A Guide to Flying to France
When I started learning to fly, going to France was one of the big trips I hoped to be able to do one day. It is close enough to be accessible, and yet the obvious need to fly across the Channel, and the fact that you're going to a different country, gives the trip an extra edge of adventure.
After a couple of failed attempts when the weather refused to co-operate, I finally managed to achieve this particular ambition at the end of March 2002, in the expert company of then Cloudbase instructor John Timms.
We had a great day out, flying directly from Redhill to Le Touquet in just over an hour. We met up there by chance with former club member Julian Harris and all had an excellent lunch in one of the many restaurants in the town before another quick and easy flight back to Redhill at the end of the afternoon.
The flights themselves were no longer or more difficult than a typical trip to somewhere like Compton Abbas or the Isle of Wight, but there is a bit of extra preparation required. This article aims to cover the things you need to organise before you set off on your own trip to France.
Documents
To start with the obvious, you'll need your passport! Tuck that in with your pilot's and radio licences, your medical certificate and your log book and that should cover you.
You'll need a somewhat bigger pile of papers for the aircraft. It isn't usual for the French to actually demand to see the aircraft documentation, but it can happen and it is a legal requirement to carry it, so make sure that you have the following with you:
- Certificate of Registration
- C of A or Permit to Fly with its matching Certificate of Validity
- Insurance Certificate
- The licence for the aircraft's radio installation
- A copy of the interception procedures - available here on the CAA web site.
View of Paris near St Cyr l'Ecole
If you're flying an aircraft not registered in Europe (most likely an N-reg machine) then do take some evidence that VAT has been paid in an EU state. Aircraft have been impounded for lack of evidence of VAT payment: I was checked myself at Carcassone in an N-reg Cirrus - it does happen!
For microlight and permit aircraft pilots the BMAA web site has some useful information about flying abroad.
If you're flying a C of A machine on a CAA or JAR licence (or an N-reg on an FAA licence) then you don't generally have to worry about getting specific permission to enter other country's airspace, as long as they are ICAO signatories.
Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) / Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)
As from January 1st 2009 it became a requirement to have an emergency locator beacon on board (either a fitted or portable unit) that works with the Cospas-Sarsat system for flights in France. This is compulsory for light aircraft and recommended for microlights. The details are set out in the French AIC A 10/08 - English version here.
You can hire portable PLBs. I believe that SEMS Aerosafe is one company that does this (though I have never used them myself) and I'm sure that clubs will do the same for their members. I know that Lydd Aero Club already do for example.
Clearances and planning
The Palace of Versailles from the base leg for runway 29 at St Cyr l'Ecole (LFPZ)
There are some important things you'll need to do for an overseas flight which you won't be used to doing normally. You must prepare and submit a flight plan and advise Customs of your trip. If you're going to the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland (north or south) you'll also need to inform Special Branch.
This may sound a little daunting, but actually it's quite straightforward, and the tower at most airfields will be able to help you with the details and with faxing off the forms.
It is not necessary to stop en-route at a customs airport such as Lydd on the way to France. You can leave from and return directly to any strip if you give Customs sufficient notice of your intended flight. The same can be true at your overseas destination depending on the rules there - I was able to fly directly to a small grass strip in the middle of the southern Irish countryside from the UK for example - but for the purposes of this article we'll keep things simple and assume that your first port of call will be a customs airfield such as Le Touquet.
Preparing your flight planA flight plan sounds as if it might be something complicated and difficult to get to grips with. In fact, it's a single-sided A4 form in a standard layout with a few boxes to fill in. It is actually quite straightforward, which reflects its purpose of simply telling the ATC units you'll be using who you are, what you're flying, when and where you're going, and where you plan to divert to if that becomes necessary. You can download blank forms to fill in from here. You can fill this in on-screen and then print it out.The options for flight plan filing have changed slightly since I first wrote this guide in 2002. At the end of January 2009 the unfailingly helpful Flight Briefing Unit at Heathrow was shut down and its functions moved to Swanwick. You can fax your flight plan to them at 01489 612793 and they have a 24-hour help desk on 0845 601 0483 or 01489 612792. You may have trouble calling the 0845 number from outside the UK, so I'd put the second one into my mobile phone as +44 1489 612792 and use that. Alternatively, if you fly from an airfield with an ATC unit then they should be able to handle the flight plan filing for you. You should aim to do that at least 60 minutes before you depart. If you need to make changes or significantly delay your departure time then simply give the tower or Swanwick a call. The flight plan is completed using special codes in the various boxes, and by striking out elements which don't apply in the "Supplementary Information" area. Full explanations of all the possible entries are beyond the scope of this article, but they are all well covered in the CAA leaflet on Flight Plans available at here and in publications like the AFE Flight Guide.
