Flying in Europe

[podair]

While we are on the topic of flying in Europe, we need your help! Mooney relevance? This is one of the smoothest grass airfields I have landed on, I fly there all the time in my Mooney, right in the middle of wine and foies gras country!

Please support and circulate amongst your friends our petition against the closure of one of the nicest grass airfields in SW France, Riberac St Aulaye LFIK

http://www.petitionenligne.fr/petition/aerodrome-de-riberac-2011/1586

(Fill in "signez la petition" box and include your email as you will have to validate a confirmation email for your petition to be registered)

The mayor of Riberac has asked the French DGAC to issue a three month Notam closing the airfield. Despite Riberac being an uncontrolled field with a perfectly smooth and mowed runway, they issued the Notam without any prior warning, blocking several private aircraft on the ground, and removing at a stroke of a pen one of the favourite cross country destinations for local aeroclubs and pilots from further afield.

While the mayor has given safety reasons as justification, the real reason is that he is trying to thwart any chances of the aeroclub succeeding under new leadership. It is unacceptable that he is shutting an airfield down because of aeroclub politics. It is an uncontrolled field so apart from mowing the strip the aeroclub has no control over movements. The Gendarmerie des Transports Aeriens visited the field last week and found no reason whatsoever to close the airfield down under safety grounds (they were actually quite upset by the mayor's actions!). However as owner of the land, the Mairie thinks it can do as it pleases and shut the place down unless the old team is back in charge of the aeroclub. The 'old' leadership team was voted out by an overwhelming majority of aeroclub members at the last AGM, despite public threats by the mayor himself at the AGM to make life difficult if members voted the old team out (it includes some of his friends and staff!). In the meantime, the 'old' team has taken the 'new' team to court, and we have been spiralling downwards in a never ending administrative and legal process. The aeroclub has been unable to operate because of this during the peak summer season, draining the new team's finances.

It is very sad to see flying enthusiasts having to battle in court. Local politics have unfortunately clouded the future of an airfield I have been visiting for twenty years and sounded the death knell of an aeroclub I have been an active member for fifteen years. It used to be grass roots aviation at its best, with Robins, gliders, Rallyes, microlights, paramotorists all mixing happily. I have always had excellent relations with the 'old' team but in the last few years they kept resisting any challenges to their leadership or new ideas to keep the place thriving, going as far as excluding any members who dared to propose alternatives and imposing new restrictions on whoever was not a member of the core administrative team (unchanged for over fifteen years).

Please help us in trying to keep aviation going in one of the most picturesque corners of the Dordogne!

Many thanks,

Patrick

[Phil_M20J]

I signed the petition, avec le plaisir. 

[Guillaume]

podair, check your PM.

Quote: Vref

Brilliant idea Magnus !

[Awful_Charlie]

Same for me.

[DaV8or]

Quote: Magnum

 Maybe it is possible to create a Europe forum here on Mooneyspace?

[podair]

Quote: Awful_Charlie

+1

And it's a bit too 'organised'.  Something nearer an aerodrome where I can come and go to my own schedule rather than have to get the Navette back and forth would be better IMO

[Olivier-Rouchard]

I agree. European fly-ins and get together in one place like the Floridian forum. Let's create an European section on this forum