"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...
As many of you know, I'm currently on a "barnstorming tour" around the
Eastern half of America, flying wherever the weather is best, and
enjoying the scenery along the way. Since Sunday we've flown from
Iowa City, IA to First Flight (Kill Devil Hills, NC), to Ocracoke
Island, to Beaufort, NC, to Huntsville, Alabama, to Memphis,
Tennessee. We'll be flying home tomorrow, completing a relatively
simple VFR flight of 1977 miles.

Just for fun, I have overlaid the flight plan we're currently enjoying
on a map of Europe. The results are stunning, to me, as for the same
expenditure of time we could easily have flown the following route in
Europe:

London, United Kingdom (completely over-flying Germany) to Vienna,
Austria
Vienna, Austria to Milan, Italy
Milan, Italy to Madrid, Spain

During this flight we would have overflown nine (or more) countries,
with all the complications inherent with that task, covering much of
Europe. By comparison, this flight in America has barely scratched
the Eastern Seaboard.

Considering that our current flight has been almost effortless, with
minimal contact with air traffic control (VFR flight following, and,
of course, interaction with control towers at larger airfields), with
no landing fees, only a couple of parking fees, and the highest price
per gallon of avgas paid (thus far) pegged at $4.10 per gallon, it
really is a truism that you simply can't beat GA flying in the good
ol' U.S. of A.

It would be an interesting (if frightening) exercise to see what this
flight in Europe would entail, from a financial as well as technical
standpoint. Can any or our European brethren take a whack at it?

Well for a start, it would require considerably more planning but bank on
avgas costing in the region of $9 a gallon.

The particular issues would be understanding the different airspace rules.

Leaving somewhere around London, you would need to avoid the London TMA
which is class A from the surface around Heathrow and with a base of 2500'
for a considerable distance after that.

First thing would be to perhaps land ay Lydd and top off the tanks and get
duty free gas but it will cost you $20 to do so. You can clear customs
there. Then across the English Channel to say Le Touquet in France. Must
give them 2 hours notice so customs will be ready again. Get there over for
lunchtime and you may have to wait. About $15 to land.

This is when you really need to study the map. Lots of restricted airspace
(for the French airforce) and many airfields, the problem being that only
French is spoken at them.

France is where you get class E airspace for the first time (there is non in
England).

If you choose the charts from each country you will find that they are all a
bit different. Jeppesen do a Europe wide set with a same look but the are
crap.

Again as you mosey round Paris there is loads of low level class A to avoid,
so its off over Germany.

Here you will need to ensure you have a noise certificate. No certificate
then the landing fees will be more than if you have a certificate.

and so it goes on...

As far as talking to ATC is concerned, the European ATC have better English
accents than many places in the US where frankly they could be speaking a
foreign language. But they are strict on correct RT.

Affirmative is not allowed, a-ffirm is the correct term, (avoids confusion
with negative)

It only gets better and such trips are often done. It makes flying more of a
challenge but more interesting.