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Online flight planning
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The following is an example flight plan for a trip from Redhill (EGKR) to Le Touquet (LFAT). There is also an example of the blank French equivalent which you'll fill in at Le Touquet for your trip home.
Click the image for a larger version
Going quickly through the UK one, the top portion is for the originating ATC unit to fill in, so you leave that section alone.
You start with box 7, the aircraft registration, which should be fairly self-explanatory!
The other boxes are:
| 8 | Flight rules | 'V' for VFR |
| Type of Flight | 'G' for General Aviation | |
| 9 | Aircraft details | |
| Number | The number of aircraft covered by this plan, not the number of people on board. If three aircraft were going in formation, you would do one plan to cover them all and put '03' in here. | |
| Type of Aircraft | A pre-allocated code for aircraft types. The one for the Jabiru is "JABI". If there is no code for your aircraft type, enter 'ZZZZ' here and then specify the type in the 'Other Information' section by entering 'TYP/JABIRU' for example. | |
| Wake Turbulence Category | 'L' for Light | |
| 10 | Equipment | Details of the nav/comm equipment on board. 'V' indicates a VHF radio while '/N' means no transponder |
| 13 | Departure Aerodrome | 'EGKR' for Redhill |
| Time Estimated | Estimated off-block time (UTC) | |
| 15 | Cruising speed | Prefix with 'N' for knots ('K' stands for Kilometres!) followed by the speed, e.g. 'N0080' |
| Level Altitude or flight level | For a VFR flight you can simply put 'VFR' here and so avoid specifying a particular height in advance. | |
| Route | Your intended routing. The letters "DCT" mean "Direct", so you could put "DCT LYD DCT BNE" which would indicate that you planned to fly to the Lydd VOR, then go directly across to the Bolougne VOR before continuing on to Le Touquet. You specify each point at which you will change speed, level, route or flight rules. | |
| 16 | Destination Aerodrome | LFAT is the ICAO code for Le Touquet |
| Total EET | Estimated En-route Time, your planned flight time | |
| Alternative aerodromes | There is space for your to specify your two alternative fields should you need to divert. The example shows LFAC (Calais) and LFQN (St Omer). | |
| 18 | Other Information | Here you can add further details, such as aircraft type if there isn't an official code for yours (in which case you'd put "ZZZZ" in the "Type of Aircraft" box and put 'TYP/' followed by the type name here) and time to a waypoint such as the FIR boundary. 'EET/EGTT 0050' for example means that it will take you 50 minutes from takeoff until you reach the limit of UK airspace (EGTT) in the middle of the Channel. |
| 19 | Supplementary Information | This section is mainly concerned with survival information. Here you specify the aircraft's endurance and the number of people on board, and then go on to specify the safety equipment. You do most of this by striking out those elements which don't apply to you. As you will see from the example, the Jabiru was not carrying either desert or jungle survival equipment on this trip!
It also records the colour of the aircraft and pilot's name. It's a good idea to use the "Remarks" field to record your contact number in case of queries |
After describing the aircraft markings and saying who'll be flying, you've finished.
As you can see from the blank Le Touquet example above, the information required is identical although the format is slightly different. You will find a few tables in the terminal at Le Touquet where you can fill in your form. There are some reference books there to help with airfield codes. When you've completed the plan the staff at the desk will fax it off for you.
Generally speaking, French flight plan forms are very similar to the British ones, but for some reason Le Touquet has its own special style. At other places such as Deauville you will find that there is a computer terminal where you enter your plan. In all cases though the information you'll be prompted for will use the same codes.
Once you take off, the tower will activate the flight plan. Likewise, once you arrive, the ATC unit at your destination will close the flight plan for you. At a field with a full time ATC service such as Le Touquet or Redhill this should happen automatically.
Be careful though if you're going to or from somewhere smaller since you may need to open or close the flight plan yourself, either over the radio to a unit like London or Paris Information, or by phone once you've landed. If he flight plan is not closed in France, search and rescue operations will start 30 minutes after your planned arrival time. This could leave you with a nasty bill if you've simply forgotten to tell anyone you've arrived safely.
There is now a standard national number in France for closing flight plans. It is 0810 437 837 and they speak English.
The Customs form
UK Customs are less interested in your departure than in your return, but you should let them know the full details of your flight and who's on board at least 4 hours prior to your landing in the UK - i.e. your return home. You may well find that they are not interested at all, and that nobody turns up to check up on you, but such inspections can happen and you must notify Customs in advance and also let them know if you have to change your plans.
