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By BrianRoth
#1620603
Original post: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=108726

Just returned from my annual flying pilgrimage to France. What a pleasure it is to fly there!

Destination Belle Ile. The airfield there run by a lovely couple Maurice and Emmanuelle, both very warm and welcoming. Emmanuelle does the radio and speaks pretty good English. The airfield is pretty quiet and apparently not that many English speaking pilots visit, so she was was delighted to practice her English. You'd like to do a circuit round the island? Ce ne pas probleme, please just do it clockwise....

On arrival they helped me find accommodation, made a call on my behalf and half an hour later a chappie from the B&B was round to pick me up in a mini van.

AVGAS is available. The runway is 660m with a slight slope, more than adequate to land your average American Spamcan.

The island has some incredible coastlines to view from both the air and land, and it featured in some on Monet's paintings. Beaches are pristine (possibly because there is no running water, showers, ice creams or hotdogs, plus the island is not accessible by SqueezyJet or BrineAir). There are some notable historical landmarks, particularly the Vauban citadel which was breached by the English in 1761 as well as a fort that was the secluded holiday home of the actress Sarah Bernhardt.

For those keen on walking there is a coastal path (GR) around the entire island. For those keen on cycling there are multiple cycle routes and the majority of the roads are in pristine condition (I did 100+ miles on my Brompton). Only when one ventures onto unsurfaced roads do the potholes and conditions start to resemble the perfection of our own A and B roads... :) I would have liked to find a decent swimming pool somewhere on the island, but hey, you cannot have everything. The food is, well, French, and I can recommend at least one restaurant doing an excellent evening meal and wine for around €30/head.

On the way back I popped in to Cherbourg for final taste of France by lunching at Luc and Edith. I was hoping that she might be interested in taking over the catering at some of our own airfields, but sadly I failed to persuade ...

ATC in France as always a pleasure: polite and helpful. Don't bother asking for a Flight Information Service (Basic Service) as you'll be under radar cover anyway, and with lots of warnings of conflicting traffic.

Which led me to wonder, perhaps someone can advise:
(1) are Airspace Busts a problem in France as they are in the UK? Are there any stats to support or deny?
(2) are Airproxes and mid-air Collisions statistics better/worse/no different/cannot say compared with the UK?
Just a thought...