Professional Pilot, May 2019

than Japan China or India At certain locations in Europe handling and parking charges can be particularly high and first time operators do experience sticker shock say ISPs Nav fees can be expensive along with airport fees handling charges and 3rd party services notes Kang These fees add up quickly You could be looking at over 10000 for a 3 4 day stop at LTN due to very high parking costs Unlike in the US fuel is typically not provided directly by FBOs and minimum fuel uplifts do not offset ground handling fees Mineral Oil Tax MOT and Value Added Tax VAT can double or triple base fuel costs at locations in Germany and Switzerland so it is recommended to plan uplifts accordingly Ground handling FBOs and fuel Europe overall has a great network of FBOs and general aviation terminals GATs but support infrastructure and services can be more iffy at smaller locations Weve had some support challenges at smaller airports in France where the local chamber of commerce is responsible for handling says Fuller In some cases you can only count on basic services and limited ground support equipment and you may need to set up a supervisory agent to help coordinate the process As fuel in Europe is normally provided separately from the FBO GAT function its important to set up arrangements well in advance and to confirm credit options Operators do experience fuel delays from time to time in Europe There are situations where you may pre arrange a 70 PROFESSIONAL PILOT May 2019 fuel uplift but the ground handler may call a different provider says McLendon To avoid missed opportunities for savings its important to ensure the into plane fueler is the one that had been pre arranged Charter considerations In order to operate a charter with a foreign registered aircraft in Europe youll need a Third Country Operator TCO certificate which covers you for the whole of the EU Plan on a lead time of about 30 days to have your TCO request an EASA requirement approved Required submissions include ops specs insurance coverage training records and maintenance logs Once a TCO is approved it must be maintained and updated in terms of any documentation with an expiry date If you dont have a TCO and need to do a charter to Europe in the next few days its not going to happen say ISPs In addition to having a TCO there are applicable charter landing permit requirements in many European countries For a charter to the UK France or Germany for example youll need a charter landing permit while for charter ops to Norway Sweden or Spain all you need is the TCO McLendon points out that both Greece and Italy mandate blanket charter permits and do not offer 1 time charter authorizations Plan on up to 45 days lead time to secure a blanket charter permit for either Greece or Italy he adds Summary While the European operating environment is regulation heavy and not quite as free moving and fluid as it had been in the past it has become easier in some ways The rules in Europe although complex have become much clearer over recent years says Kang If you understand the rules and can fit into the game there are very few gray areas now Communications have become easier and theres generally better awareness of GA needs Still you could face some limitations here and there and not always get all services you might be accustomed to stateside For example you may need to bring a tow bar or pre order ice and provide earlier notice for 3rd party services ISPs anticipate increased airspace and parking congestion within Europe over coming years making this operating environment more challenging So its important to plan trips early review all AIPs and be aware of SAFA ramp check requirements Be familiar with the overall EU regulatory environment be aware of applicable SIDs and STARs and review all AIPs as this will give you any deviations from ICAO standards suggests UAS Ops Mgr Duke LeDuc Looking to the future the regulatory environment will likely become more complex particularly in terms of carbon emission offset programs that are still in the works If youre not familiar with the operating environment or particular airports in Europe its always recommended to work closely with a good ISP Editor at Large Grant McLaren has written for Pro Pilot for over 20 years and specializes in corporate flight department coverage NCY Annecy France offers a 5348 ft runway and professional bizav support services Overnight GA parking options here are better than most other airports in the region Annecy R a small city in SE France to the south of Geneva has an old town section with cobbled streets lovely buildings and assorted canals the perfect place for a crew RON