CNVV question

Hi, I'm planning to attend a mountain flying course at CNVV in St. Auban in June, and I'm trying to get answers to a couple of questions from others who have flown there.

First, I speak only enough French to mangle a dinner order. How much of an obstacle is that likely to be both for flight instruction and getting around the area?

Second, my non-pilot wife is going to accompany me, and I want to find some really nice accommodations for her to enjoy while I'm flying. Any suggestions? We'll probably have a rental car, so it won't be a problem for me to drive to the airport from someplace reasonably close.

Finally, we'll plan to do some sightseeing and other activities together while we're in the area, so any suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Best regards,
Don Davidson

Don:

I can at least answer the question about ordering dinner. First, learn some useful phrases including polite greetings and how to apologize in French. You'll find plenty of English speakers in most areas and they will be happy to help you when your French runs out. You'll get lots of bonus points for trying, though.

Just watch out for how locals utilize language. For example "merci", although translated as "thank-you" is often shorthand for "non merci" ("no thank you") when offered food at a table! Also watch out for some of the colloquial names for some dishes - they often don't translate well (think "pigs in a blanket", for example!)

Many years ago, I was deposited in a rural village with not one English speaker and just rudimentary French grammar from school. I didn't starve and had a great time. I keep going back to the country as I find France very civilized in comparison with some places I have lived. It's hard to find bad food.

Mike

On Thursday, 26 February 2015 21:05:51 UTC, Don Davidson wrote:
Hi, I'm planning to attend a mountain flying course at CNVV in St. Auban in June, and I'm trying to get answers to a couple of questions from others who have flown there.

First, I speak only enough French to mangle a dinner order. How much of an obstacle is that likely to be both for flight instruction and getting around the area?

Second, my non-pilot wife is going to accompany me, and I want to find some really nice accommodations for her to enjoy while I'm flying. Any suggestions? We'll probably have a rental car, so it won't be a problem for me to drive to the airport from someplace reasonably close.

Finally, we'll plan to do some sightseeing and other activities together while we're in the area, so any suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Best regards,
Don Davidson

Not answering your question, but make yourself a translation table from knots to kmph and from feet to meters. I found flying with unfamiliar units on the instruments took up unnecessary attention.

Hi Don
No problem at the CNVV with English only. Double Room Accomodation at the Centre in the North Building is quite good, but somewhat basic. La Bonne Etape Hotel in Chateau-Arnoux (5min) is tops but also expensive. Moustier and the Georges du Verdun are a must to visit. Also not to far from the Coast - Marseille - Nice - Monaco
Enjoy your stay
Muttley

On Friday, February 27, 2015 at 1:52:35 PM UTC+13, waremark wrote:
On Thursday, 26 February 2015 21:05:51 UTC, Don Davidson wrote:
Hi, I'm planning to attend a mountain flying course at CNVV in St. Auban in June, and I'm trying to get answers to a couple of questions from others who have flown there.

First, I speak only enough French to mangle a dinner order. How much of an obstacle is that likely to be both for flight instruction and getting around the area?

Second, my non-pilot wife is going to accompany me, and I want to find some really nice accommodations for her to enjoy while I'm flying. Any suggestions? We'll probably have a rental car, so it won't be a problem for me to drive to the airport from someplace reasonably close.

Finally, we'll plan to do some sightseeing and other activities together while we're in the area, so any suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Best regards,
Don Davidson

Not answering your question, but make yourself a translation table from knots to kmph and from feet to meters. I found flying with unfamiliar units on the instruments took up unnecessary attention.

It's not much of a table! And you don't want to be looking at a bit of paper.

On Friday, February 27, 2015 at 6:15:38 AM UTC+1, Bruce Hoult wrote:
On Friday, February 27, 2015 at 1:52:35 PM UTC+13, waremark wrote:
On Thursday, 26 February 2015 21:05:51 UTC, Don Davidson wrote:
Hi, I'm planning to attend a mountain flying course at CNVV in St. Auban in June, and I'm trying to get answers to a couple of questions from others who have flown there.

First, I speak only enough French to mangle a dinner order. How much of an obstacle is that likely to be both for flight instruction and getting around the area?

Second, my non-pilot wife is going to accompany me, and I want to find some really nice accommodations for her to enjoy while I'm flying. Any suggestions? We'll probably have a rental car, so it won't be a problem for me to drive to the airport from someplace reasonably close.

