[Steve H]

Texel airfield is located on the most southerly of the chain of Frisian islands that run parallel to the Dutch coast and extend along the north German coast.

This is a grass airfield with two runways, the main runway is 1115m aligned 04/22 and the shorter runway is 630m aligned 13/31. They are both clearly marked by large bollards and there is room to taxi to the end of every runway in a cut grass area to the side of each runway set of markers.


Texel Airfield

The runways seemed pretty smooth and well kept to me, I used both 22 and 31 in the course of my one week trip.

Getting to Texel itself from the North Sea may seem liken a challenge due to the military areas, but in practice it was not problem. You can squeeze between areas R8 and D41. If approaching along the chain of islands from the east, we were immediately granted transit of R4 / R4A (and it was a normal weekday).

Texel is only a radio service, so they don’t say much.

Being a grass airfield, I did find it not easy to spot immediately. They do NOT like you overflying the airfield as there is also frequent parachute dropping.

Report to the tower building and up the stairs into the tower itself. There they have an internet PC free for use and free WiFi (ask them for the password).

The fuel pumps are in front of the tower by the windsock. Fuel pump is self-operated, just ask for fuel on landing and they will ‘turn it on’ remotely from the tower, so all you have to do is pick it up and pump. Being the Netherlands, the fuel is expensive (EUR2.78 a litre as at June 2011).


Texel Tower from the pumps

The airfield has an excellent website and a webcam that you can click on links to get different views of the airfield.

http://www.texelairport.nl/

They say 12 hours prior notice for customs, but are also happy just to take your details when you land.

Landing fees for sub-1500kg aircraft are EUR14.00 on weekdays and EUR17.50 at weekends.

They are very friendly and helpful in the tower and generally around the airfield.

They did say just ask them in the tower if you want accommodation and they can fix you up with something to suit. There is a hotel literally in the airport building, but this is said to be a ‘suite hotel’ and so expensive, even with a discount for pilots.

They were also very happy to lend you bicycles for trundling around the island. It looks like a really nice island and probably warrants a couple of days stay and cycling.

There is an excellent café on the airfield, much used by the locals (always a good sign). There is also a small flying museum, admission EUR4.

[Steve H]

Texel Fly In, camping by the planes etc.

[skydriller]

Flying back from North Germany around the Islands, it was natural to stop at Texel as it has a reputation for being GA friendly and relaxed.

I have to say that the tower guys attitudes and the general feel of the place is indeed that. Tower are super friendly, and there is a self briefing facility below the tower with honesty fridge for cold drinks, lots of interesting aviation pics on their walls and there is a lovely little museum on site too. The parachute club is REALLY active, so no overhead the aerodrome, just join directly to the circuit as per their webpage and/or SD - I was assured that otherwise I didnt need to worry about the parachutists as they know where to "fly" to avoid anyone taxiing or taking off/landing.

Have to say from comments about the place, we had expected more of the onsite food/drink though...It turned out to be in the style of an american diner with aviation theme, which at first glance was cool, yet without the american service, because it turned out to be "modern self service" meaning muggins here was queuing to order, then queuing for drinks, then queuing for the food... when what I really wanted to do was chill out, file a leasurely flight plan, and have the food & drink come to me...But the terrace overlooks the aerodrome and its a nice spot, so maybe Im being fussy.

Not too fussy about the AVGAS price though - the most expensive I bought, just 30litres at 2.85 Euro/ltr !!

Total cost for an afternoons parking and landing fees: 18.50 Euros.... I think...because there are all sorts of odd tax break downs on the combined fuel/landing fees bill - that could certainly be clearer.

Regards, SD..

[joe-fbs]

Below are my impressions from a year ago, I should have copied it here then. It is extracted from the trip reports area.

Departing Ameland, we were airborne just after 1700 L for the forty-mile hop to Texel. There are two restricted areas on the direct route so I had planned to go round which would also have made the flight a better length but the nice man in the Ameland tower insisted on telephoning the Dutch military to check the status of the RAs so when he established that they were cold I felt obliged to go direct. In fact we very nearly had to route around as the radio with Dutch Mil was almost impossible to hear. However, the chap at the other end persisted and we did eventually establish clear communication and hence a clearance. From the RA boundary it was a straight five-mile final to runway 22 at Texel. We booked into the airport hotel (it seemed only right) which does food only during the day so it was then a short walk east to another hotel which has a restaurant. This was very fine indeed and reasonably priced for the quality.

The next day was a non-flying day with winds gusting 31 although the based 172s did a couple of sight-seeing trips. After the substantial airfield breakfast, we borrowed the airfield van to drive to the northern light house for a walk on the beach then to the small town of De Koog. That is a real tourist trap of a place. After returning the van (with a couple of gallons of fuel added), we walked a few hundred metres west to investigate a gallery that we had spotted. It proved to be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Late lunch / early dinner at the airfield which was OK but nothing special. We had table-service so maybe things have changed since last year,

Next day started with drizzle and low cloud so we visited the above-mentioned sculpture and picture gallery which is highly recommended. Next was the airfield museum which covers not only aviation but also the German occupation from 1940 to 1945. The war did not end here until 12 days after VE Day. Departing in the afternoon, we had a transit through the Class D for the De Kooy military complex (airfield and harbour). One activity we saw was a group of landing craft exercising in the estuary. We continued south hugging the coast (and hence the edge of the Schipol Class A) so that I had a visual reference in the face of patches of low cloud and drizzle obscuring the horizon over the sea. Past Amsterdam and Rotterdam then turn east for Midden Zeeland.