Cool Cannes
For several months,I had been hoping to arrange a trip to the airfields of Cannes and Cuers in the South of France; however,circumstances had always prevented me from actually arranging the flight.
Several of my students and ex students live in the south of France and they are often asking me to come down to do some flying with them.
I also have pilot friends in this area, so I have been looking forward to a chance to fly down south, however pressure of work in Limoges has not enabled me to turn the dream into reality.
When my daughter Kirsty informed me that she and her boyfriend were holidaying in Antibes in July and could I come down to spend some time with them, the idea started to take shape.While at the aero club I happened to mention this to Stine and Matthew and they immediately said Ok let's fly there, so our adventure was about to begin!
Stine is nearly at the end of her PPL training and she is hoping to gain as much flying experience as possible before returning home to Norway. The prospect of a flight over the mountains, and to fly in airspace that is more restrictive than she has encountered at Limoges had her "champing at the bit “and ready to go.
Matthew is always looking to gain knowledge in new flying environments as his long term aim is to be a Professional Pilot, so we began to arrange the flight.
Upon hearing of the proposed trip Stuart Morton (one of my students who lives near to Cuers) sent a message that he wanted to fly as many hours as possible when I was in his area, he would provide the accommodation and transport if I would supply the training.
Matt offered to plan the trip on the Monday afternoon; therefore, all I had to do the following morning was to arrive at the club ready to fly.
Tuesday saw Stine, Matt and I at the club early in the morning, we had chosen the Robin F-GMKT DR400/180 which is fast and very comfortable for long journeys.
The weather forecast was excellent for the whole trip so we chose the direct route over the mountains en route to Cannes.
Stine chose to fly this first flight, she had not flown over the mountains before and she was pleasantly surprised at the deep river gorges which reminded her of her native Norway.
We enjoyed cloudless skies until we were midway between the VOR's of Saint Flour and Montelimar then we were forced to climb to avoid cloud between the mountains. This was also a new and exciting experience for Stine.
When we reached Montelimar the clouds vanished and we continued our flight over the high ground, passing the impressive Mount Ventoux (6263 ft) until we were abeam Vinon (LFNF) now we descended to follow the valley between the hills which would lead us to our destination Cannes( LFMD).
During the flight, we had not seen another aircraft; however, that was soon to change as we neared our destination airfield.
Cannes tower was very busy, however, the controller was friendly and helpful, we were asked if we wanted to join long final from the north which we readily accepted and we landed behind a sleek business jet arriving from Beirut.
After landing we changed to Cannes ground frequency they directed us to the park via runway 04, we were soon parked on the grass and waiting for the minibus to shuttle us to the terminal.
Matt could not keep his eyes away from the wonderful selection of business jets lined up adjacent to the terminal. This was a different scene to the last time that I had landed at Cannes two years previously when the airport was almost empty,obviously,everyone had arrived for their summer holidays ---- no sign of the credit crunch here!
After an expensive taxi ride into town we met Kirsty and Sam at a charming cafe and enjoyed a light lunch outside on the terrace.
After lunch, it was time to wander the streets of Cannes in the hope of seeing some of the rich and famous,sadly we did not recognise anyone in the expensive cars which roared by.
We explored the old part of town and finally said our goodbyes and returned to the airport for the 40 minute flight up the coast to Cuers.
The journey to the plane only takes three minutes but it is forbidden to walk across the airport to the parked aircraft.
This time we had a long wait for the minibus, so we were twiddling our thumbs in the heat for over 45 minutes.
Aircraft were departing every two minutes, therefore the controllers were really working hard.Upon start up, it was heartwarming to hear the same controller say "hello again" when I asked for taxi instructions to the active runway
Incidentally, the landing fee here was 12 euros for the first three hours and 25 euros for the full day inclusive of handling charges.
Upon landing, we noticed Stuart waving to us,after we secured the aircraft we were whisked to his house nearby, We were introduced to his French wife Luce and his delightful two and a half year old son Thomas.
We related the day's adventures over a glass of excellent local rose wine, while Stuart cooked dinner.
We had a lovely evening, however were were all exhausted by the end of a long day, so it was not long before we were heading for our beds and oblivion.
The following day we made plans over breakfast, Stine decided to join Luce for a trip to Marseilles followed by spending some time relaxing on the beach.
