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.