below 'second class citizen'


How well I remember flying in to Bergerac for a forum do:
First, after waiting in line for ever with a string of just-arrived G-Regs queuing up in the sweltering heat for avgas, dying for a cold beer: I reached no 3 in the queue when the pompiers upped sticks and buggered off home:

No choice but to taxy to parking, secure the aeroplane and then a RYR arrived........................
The queue at Hertz was a mile long :roll:
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By Ibra
#1913683
I was about to mention landing in Bergerac from North Weald after RyanAir from Stansted

We can't use aeroclub gate (I know the digicode but security locks it when RyanAir is around), we had to wait ages for fuel (back then no Total card), queue inside terminal and queue inside Avis rentals (I think we were number 22), plus paying 60£ as it was direct arrival from UK and we missed lunch time in family house near Lalinde

The next summer, we landed in Deauville before going very light to Pressignac Vicq followed by 2km walk to Pontours, we fuelled on departure in Bergerac, I was lucky as RyanAir flight was delayed by 2h :lol:
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By Dave W
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1913701
Last month, I thought I had French Customs cracked: Chalons-Vatry (LFOK) in the Southern Champagne region and nicely placed for a return from Southern Germany etc.

A permanent Customs presence, great big quiet airfield (cargo hub with interesting stuff like a pair of AN-22s), friendly and helpful staff; not that cheap perhaps but OK for the convenience.

I was extremely pleased with myself, and (dare I say it?) maybe even a little smug.

Then we landed there... To find they have no AVGAS.

As the AIP entry clearly states.

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By tnowak
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1914195
A poster mentioned that Antwerp was a good destination.
Are they GA friendly?
I note from the airfield info that handling is mandatory. Cheap, reasonable or expensive?
By Ibra
#1914202
tnowak wrote:A poster mentioned that Antwerp was a good destination.
Are they GA friendly?
I note from the airfield info that handling is mandatory. Cheap, reasonable or expensive?


Make sure you see police before you leave on landing and before you depart, they are kept out of the loop by customs & operations and they have no clue what are the hours in AIP AD2 and it seems they just don’t like it (they have sent fines to few pilots who visited but failed to show up in their desk, good manners and “tout ça”, not one or two, we are talking 4 people in 4 different trips, some are on this forum, they have seen operations & customs but it seems a 3rd visit of police is also “obligatoire”)

There is separate phone contact for the federal Belgian police (not customs) are in AIP GEN 1.2 & GEN 1.3 :thumleft:

The airport is nice and friendly though a bit pricey but you are going to buy diamonds no :D ?