A Comedy of Aeros

East Fortune – Loire Valley August 2007

8 days

c 1500 miles flown

c 23 hours flight time

c 280 litres of fuel

Route East Fortune – Eddsfield-Andrewsfield( overnight)-Abbeville(overnight)-Bernay-Blois Onzain(overnight)-Beaulieu sur Loire- (two nights)-Dreuz-Abbeville(overnight)-Andrewsfield-Fenland-Eddsfield(overnight) –East Fortune

Very Brief Notes:

Eddsfield

A splendid farmers strip near Bridlington. Edd the owner very friendly and cooperative. Comfortable bunk beds in caravan or camp. Village pub c 1 and a half miles . beautiful area . Avgas cheaper than most. What more do you want. ? NB Somewhat difficult to find. GPS useful. Almost as difficult to find from the ground. Walked back from the pub in the gloamin and walked right past it . Edd has NO signs at entarnce so as not to encourage theft etc. See website

Andrewsfield

Adjacent (very) and below Stansted Control so care on circuit. Very pleasant small airfield . Micro friendly. Bar and Restaurant(ish) Allowed me to camp but probably a one off. Can file flightplans etc here and will assist. Workshop if necessary.(it was I broke a brake pipe) Grass. Some rotor in circuit. Website

Abbeville

Great municipal airport. Visual landing. Radio not always manned. Very little traffic . Friendly. Can open and close flight plans here. Avgas You are supposed to give 4 hours notice to Customs before arrival Active ULM club and Aero club with some magniificent restored aircraft from 40-50's including a flying flea. Landing charge 3 Euros ! Adjacent Motel is OK and reasonably priced ( E45 a room) and restaurant is excellent

Bernay

Small municipal airport . Radio again not manned and virtually no traffiic . ULM club Restaurant adjacent. No LC

Blois Onzain

Excellent private grass strip very easy to find due to adjacent m/ bike track gouged out of turf (see photo). Guy running the ULM experience flight centre is very friendly . Wife ran me 5km to petrol station No LC

And next door is a vast Euro Camp site. Not tacky but expensive( charged me 40 euros to pitch a hiking tent) and restaurant mediocre. Ok if you like karioke and have fond memories of a childhood at Butlins. Website

Beaulieu sur Loire

Small ULM club strip next to the Loire. Circuit a bit tricky due to a VERY adjacent restricted power station area. Very friendly and Mogas available (at a 20% premium to pump price but fair enough) Runs a canoe hire centre adjacent. Two very small towns c 3 km (longish walk) away with reasonable hotels and a super(ish) market. website

Dreux

Another small and friendly municipal airport.

Nobody around except a couple of mechanics who broke off to make me a cup of coffee. (I had made the mistake of flying up from the Loire without a flying suit just as the weather broke and I was frozen)

Fenland

Made an unscheduled stop here on return North as I was getting well and truly battered with turbulence coming over the Fens and had had enough punishment . Pleasant little grass airfield . Bar and food A bit GA with epaulettes but OK and friendly enough.

Radio

Hardly used it in France apart from a few blind calls, never acknowledged.Very little traffic at the small strips and municipal airports I used .

London and channel passed from Southend-Manston-Lille. AFIS

Lille excellent English and friendly though having failed to register that I was a microlight he got a bit alarmed at my( to him) late arrival in Abbeville vicinity

Bert