Finally, we'll plan to do some sightseeing and other activities together while we're in the area, so any suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Best regards,
Don Davidson

Not answering your question, but make yourself a translation table from knots to kmph and from feet to meters. I found flying with unfamiliar units on the instruments took up unnecessary attention.

It's not much of a table! And you don't want to be looking at a bit of paper.

Thermal at 80 - 100
Cruise at 130 - 150+
Safe speed near the ground in the gap between those ranges, depending on wind

Quick and dirty 1000 m is 3000 ft. Add 10% if you have time.

Don't bother about hight at StAuban, it will be close to the ground in 90% of the flyging time.

Speed is important, you will learn quite fast the correct speed depending on situation. You will also learn to not spend time at the instrument. Look out is a survival instinct that you need to adopt fast when flyging in the French Alps.

Hi Don,

We have a family house just outside Sisteron (bought for gliding) the whole
area is beautiful and I would echo that Moustier is a must visit. Take the
Route Napoleon which takes you through the lavender fields.

Accommodation

I guess this depends what you wife wants to do during her days? The
airfield at St Auban does have a pool, but it will be "airfield"
accommodation. If she would like to get out and about then staying an Aux
en Provence might be worth considering. It is an easy drive of about a 45
minutes straight up the A51. The airfield is 1 km from the auto route.

Do you want hotel or rent a villa / house. Plenty of of lovely houses with
pools to rent locally. If you stay close to the airfield then your wife has
the freedom of the car.

Another place to recommend on a non gliding day is lunch in the coastal
town of Cassis...absolutely stunning.

Have a look at John Bridges website:

http://www.aircross.co.uk/sisteron/Links.htm

http://www.tourism-alps-provence.com/

If you have any questions, please do email me off the forum.

Justin




At 21:05 26 February 2015, Don Davidson wrote:
Hi, I'm planning to attend a mountain flying course at CNVV in St. Auban
in=
June, and I'm trying to get answers to a couple of questions from others
w=
ho have flown there.

First, I speak only enough French to mangle a dinner order. How much of
an
=
obstacle is that likely to be both for flight instruction and getting
aroun=
d the area?

Second, my non-pilot wife is going to accompany me, and I want to find
some=
really nice accommodations for her to enjoy while I'm flying. Any
suggesti=
ons? We'll probably have a rental car, so it won't be a problem for me to
d=
rive to the airport from someplace reasonably close.

Finally, we'll plan to do some sightseeing and other activities together
wh=
ile we're in the area, so any suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Best regards,
Don Davidson=20

On Thu, 26 Feb 2015 16:52:32 -0800, waremark wrote:

Not answering your question, but make yourself a translation table from
knots to kmph and from feet to meters. I found flying with unfamiliar
units on the instruments took up unnecessary attention.

Last time I did this: flying a totally unfamiliar glider type (Duo) with
unfamiliar metric instruments over a new area for me (Wiener Neustadt) I
had no problem with speeds or altitude, but did find I was misreading the
vario in sink. I kept taking a -2 reading as meaning 2 kts of sink when
it was double that in reality. As a result I had a tendency to think "no
problem" rather than "lets stick the nose down and get out of here" .


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

On Thursday, February 26, 2015 at 4:05:51 PM UTC-5, Don Davidson wrote:
Second, my non-pilot wife is going to accompany me, and I want to find some really nice accommodations for her to enjoy while I'm flying. Any suggestions? We'll probably have a rental car, so it won't be a problem for me to drive to the airport from someplace reasonably close.

on the way to Cannes, about 2.5 hours away from the airport, you will find one of the most amazing restaurants you have ever been to: Hotel Deux Rocs. As Michelin says, "worth a detour"

http://www.hoteldeuxrocs.com/en/en-r...nce-83440.html

Le vendredi 27 février 2015 13:24:36 UTC+1, Bob Pasker a écrit*:
On Thursday, February 26, 2015 at 4:05:51 PM UTC-5, Don Davidson wrote:
Second, my non-pilot wife is going to accompany me, and I want to find some really nice accommodations for her to enjoy while I'm flying. Any suggestions? We'll probably have a rental car, so it won't be a problem for me to drive to the airport from someplace reasonably close.

on the way to Cannes, about 2.5 hours away from the airport, you will find one of the most amazing restaurants you have ever been to: Hotel Deux Rocs. As Michelin says, "worth a detour"

http://www.hoteldeuxrocs.com/en/en-r...nce-83440.html

Be careful. In Seillans and the villages around it there are a couple of very nice restaurants. And the airfield of Fayence (one of the biggests clubs in the South) is just 10 minutes away.
You might be sucked away and never want to leave...