We headed to the airport and while the others prepared the aircraft, I went to find my friend Pierre Crozet.
After a distinguished career as général de l'armée d'air, Pierre now devotes his time to teaching flying to handicapped students.With help from the government and specially adapted aircraft, he trains his students for the PPL and then guides them to train for the CPL or for careers in other fields of aviation.
I have met several of his students over the last few years and I have seen the transformation in their confidence when they have achieved their goals. Many have been able to obtain useful jobs such as flying aircraft which spot fires or aerial photography, others go into jobs which are aviation related such as compiling maps and charts or aviation journalism.
Pierre and I discussed the best options for the days flight and he suggested that we should go to Gap (LFNA) which is situated in the mountains surrounded by lakes.
When he also informed me that this field has an excellent restaurant we did not need any further persuasion, a restaurant on the field is always a bonus.
We were warned that GAP was very busy, with parachute dropping and gliding in operation, Pierre explained the best way of entering the circuit and the use of the reporting points,so armed with this useful information we set off on our adventure.
The area surrounding Cuers has a minefield of military areas,however the controllers were helpful and guided us through without any problems.Stuart was flying this leg and although he had not sat in a plane for six months he was soon relaxed and handling the controls with ease.
Our route took us up a valley between the mountains some reaching nine thousand feet,we followed the riverbedwith it's fertile valley, a brilliant green contrasting with the austere mountains on each side of us.
We arrived a little too early for lunch, so we continued up the river until we came to Lac de Serre Poncon a beautiful lake set in a basin between the mountains,this was obviously a holiday destination,as we watched the numerous boats and water skiers in action below us.
We returned to Gap, we were sent on a rather unusual downwind leg to provide clearance for the parachutists who were landing on the field at that moment.
The airfield was idyllic, such a beautiful setting, everyone we met was helpful and friendly. We discovered a pilot shop but did not linger owing to severe hunger pangs.
The airport has reasonably priced accommodation and a swimming pool so perhaps we shall be returning for a slightly longer stay next time.
We enjoyed an excellent light lunch on the terrace with views of the parachutists who were regularly landing just in front of us. We paid the exorbitant landing fee of five euros and it was time for the next flight.
Next destination Carpentras (LFNH) we followed the Sisteron valley and then climbed to seven thousand feet to cross the mountains, Stuart wanted to do some circuit practise at this uncontrolled airfield, upon arrival with a 15 knot crosswind blowing he had to change his technique!
That evening we chose to walk into the village to a local restaurant French food with a hint of the exotic, as the owners were from the French island of Reunion. We sat outside next to the beautiful old church, Thomas spent most of the evening exploring the immediate area and giving his parents a few worries with his adventurous spirit !
We strolled back through the village, replete, content and basking in the afterglow of a wonderful days flying.
Our final day and we were in a quandary what to do as the forecast towards the north and at Limoges was for thunderstorms and it seemed that later in the day the weather was going to improve.
We decided to do delay our departure until later in the day hoping for an improvement in the forecast for the homeward trip.
We chose to do a a local sightseeing flight and to meet up at the restaurant on the field for lunch with Pierre Crozet.
We were very intrigued to fly over the home of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, their home was only five minutes flight from Cuers airport.
We were not disappointed, the house and the surrounding vineyards were enchanting situated in a very quiet area and well worth seeing.
Matthew who is our honorary photographer did the honours once again, it was a memorable flight.
We then continued to Saint Tropez and flew close to La Mole (LFTH) this the airport close to the coast ,the chosen destination for the stars to land ther private jets. I understand that the landing fee is 80 euros.
The bay at Saint Tropez was full of yachts and boats of all sizes and shapes, many had their own private swimming pools and helicopters on the deck.
The place was teeming with boats, windsurfers and sunbathers, personally it was better to view Saint Tropez from the air rather than to be on the over crowded beaches.
We flew up the coast towards Cannes and Stuart pointed out the houses owned by Royal families and film stars, as we were approaching the Cannes CTR we turned around and headed further up the coast,once again passing Saint Tropez, then negotiatingthe narrow passageway ( P63) between the prohibited areas close to the presidents summer residence, we viewed Cap Negre where Carla Bruni has her summer home, which is just just 5 minutes drive from the presidents summer palace.
The scenery was quite stunning, soon we changed to Toulon approach and they kindly directed us past Hyeres (LFTH) airport and we headed back to Cuers by a circular route.
