Zurich is the financial capital of Switzerland and first airport of the country. Being the main base of Swiss, it is quite a busy airport but it still accepts general aviation under certain conditions. The key to a successful trip to Zurich is good preparation. I flew there a couple of times IFR and VFR and it always went smoothly. Take a deep breath, relax, and go through it.
Samedan (LSZS)
Samedan is the final moutainous airport in this series, after Sion and Saanen. Located in the eastern Swiss Alps, in a narrow valley, at 5’600 feet AMSL, Samedan is the highest airport in Europe (altiports and glacier landing places excluded). Whatever the season, landing up there is never simple and careful flight preparation is a must.
The arrival from “W” is impressive, and finding it in winter is not easy – this reporting point is overhead a mountain lake that gets frozen and snow covered. The arrival from the Albula pass is also memorable, as the valley to the pass is also quite narrow. Because the local relief does not offers a lot of alternatives it is important to study the weather in details so as not to get trapped below clouds in a valley, or be stuck on top before descent. In winter, don’t forget to call the airport to ensure that the runway is clear of snow and that parking is available. The parking area is not fully de-snowed in winter so make sur to get good information about how to taxi on snow – particularly if you fly with a retractable landing gear. A recent accident involving a Falcon jet and a snow-wall close to the runway highlighted the specificities of winter operations in Samedan.
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Flying to Samedan in summer also requires good preparation, particularly regarding performance. The runway is rather long (1’800 meters) but with summer temparatures above 20°C, the density altitude can exceed 8’000 feet. Don’t expect a short take-off roll and steep climb out. Don’t assume that any single engine piston aircraft can safely take-off and climb with full load under such conditions. Leaning the mixture before take-off also makes sense as the airport is already above 5’000 feet.
The airport circuit is narrower than in Sion and there is no room to fly a base leg. Even with a continuous turn from downwind to final it is usual to overshoot the runway axis. A higher circuit is published for light twins and it makes sense to use if with certain high performance singles. Don’t forget that the single engine landing point is in the middle of the runway, not at threshold. Click here to see landing and take-off videos in a DA40. Note that the final turn is steeper than usual and beacause of relief there is no natural visual horizon. Keep enough speed to make the steeper turn possible…
The best part of each flight to Samedan is to pay the landing fee. The office also sells excellent Graubünden nut pies. Don’t miss them – no excuse will be accepted. Samedan is localted in the Graubünden region. There are numerous ski resorts around, including St-Moritz, Laax and Davos. The airport is intensively used during the World Economic Forum in Davos and is closed several days, usually in January, because of the forum.
All these specifities make a flight to Samedan a bit more difficult but good preparation makes is achievable for a well prepared pilot. Great alpine flying rewarded by a nice landing there and a nut pie makes a perfect day.
Tips for VFR flying in Switzerland
This post was initially released on my home blog www.plasticpilot.net and as it is full of tips for foreign pilots visiting Switzerland I publish this updated version here.
If you want to add a new destination to your logbook in 2009, why not Switzerland ? As a local, I can give you some tips to make your swiss operation seamless and enjoyable.
Customs
Important things first: Switzerland is not member of the European Union, so you’ll have to clear customs. Some airports and airfields offer permanent or on request customs service. This can range from shaking hands with a customs guy to fill-in a form, and it is mandatory. As Switzerland finally ratified the Schenggen treaty, it should be easier, but the transition phase starting early April 2009 is still quite fuzzy. Shenggen applies to persons only, not to goods and this makes things complicated. My best tip is to contact your destination airport before your flight to sort out all details.
Airspace structure
Swiss airspace is split in two, along a south-west to north-east line. North of the line is the “Plateau” area. This has Class-G airspace up-to 2000 ft AGL (except in CTRs), then Class-E up to FL 100, and Class-C from FL 100.
South of the line is the “Alps” area. The Class-E is up to FL 130 in case of military activity and up to FL 150 if military are not active. Above that is Class-D airspace (mandatory clearance) up to FL195, and Class-C above.
All CTR’s are Class-D and TMA’s are Class-C. Flying within Geneva (LSGG) or Zurich (LSZH) TMA is normally not allowed. Crossing Bern (LSZB), Payerne (LSMP) or Emmen (LSME) is just matter of calling on the radio.
The country is split in two FIRs, Geneva and Zuerich, each with its Information frequency. The boundary runs along Bern (LSZB) TMA.
Routes on controlled airports
All controlled airports have mandatory VFR reporting points and routes for both arrivals and departures. You can’t just call “10 miles east for landing”. Most of these airports also have ATIS broadcasts that you’ll have to copy before callint TWR.
