On Wed, 9 Apr 2008 06:59:21 -0700 (PDT), Udo wrote:

I had a similar experience at St. Auban
One day of sight seeing and one day of mountain workout
and three days of solo.
Six month before my planed arrival I requested there package for
visiting pilots. Even though I filled out and send everything that
they requested for solo flight. The paper work was not done on my
arrival. After telling them that I was not interested in flying with
them at all, unless I get my solo status, they were able to get it
within 24 hours.
I had the impression that they were not interested in pilots doing
solo.
The landscape is spectacular and flying is a challenging
I spend Euros 980.00 flying for the week, plus Euros 420.00 for a
cabin for one week, clean but very basic, food not included. Breakfast
on site is none existing unless you call a bowl of coffee and a dry
muffin breakfast. I ended up making my own. You must also look after
your own lunch. In the evening supper was available at a reasonable
rate.


I think things have changed a lot at St. Auban over the years - I
heard a lot of bad things lately. I was there in 1995 I think (with a
German instructor training course), and we got a very thorough
instruction to mountain flying. I was one of the few who brought their
own glider and I was pretty surprised that I got the "go" for solo
flight after only two flights.

Things were much better then... the breakfast fas good, and "a midi"
we went to the Air Force academy canteen (at that time there was the
civil gliding centre and the Air Force academy on the other side of
the airfield) where we got a pretty god and real cheap lunch.

I don't recall the prices anymore, but they were pretty tame.


Concerning safety: The area there is extremely dangerous to fly. Far
above-avergae accident rate in the French Alps, most of them fatal.





Bye
Andreas