The outside air temperature was in the 40's so it was a relief to sit in the shade and have our final meal in the South of France.
We said our good byes and headed home, We needed to do quite a lot of climbing to negotiate clouds around the mountains.
Special thanks must go to Matt who was doing the navigating at that time, his navigation skills made the task of flying over and around the mountains much easier for the pilots in the front of the plane.
Thankfully, upon arrival at Limoges the thunderstorms had dissipated and we landed in brilliant sunshine, however, the temperature was 20 degrees lower than at Cuers and we all felt rather cold and shivery!
Finally a message from Stuart, if any pilot's are coming to his area he can offer a warm welcome,a glass of rose wine,plus a place to stay overnight if required.
Photographs courtesy of Stuart Morton and Matthew Galvin.
For several months,I had been hoping to arrange a trip to the airfields of Cannes and Cuers in the South of France; however,circumstances had always prevented me from actually arranging the flight.
I also have pilot friends in this area, so I have been looking forward to a chance to fly down south, however pressure of work in Limoges has not enabled me to turn the dream into reality.
When my daughter Kirsty informed me that she and her boyfriend were holidaying in Antibes in July and could I come down to spend some time with them, the idea started to take shape.While at the aero club I happened to mention this to Stine and Matthew and they immediately said Ok let's fly there, so our adventure was about to begin!
Stine is nearly at the end of her PPL training and she is hoping to gain as much flying experience as possible before returning home to Norway. The prospect of a flight over the mountains, and to fly in airspace that is more restrictive than she has encountered at Limoges had her "champing at the bit “and ready to go.
Matthew is always looking to gain knowledge in new flying environments as his long term aim is to be a Professional Pilot, so we began to arrange the flight.
Upon hearing of the proposed trip Stuart Morton (one of my students who lives near to Cuers) sent a message that he wanted to fly as many hours as possible when I was in his area, he would provide the accommodation and transport if I would supply the training.
Matt offered to plan the trip on the Monday afternoon; therefore, all I had to do the following morning was to arrive at the club ready to fly.
Tuesday saw Stine, Matt and I at the club early in the morning, we had chosen the Robin F-GMKT DR400/180 which is fast and very comfortable for long journeys.
Stine chose to fly this first flight, she had not flown over the mountains before and she was pleasantly surprised at the deep river gorges which reminded her of her native Norway.
We enjoyed cloudless skies until we were midway between the VOR's of Saint Flour and Montelimar then we were forced to climb to avoid cloud between the mountains. This was also a new and exciting experience for Stine.
When we reached Montelimar the clouds vanished and we continued our flight over the high ground, passing the impressive Mount Ventoux (6263 ft) until we were abeam Vinon (LFNF) now we descended to follow the valley between the hills which would lead us to our destination Cannes( LFMD).
Cannes tower was very busy, however, the controller was friendly and helpful, we were asked if we wanted to join long final from the north which we readily accepted and we landed behind a sleek business jet arriving from Beirut.
After landing we changed to Cannes ground frequency they directed us to the park via runway 04, we were soon parked on the grass and waiting for the minibus to shuttle us to the terminal.
Matt could not keep his eyes away from the wonderful selection of business jets lined up adjacent to the terminal. This was a different scene to the last time that I had landed at Cannes two years previously when the airport was almost empty,obviously,everyone had arrived for their summer holidays ---- no sign of the credit crunch here!
After an expensive taxi ride into town we met Kirsty and Sam at a charming cafe and enjoyed a light lunch outside on the terrace.
We explored the old part of town and finally said our goodbyes and returned to the airport for the 40 minute flight up the coast to Cuers.
The journey to the plane only takes three minutes but it is forbidden to walk across the airport to the parked aircraft.
This time we had a long wait for the minibus, so we were twiddling our thumbs in the heat for over 45 minutes.
Aircraft were departing every two minutes, therefore the controllers were really working hard.Upon start up, it was heartwarming to hear the same controller say "hello again" when I asked for taxi instructions to the active runway
Incidentally, the landing fee here was 12 euros for the first three hours and 25 euros for the full day inclusive of handling charges.
Upon landing, we noticed Stuart waving to us,after we secured the aircraft we were whisked to his house nearby, We were introduced to his French wife Luce and his delightful two and a half year old son Thomas.