Sectors on non-controlled airports
Non-controlled airfields procedures are based on sectors through which you must arrive and depart. The AFIS service is generally very limited, and most of time you’ll have to do blind position reports (sector – overhead – downwind – base – final).
Operation times
Be careful with airfields operation times – many restrictions do exist. Some airports even close from 12:00 to 13:30, and violating such a rule could cost you up to 700 swiss francs (approx. 600 US dollars).
Flight Plan filling
You can get briefing and file flight plans using computer based system called “AMIE” or “self-briefing” which is available at all airports and airfields. You can create an account if you want, so as to be able to close your flight plan on arrival. This system is for free at airports, and if you prefer to use it on the internet you’ll have to pay a yearly fee.
Landing fees
Talking of thees, you’ll have to pay for landing fees in all swiss airports. The price will depend of the MTOW of your aircraft, but can also vary depending of the services you’ll use (parking, customs, …). Landing fees will vary from 10 to 80 Swiss francs.
PPR
Many airfields, but at some times also major airports require a prior permission for VFR flights. For mountainous airfields it is also important to get informed about runway status as snow cleaning is not always granted.
Mountain flying
If you want to fly over the mountains and are not used to, be extremely careful with weather and winds. I personally don’t fly in mountains if wind is over 20kts ! Envisage hiring a local instructor if you want an introduction.
Tailored service
If you want more details, or some help to plan your flight to LSxx, feel free to contact me directly. I’ll be happy to provide you some support, and may be to meet you.
Saanen (LSGK)
When it comes to unusual airports in mountainous area, Saanen comes after Sion and before Samedan. You probably don’t know where Saanen is, but you certainly already heard of the nearby town of Gstaad, in the Berner Oberland. The approach to Saanen is unusual because of the surrounding high grounds. The runway length is not an issue as it is an ex-airforce base. Because of the intense VIP activity in Gstaad, you’ll see many turboprops and even some light jets in Saanen.
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Saanen is an un-controlled airfield which requires PPR. Practically, you have to call (+41 33 744 40 25) before flying there. The AFIS is almost always active and will inform you about the runway in use… most of time it is runway 26. What makes Saanen a bit tricky is that there is no room to fly a standard pattern. The approach for runway 26 starts with overhead, flying away from the airport on the runway axis…
The “pattern” then includes a right turn above a crest, and a loop around Gstaad, before coming back on final. Do not overfly the town, as there are many VIPs relaxing there. Describing this approach is not easy, so I built a Google Earth picture of it…
The airport plate says that an initiation is recommended, due to the particular approach. The biggest trick is is to manage descent while on the extended base leg, because the runway comes back in sight only on final. The unpublished tip to make it easier is to aim at the white church located right of the threshold. The end of base and begin of final must be flown relatively low over ground to avoid coming high on short final. In summer, intense glider and para-gliders makes the thing even funnier. The good thing is that the AFIS makes a great job at informing aircraft about each other.
Compared to the approach and landing, departing Saanen is really a non-event. The airport has no IFR procedures at all. If you want to file a Y or Z flight plan, a good joining / leaving point is the Fribourg (FRI) VOR, a few miles away on the G5 airway. During my last visit to Saanen, I made this video guide which showing approach and departure.
Saanen is not really a golf destination, but it is great for skiing in the winter, but don’t forget to call before you fly in, it could be that the runway is not clear of snow… During your stay you will have to eat at least one “meringue” with double cream. The best hotel in Gstaad is the “Gstaad Palace“, which is easy to spot while you fly the pattern: it is a square-ish castle with a single tower. You can reserve the cheapest room for 410 CHF per night, but the Penthouse Suite will cost you 9’700 CHF per night.
Sion (LSGS)
Sion, in Switzerland, is the perfect place to start with some mountain flying. The airport is located along the Rhône valley in the Swiss Alps, surrounded by mountainous peaks with summits well above 10’000 feet. The runway is at roughly 1’500 feet and if you need an escape route, it is possible to fly along the Rhône to Lake Geneva area at 2’500 feet. This is also an easy way to find Sion: fly from the eastern end of Lake Geneva, follow the Rhône, turn left at Martigny and you’ll have the runway in sight.
Because of the local aerology, the active runway is almost always 25. If you come from the west, you’ll fly an interesting circuit. You’ll fly much closer to ground than to mountain tops. A small town on the right hand-side is exactly at pattern altitude – don’t miss the photo of the white church. The valley is not as tight as at Samedan, but there is not engoug room for a base leg. Simply fly a continuous turn from end of downwind to final.
