Website documenting European airports

[PA34 F-GFTF]

Hi,

I'm preparing my vacation : flying to SPain and Portugal with my PA34.

I'm looking for some useful tips on possible airports in my trip (LEMH,
LEVC, LPCS, LPPR, LEBB).
Typical info I'd like to have are: relative price of AVGAS, landing fees,
parking, need for handling, ...

I found these :
http://www.you-fly.com (English& German)
www.Nav2000.com (French only)
But neither of these websites has decent info on Spain and Portugal, it's
rather limited.

Do you know any other? Any suggestions?

Thanks
YAG

[jan olieslagers]

Post by PA34 F-GFTF
Hi,
I'm preparing my vacation : flying to SPain and Portugal with my PA34.
I'm looking for some useful tips on possible airports in my trip (LEMH,
LEVC, LPCS, LPPR, LEBB).
Typical info I'd like to have are: relative price of AVGAS, landing fees,
parking, need for handling, ...
http://www.you-fly.com (English& German)
www.Nav2000.com (French only)
But neither of these websites has decent info on Spain and Portugal, it's
rather limited.
Do you know any other? Any suggestions?

ISTR coming across a website with much information
on Portuguese aerodromes, will post link if found.
For Spain, I've no idea, apart the general memory
that Spain and the Spanish are not very open to visitors
(tourists excepted, more or less,
and Catalunya less closed than Castilia) and also that
Spain has very few aerodromes, given surface and population.

In Spain, be prepared for R/T in Spanish only,
except at major airports. In Portugal, many people
speak English and/or French, to some degree.

[jan olieslagers]

Post by PA34 F-GFTF
I'm looking for some useful tips on possible airports in my trip (LEMH,
LEVC, LPCS, LPPR, LEBB).

This is the site I seemed to remember:
http://www.pelicano.com.pt/zmapa.html

To the right, there's a link to Spanish runways ("pistas") too.

[PA34 F-GFTF]

Thanks, this map is indeed quite helpful.
YAG

Post by jan olieslagers

Post by PA34 F-GFTF
I'm looking for some useful tips on possible airports in my trip (LEMH,
LEVC, LPCS, LPPR, LEBB).

http://www.pelicano.com.pt/zmapa.html
To the right, there's a link to Spanish runways ("pistas") too.

[Peter]

This is not an easy subject especially if you don't speak the local
language.

There is an airport directory called ACUKWIK which is worth getting.
This lists phone numbers of the airport authorities, handling agents,
etc. A lot of these numbers are duff (because some dumb business
people change their phone/fax numbers without telling anybody, and
these directories are based on the national AIPs and nobody checks
them) but the handling agent numbers are usually working. Now, if you
speak the local language, you can make some calls...

Another way is to buy a copy of Navbox Pro and in that you can click
on an airport and see various data including phone numbers. Again, a
lot of these are duff because they are unverified but if you try
enough of them you can get somebody... occassionally phoning a nearby
(big) airport's ATC will quickly get you an English speaking contact
who can give you some definitely working numbers.

For VFR airport plates, you can buy the Jeppesen Bottlang guides, or
get the VFR version of Jeppview which has these in electronic form. If
you need any of these, I can email them to you.

Post by PA34 F-GFTF
Hi,
I'm preparing my vacation : flying to SPain and Portugal with my PA34.
I'm looking for some useful tips on possible airports in my trip (LEMH,
LEVC, LPCS, LPPR, LEBB).
Typical info I'd like to have are: relative price of AVGAS, landing fees,
parking, need for handling, ...
http://www.you-fly.com (English& German)
www.Nav2000.com (French only)
But neither of these websites has decent info on Spain and Portugal, it's
rather limited.
Do you know any other? Any suggestions?
Thanks
YAG

x----------x

[PA34 F-GFTF]

Thanks Peter,

I had a look at your website: http://www.peter2000.co.uk/aviation/index.html
Extremely interesting, as aircraft owner keen on travelling in Europe with
my plane, a lot of your advice and experience is directly applicable.
Obviously, with some country specificities (I don't know about the CAA, but
in France an N-registred aircraft is so much easier and cheaper to maintain
than F-reg. We did the change 2 years ago...)

YAG

Post by Peter
This is not an easy subject especially if you don't speak the local
language.
There is an airport directory called ACUKWIK which is worth getting.
This lists phone numbers of the airport authorities, handling agents,
etc. A lot of these numbers are duff (because some dumb business
people change their phone/fax numbers without telling anybody, and
these directories are based on the national AIPs and nobody checks
them) but the handling agent numbers are usually working. Now, if you
speak the local language, you can make some calls...
Another way is to buy a copy of Navbox Pro and in that you can click
on an airport and see various data including phone numbers. Again, a
lot of these are duff because they are unverified but if you try
enough of them you can get somebody... occassionally phoning a nearby
(big) airport's ATC will quickly get you an English speaking contact
who can give you some definitely working numbers.
For VFR airport plates, you can buy the Jeppesen Bottlang guides, or
get the VFR version of Jeppview which has these in electronic form. If
you need any of these, I can email them to you.

