I've already made one trip into France in my Europa, routing via Le Touquet
for customs clearance, directly to/from my home farmstrip (which is also
cleared for customs purposes)
All I was required to do on that occasion was to file two Flight Plans,
register and activate them by cellphone, then make a call to the Customs
and Excise in Ipswich to inform them of my planned date/time of return.
I also obtained a copy of David Wise's excellent pamphlet 'Crossing The
Channel' (supplied by the PFA)
As part of the planning towards a forthcoming weekend trip to France and
Switzerland, I was wondering if anyone in the group knows the answers to some
of the following questions:
1/ Can I overfly France/other EU countries without landing, en-route between
the UK and my destination country (in this case, Switzerland) ? Wise's book
appears to imply that I can.
2/ Are there any good guides to flying abroad that I haven't seen? Any that are
comprehensible by someone who only speaks Engish ? (Small unlicenced strips
would definately by prefered)
3/ Is 'Thun' in Swizerland a decent and reasonably cheap destination which has
customs facilities and access to the Alps ?
4/ Any recomendations would be appreciated. John Tye's Dordogne based strip,
mentioned in the last quarters 'Europa Flyer' has to be a strong contender.
I suspect that I'm not the only person thinking about this.
Pulling together details such as these will assist a great number of pilots who,
like myself lack the experience, but are keen to venture further afield.
As far as I know, there's no quicker means of access into the heart of mainland
Europe.
Alan (BWFX)
PS. As daylight hours lengthen in the coming months, I'm determined to have a
plan of action ready for the first long weekend accompanied by a large stable
anti-cyclone !
|