I have never been met by Customs when returning from France, but I was met by a (very friendly) man from Special Branch on my return from one of my trips to Ireland, so don't assume that nobody ever bothers with private intra-EU flights.
There is a standard General Aviation Report (GAR) form that covers the details required by both Customs and Special Branch. Versions are available here in Adobe pdf format, and here in Microsoft Word format.
The instruction sheet, complete with various useful numbers, is here in Adobe pdf format
Customs have now set up a single national number for people to notify them of flights outside the UK. The telephone number is 0870 785 3600 and the fax number is 0870 240 3738. You can even email your flight details to them at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The Flight
The flying should almost be the most straightforward part once you've done all your preparation!
Put on your lifejackets before you set off - you won't have a chance to do so if you do have to ditch, and in any case there won't be room to do it in the cockpit of most aircraft. Read the CAA's document on ditching too.
Do be careful when it comes to visibility. It is common for there to be hazy conditions over the sea. This brings two big dangers. The first is being unable to see other aircraft and having trouble judging distances and the other is the potential to lose the horizon and become disorientated with potentially fatal results.
G-ENRE Mid-Channel
Even though the Channel is only just over twenty miles wide at its narrowest point you may find that you cannot see either coast for a while if the visibility is poor. As long as you can still make out a horizon you can simply fly your planned heading quite safely and arrive over France after a few minutes, but if you find that the sea and the sky are merging together then I'd advise turning back before disorientation sets in.
Cassis
As you approach the coast to leave England, you should be on the radio to report your progress, particularly when you actually leave the coast behind - also known as "coasting out." On the trip to Le Touquet you can talk to London Information, Lydd or Manston. If visibility is poor I'd recommend a Radar Information Service from Manston.
Assuming that you are crossing from somewhere near Dover then the UK service will probably suggest that you call Lille (on 120.275 in 2009) as you approach the FIR boundary, but if you're only going to Le Touquet you will be with them for such a short time before you're handed on that it's hardly worth it.
I normally leave the UK service mid-Channel and tune into the Le Touquet ATIS on 123.125 then call up the tower on 118.45 as I pass Boulougne. If you do need to speak to somebody else (Le Touquet has been known to strike) then Paris Information is on 125.70.
Make sure that you have checked the current frequencies before you set off.
The author route planning at Carcassonne
Something else to be aware of is the French semi-circular rule for headings and flight levels. They do not use the quadrantal rule which we have in the UK. Once you are in their airspace you should use the following rules for VFR flight above transition altitude if you are using flight levels:
- Track between 0 and 179 degrees - fly at odd flight levels plus 500ft, e.g. FL35, 55, 75
- Track between 180 and 359 degrees - fly at even flight levels plus 500ft, e.g. FL45, 65, 85
Note that as these are flight levels you should be flying with the altimeter set to 1013.25.
An obvious factor which people worry about is language - will you have to speak French on the radio? The answer, assuming you're sticking to the larger airfields near the UK, is no, you can speak in English as will the French controller. You may need to listen more carefully if the accent is a problem, but you should have no real difficulties. If you don't understand an instruction, ask the controller to repeat it.
If you do go further afield, you may find that English won't always be spoken, especially between local pilots and the airfield. There are some handy French flying phrases, originally at the Aéroclub d'Andaines web site but now relocated to here which might come in useful.
The terminal building at Le Touquet
Once you arrive in Le Touquet you have a choice of things to do. If you have the time to go into the town you can either walk (about 25 minutes), get a taxi in (it costs about €8) or you can hire a bicycle at the airport. The town is a pleasant little spot with lots of restaurants and a wealth of chocolate shops too, so eating is likely to a major item on the agenda. Le Touquet is famous for its beach (Paris Plage), so it's worth strolling down to have a look at that.
There are lots of small airfields in north eastern France which are within easy range, so there are plenty of places to explore. Once you've cleared customs at Le Touquet (or anywhere else) you are free to go off exploring - you don't have to fill in any more flight plans until it's time to do the return flight to England.
I love flying in France and I'd certainly encourage others to sample its joys as well.
Chenonceaux - not quite Le Touquet, but the Loire isn't that much further!
Two more particularly useful links for flying in France are:
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www.navigeo.org - Detailed airfield information and maps. A good substitute for the now-defunct Nav2000 site.
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flyinfrance.free.fr - all sorts of detailed information about French flying
And finally, a video I put together from one of my trips around France with some friends in our Flight Design CT2K aircraft in summer 2004, taking in the Camargue, the Pyrenees and the Atlantic coast. The mountain strip is Peyresourde, 5,000' up in the Pyrenees.
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May 2002, revised November 2011