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Licenses To fly anywhere in Europe you will need a JAA recognized license. This includes the pre-1999 UK PPL and foreign licenses such as the FAA American license. The UK National PPL is not valid in France. IMC Rating The UK IMC rating is not valid, but it is still very useful in terms of developing skills which may help flying over the sea. Night Ratings No-one really seems to know the status of the UK night rating. In France one can only fly IFR at night, but many airports allow special VFR at night in their zones. Airfields such as St Bruic have lights which operate and a weather report is transmitted automatically when you press the PTT switch 3 times. St Bruic allow Special VFR at night (even though the airfield is unmanned) and it is not unusual for plane loads of Brits to fly there especially to fly night circuits and ILS approaches for free at 2.00AM in the morning. Aircraft Documents Your aircraft must have the following documents. If you are in a group make sure copies they are in the aircraft and up to date:
Personal Documents For peace of mind take your passport and an E111 stamped by your local post office. This will get you free health care when you crash without having to provide a credit card before they cut you out of the wreckage!
Money Take sufficient Euros for taxi fares Sandwiches etc but ensure that you keep enough for a tank of fuel. Many French airfields do not accept credit cards and there have been several fatalities where people have tried to fly home to the UK with insufficient fuel because they could not pay in cash. |