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Don’t be surprised if you get traffic informations about military aircraft. Sion is an air-force base frequented by F-18s but also business jets, KingAirs and a lot of rescue and taxi helicopters. Beware of the arresting cables and nets before the threshold: your landing gear and prop would probably not survive if you land a bit short of threshold and roll over this military gear. The positive side of the military nature of the airport is the runway itself: over 2’000 meters of concrete with lights and PAPI.
There is an IGS procedure (no typo, this is an Instrument Guidance System). The localizer has an offset of more than 7 degrees with the runway axis and the glide slope ends a few thousand meters before the runway. Unless you can start the approach at FL180 and have local training, don’t even think about flying an IFR approach. Your best option for a leaving is St-Prex VOR (SPR) or Fribourg VOR (FRI), then fly below Geneva TMA through the mountains or via the Rhône valley.
One word about mountain flying for pilots not having experience with this kind of operations. Don’t consider flying in the Alps if the winds at FL050 and FL100 are above 20 knots. You could encounter serious turbulence and downdrafts, possibly well above what a light aircraft can compensate for. Apart from that, getting to Sion is really easy, and many flying excursions are possible from there: Matterhorn, Aletsch glacier, Jungfraujoch, Saanen, …
Click here to see a YouTube video a passenger of mine made of a landing. The video starts by begin of downwind 25, shows the famous church, the base turn, and ends after touchdown. This is in a DA40 TDI, flying approximately 110 knots on downwind and 70 knots on final. Flying the same circuit with a faster plane can become impressive, but the valley is not that narrow.
In the “airport restaurant” category, the local one is slightly above average. The possibilities for Golf, Hotel and Whiskey in the Valais area are countless, but if I had to retain only one resort, this would be Crans-Montana. The 9-hole course designed by Jack Nicklaus is really a wonder… Finally, because it’s a vineyards region, The “W” should for this time stand for “Wine”.
Geneva (LSGG)
Welcome to Geneva airport. Local pilot, Vincent (author of the PlasticPilot blog) gives us the low-down. The main concrete runway is just huge, 4’000 meters long, but also very busy. All single engine VFR have use the grass strip which runs parallely on the north-west side. The grass strip is short (520 meters LDA) and there are trees on the 05 climb-out trajectory.
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If you need main runway for performance reasons, expect delays. A good thing is to check the ATIS before departure (+41 22 417 40 81). If the grass runway is closed, expect delays. Grass runway can also be “restricted” which means that the grass taxiway can’t be used, and planes shall enter and leave grass runway at its end.
There are four VRPs (N, S, E and W) which are easy to spot. Flying VFR you’ll have to be below airspace Charlie of TMA, flying at 3’500ft. ATC speaks good english, but don’t expect too much help regarding orientation. Coming from South or East, the controllers will clear you to cross the main runway at 3’000ft to join the grass runway’s pattern. Doing so give you a breathtaking overfly of the city and the famous “Jet d’eau”.
During winter season (Christmas to Easter) the airport is really busy, and all private operations are PPR, via a web-based slot allocation system (www.gva.ch). All details are published via NOTAMs.
All IFR operation take place on the concrete runway. To avoid slots, it is better to file IFR flight plans at least 3 hours in advance, preferably the day before. On arrival high performance singles are preferred, and you can expect the controller to ask you “What will be your speed on final ?” Answering “160kts to 2 miles” is always welcome. “145 to 4 miles” goes, and “90kts” will certainly make the controller vector you parallel to the ILS.
The IFR departures routes require a climb gradient of 7% to 7’000ft, because of surrounding high ground. Departure routes towards north require a climb to 7’000 ft before turn. Departure towards south is not possible without turbo / pressurised aircraft as the minimal FL over the alps is FL160.
The general aviation terminal in on the north side. There is a fuel pump for AVGAS and trucks for Jet-A1. Remember that Switzerland is not yet in the European Union, so you will need customs clearance. Both Swiss and French customs are present, making flights to any french airport possible, no need for a french airport of entry.
Bus, taxi and train (best way to go to city center) are available… on the south side. To go there, ask for a shuttle on the north side. A taxi ride to the city is roughly 50 CHF, and a public transport ticket for one hour will cost you 3 CHF…
All possible tourist information can be found in the main terminal waiting hall.
Night VFR is PPR, and the airport closes to private traffic at 2200 LT. No exceptions.