IFR Flying
A current IR holder, with flights operated solely by reference to instruments under Instrument Flight Rules.
European Airways
Flying IFR across Europe & beyond; sharing a real niche on YouTube in the European Airways system.
Flying Adventures
Flying the world (General Aviation style), exploring its best-hidden gems, and educating along the way.
All in 4K Video
Inspiring future aviators with high-quality, stunning detailed 4K UHD video.
The Flying VLOG
The latest write-ups from The Flying VLOG, taking you beyond the camera lens and even deeper than before into the mind of a general aviator.
Lunch in France
Le Touquet, France
The plan was simple, fly to France, IFR for lunch and the most convenient place to do this is Le Toqueut. Daylight increases to almost 4 minutes a day at this time of year but with the unsettled weather since the start of last summer plaguing us, timing for trips and planning the safest IFR flight possible was proving very difficult, especially with the lower ambient temperatures meaning higher likelihood of icing and with frontal conditions, the risk is made even higher.
Flying to France today is no easy feat, especially at short notice due to the PPR or PN requirements, in most cases 48 hours and rarely but noteworthy in some cases 72 hours prior. Le Touquet doesn’t require this, and that’s mostly due to the fact Macron has a Summer house there so customs are almost always available.
Flying IFR into Schiphol
Amsterdam, Netherlands
I’ve been to Amsterdam several times, and it’s certainly my most visited city outside of the United Kingdom, but the appeal of landing at Schiphol was strong. It is by far the largest airport in Europe that is not cost-prohibitive for general aviation, as opposed to Berlin, Frankfurt, and London Gatwick, where you will most certainly spend the better part of a thousand pounds.
The plan was now for January 2024, which may also be at risk due to icing, but fortunately, above-average temperatures were predicted, making an airways IFR flight possible despite the cold conditions. Ryan, who had never travelled to Amsterdam but had travelled to Spain in 2022, was my passenger on this journey.