Post by PA34 F-GFTF
Hi,
I'm preparing my vacation : flying to SPain and Portugal with my PA34.
I'm looking for some useful tips on possible airports in my trip (LEMH,
LEVC, LPCS, LPPR, LEBB).
Typical info I'd like to have are: relative price of AVGAS, landing fees,
parking, need for handling, ...
http://www.you-fly.com (English& German)
www.Nav2000.com (French only)
But neither of these websites has decent info on Spain and Portugal, it's
rather limited.
Do you know any other? Any suggestions?
Thanks
YAG

x----------x

[Peter]

Post by PA34 F-GFTF
Obviously, with some country specificities (I don't know about the CAA, but
in France an N-registred aircraft is so much easier and cheaper to maintain
than F-reg. We did the change 2 years ago...)

There isn't a huge difference between N-reg and G-reg - other than
avoiding the CAA 150hr check which costs almost as much as the Annual,
but only owners flying more than 150hrs/year will have to do that.

Most UK people going N-reg have done it for the FAA IR.

I wonder how the French maintenance regime differs from the UK one?
Now it will all be under EASA though, and nobody I know understands
the rules - especially the new rules for the 1000-2000kg band.

x----------x

[PA34 F-GFTF]

Post by Peter
Most UK people going N-reg have done it for the FAA IR.
I wonder how the French maintenance regime differs from the UK one?
Now it will all be under EASA though, and nobody I know understands
the rules - especially the new rules for the 1000-2000kg band.
x----------x

I can't tell you about the EASA rules - do they exist already ?

In our case, the one main reason for changing registration was to avoid the
compulsory change of both engines at the end of their 2000hours potential -
which was to come in about 200 hours. In F-reg, as we had requested an
authorization to maintain the airplane ourselves for the small visits (25,
50 and 100hours), there was no way to get any extension on the engine
potential, even though both engines worked fine - and still do.

As I got a full French IR ticket, the FAA IR was not an issue in my case.
But I understand many other French pilot may prefer to get the cheaper FAA
IR instead. In my home airport (LFPN), about 80% of private aircrafts are
N-reg.

YAG

[Peter]

Post by PA34 F-GFTF
In our case, the one main reason for changing registration was to avoid the
compulsory change of both engines at the end of their 2000hours potential -
which was to come in about 200 hours. In F-reg, as we had requested an
authorization to maintain the airplane ourselves for the small visits (25,
50 and 100hours), there was no way to get any extension on the engine
potential, even though both engines worked fine - and still do.

You had to *change* your engines for *new* ones? Not just overhaul
them?

I know about the 12 year life limit. Lycoming's official position is
that an engine is good for 12 years or 2k hours and needs an overhaul
after that. Here in the UK you can run 'on condition' so long as you
are doing only private flights.

Post by PA34 F-GFTF
As I got a full French IR ticket, the FAA IR was not an issue in my case.
But I understand many other French pilot may prefer to get the cheaper FAA
IR instead. In my home airport (LFPN), about 80% of private aircrafts are
N-reg.

That's even more than the UK :)

x----------x

[PA34 F-GFTF]

Post by Peter

Post by PA34 F-GFTF
In our case, the one main reason for changing registration was to avoid the
compulsory change of both engines at the end of their 2000hours potential -
which was to come in about 200 hours. In F-reg, as we had requested an
authorization to maintain the airplane ourselves for the small visits (25,
50 and 100hours), there was no way to get any extension on the engine
potential, even though both engines worked fine - and still do.

You had to *change* your engines for *new* ones? Not just overhaul
them?

Overhaul, you're right. But total price, including shipping to/from
Lycoming, was about the same as buying a new one when we checked.

Just came back from my vacations around Spain& Portugal. It went fine
overall, with a few adventures in the way...
YAG

[jan olieslagers]

Post by PA34 F-GFTF
Overhaul, you're right. But total price, including shipping to/from
Lycoming, was about the same as buying a new one when we checked.

Are you telling us you couldn't find an accredited workshop closer-by?
There must even be one in this tiny country just to your North!
Surely your French laws (among Europe's most liberal, I'm told)
can't oblige you to have major overhauls done at the factory?

(BTW shouldn't we re-baptise this place "Europe.aviation.general" or such?)

[Peter]

Post by jan olieslagers

Post by PA34 F-GFTF
Overhaul, you're right. But total price, including shipping to/from
Lycoming, was about the same as buying a new one when we checked.

Are you telling us you couldn't find an accredited workshop closer-by?
There must even be one in this tiny country just to your North!
Surely your French laws (among Europe's most liberal, I'm told)
can't oblige you to have major overhauls done at the factory?
(BTW shouldn't we re-baptise this place "Europe.aviation.general" or such?)

I have a quote of $32k from a highly respected American specialist
engine shop for an overhaul of a IO-540-C4 engine, which Lyco lists at
about $65k new.

You don't need to go to Lyco for an overhaul unless you have some
bizzare regulations. For a Euro-reg plane you may need an Export CofA
form with the engine (an FAA 8130-4) but that costs only about $200
for a DAR inspector to come in and write out the form (in the USA).