We related the day's adventures over a glass of excellent local rose wine, while Stuart cooked dinner.
The following day we made plans over breakfast, Stine decided to join Luce for a trip to Marseilles followed by spending some time relaxing on the beach.
We headed to the airport and while the others prepared the aircraft, I went to find my friend Pierre Crozet.
After a distinguished career as général de l'armée d'air, Pierre now devotes his time to teaching flying to handicapped students.With help from the government and specially adapted aircraft, he trains his students for the PPL and then guides them to train for the CPL or for careers in other fields of aviation.
I have met several of his students over the last few years and I have seen the transformation in their confidence when they have achieved their goals. Many have been able to obtain useful jobs such as flying aircraft which spot fires or aerial photography, others go into jobs which are aviation related such as compiling maps and charts or aviation journalism.
Pierre and I discussed the best options for the days flight and he suggested that we should go to Gap (LFNA) which is situated in the mountains surrounded by lakes.
When he also informed me that this field has an excellent restaurant we did not need any further persuasion, a restaurant on the field is always a bonus.
The area surrounding Cuers has a minefield of military areas,however the controllers were helpful and guided us through without any problems.Stuart was flying this leg and although he had not sat in a plane for six months he was soon relaxed and handling the controls with ease.
We arrived a little too early for lunch, so we continued up the river until we came to Lac de Serre Poncon a beautiful lake set in a basin between the mountains,this was obviously a holiday destination,as we watched the numerous boats and water skiers in action below us.
We returned to Gap, we were sent on a rather unusual downwind leg to provide clearance for the parachutists who were landing on the field at that moment.
The airfield was idyllic, such a beautiful setting, everyone we met was helpful and friendly. We discovered a pilot shop but did not linger owing to severe hunger pangs.
The airport has reasonably priced accommodation and a swimming pool so perhaps we shall be returning for a slightly longer stay next time.
Next destination Carpentras (LFNH) we followed the Sisteron valley and then climbed to seven thousand feet to cross the mountains, Stuart wanted to do some circuit practise at this uncontrolled airfield, upon arrival with a 15 knot crosswind blowing he had to change his technique!
That evening we chose to walk into the village to a local restaurant French food with a hint of the exotic, as the owners were from the French island of Reunion. We sat outside next to the beautiful old church, Thomas spent most of the evening exploring the immediate area and giving his parents a few worries with his adventurous spirit !
We strolled back through the village, replete, content and basking in the afterglow of a wonderful days flying.
Our final day and we were in a quandary what to do as the forecast towards the north and at Limoges was for thunderstorms and it seemed that later in the day the weather was going to improve.
We decided to do delay our departure until later in the day hoping for an improvement in the forecast for the homeward trip.
We chose to do a a local sightseeing flight and to meet up at the restaurant on the field for lunch with Pierre Crozet.
We were not disappointed, the house and the surrounding vineyards were enchanting situated in a very quiet area and well worth seeing.
Matthew who is our honorary photographer did the honours once again, it was a memorable flight.
We then continued to Saint Tropez and flew close to La Mole (LFTH) this the airport close to the coast ,the chosen destination for the stars to land ther private jets. I understand that the landing fee is 80 euros.
The bay at Saint Tropez was full of yachts and boats of all sizes and shapes, many had their own private swimming pools and helicopters on the deck.
We flew up the coast towards Cannes and Stuart pointed out the houses owned by Royal families and film stars, as we were approaching the Cannes CTR we turned around and headed further up the coast,once again passing Saint Tropez, then negotiatingthe narrow passageway ( P63) between the prohibited areas close to the presidents summer residence, we viewed Cap Negre where Carla Bruni has her summer home, which is just just 5 minutes drive from the presidents summer palace.
The outside air temperature was in the 40's so it was a relief to sit in the shade and have our final meal in the South of France.
We said our good byes and headed home, We needed to do quite a lot of climbing to negotiate clouds around the mountains.
Special thanks must go to Matt who was doing the navigating at that time, his navigation skills made the task of flying over and around the mountains much easier for the pilots in the front of the plane.
Thankfully, upon arrival at Limoges the thunderstorms had dissipated and we landed in brilliant sunshine, however, the temperature was 20 degrees lower than at Cuers and we all felt rather cold and shivery!
Photographs courtesy of Stuart Morton and Matthew Galvin.
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