Courchevel Altiport

A snowHead

Has anyone actually landed or took off from here? I dont mind flying at all, i love it infact but this i would fee a little uneasy about if im honest, great little video, and i think it stalls just before he touches down!!!

http://youtube.com/v/UCsQuVrmj1g&feature=related

A snowHead

Ricklovesthepowder, unless you're very rich you probably don't need to worry about it. wink

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

hahaha, cant anyone fly their? isnt there a company that flies direct or anything?

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Ricklovesthepowder, There used to be scheduled flights into it using 4 engined Dash 7 planes.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Ricklovesthepowder, i think you need either a special license or something like 4 landings a year to stay current, mainly helicopters from paris and GVA these days ...

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you have to be a russian

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Ricklovesthepowder, One of my mates did a skydive from there last year, he said it was pretty impresiive take off!

I'm not sure why everyone thinks you have to be mega rich to fly into there, from what I can see the landing fees are only 80Euros, and it's obviously viable to run a skydiving business from there too, I doubt its much more expensive than many other normal small airports....obviously the pilot needs to pay to get qualified to land there. I know a few people who have/have had there PPL and they are by no means rich.

It would be great if there ran TO flights there, no more mega transfer times, unless it snows of course....how many people does that Dash 7 carry then?

After all it is free

skimottaret, I think you are correct about the special license. A friend of mine, who has a commercial pilot's license, did get qualified to land there, but hasn't been recently, & told me that if he went again he would probably pick up a locally qualified pilot in Albertville for the final leg of the journey. I'm hoping he'll take me one day.....

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There I was, during my first week of skiing, quietly pottering down that slope that runs round the bottom of the runway when suddenly, out of nowhere, there's a Dash 7 coming in to land - apparently right on my head! Jeez, that frightened the living daylights out of me.

I've landed and taken off from Lukla in Nepal and that's probably even worse than Courchevel. First, the aircraft is a very battered de Havilland Twin Otter; second the pilots are both very relaxed Nepalis; third there's a huge drop from the end of the runway into the valley below and finally, at the top end of the runway is a huge wall of rock. Very exciting though - especially if you have the seat in the middle right behind the pilots.

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Ricklovesthepowder,

Yip, I have a PPL and did an hour of "touch and goes" at Courcheval in April 09 while at the EOSB in VT. One of the most memorable hours of my life.

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Think an airport is a status symbol for an upmarket resort.

Wonder which one has it other than St Moritz and Aspen?

johnboy,

i flew into Meigs field in Chicago one summer night and the approach below the skyscrapers with lights everywhere was very memorable

You know it makes sense.

saikee, yeah Alpe d'Huez is well posh.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

There is a blue run the loops round the end of the runway (prameruel I think). I was waiting for friends there a couple of seasons ago when a plane took off from the altiport. I didn't realise where I was in relation to the runway. To say I got a shock when the thing roared over me, seemingly only a couple of feet above my head, is the understatement of the year. When my friends arrive they asked if I had seen the plane take off, "yes, and nearly got twatted by the undercarriage" says I, white as a sheet and in a fit of nervous giggles.

Damn near added me to the heart attack statistics it did.

A snowHead

A snowHead

flew from there in the mid 90's. four of us got in the back of a cessna with our luggage piled around us and the lady who pushed the plane out of the hangar took us to lyon. with her instructor by her side. a most memorable take off, very draughty, and i believe she got her required hours up to get her license ! a spur of the moment thing which most definitely didnt cost an arm and a leg and something i suppose will never be allowed to be done again.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Val Thorens has one.

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La Plagne had one.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Megève too. I went on a flight around Mont Blanc from there.

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Chill factore has one (nearby-ish) and they can get the big birds in too wink

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After all it is free

altis, yeah, it used to be the Reebok but Cfe is even better, not so much for approach as much as finding where the field is.

jimmjimm,

The one at Val T is very dodgy!

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Bergmeister, Les Gets has one an hour away also!! wink

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No ones mentioned Meribel yet!

Everyone of Le Gets, Chamonix, Flaine, La Clusaz, Avoriaz, Les Contamines, Morzine, Morgen, Megeve, St Gervais, Courmayeur...... has an airport within an hour. It has a common name called Geneva that's all.

You know it makes sense.

saikee, not so cool as flying into an Altiport with your Bentley being ready for you when you arrive.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

My bro in law reckons that the majority of planes are just pilots taking their special licence thingy for flying low over the alps. Not been up close to the Courchevel one but the Alpe d'Huez one was fascinating to watch. Uphill landing as unable to use breaks.

A snowHead

A snowHead

When I Googled the airport in Aple d'Huez it says the airport is "inactive" and suggests to fly to Courchevel or Tignes.

I can understand Aspen has a need for an airport as there is no train and the resort is at a fair distance from major cities with the only main road beyond Aspen closed in the winter.

St Moritz can be reached by trains although the place is rather remote by the Swiss standard.

Courchevel and Alpe d'Huez are well served by roads and the airports even if fully utilised are no where near capable of serving the number of visitors going there.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Sorry coolest of cool is having your Apache taken over to Canada so you can obtain your 'mountain flying' certificate and then working out how to stow skis and allow one up descents as as a 'training' flight plan snowHead

PS, Scottish mountains aren't high enough! Smile

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saikee, it was busy as heck when we were there New years 2009. Maybe they mean no passenger service as it is just used to train pilots for the Alps (special license due to the thermals etc)

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Alpe d'Huez has a short runway ideal for the likes of general aviation - while skiing last year I saw a Robin DR400 (surprisingly) attached to a pair of skis. Looked like a lot of fun.

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Alpe d'Huez has a short runway ideal for the likes of general aviation - while skiing last year I saw a Robin DR400 (surprisingly) attached to a pair of skis. Looked like a lot of fun.

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altis, How do they do touch and goes at Courshevel? I thought they took off and landed in opposite directions due to the bank at the end of the runway.
A friend of mine has been into Lukla and said Courcheval was nothing compared to that. Isn't there an bend in the runway as well as the drop off?

adrian

After all it is free

Dunno. It was johnboy doing the 'touch and go's.

At Lukla the runway is straight but the apron is off to the side at the top. In the first photo above, the runway goes off down the hill behind Mrs A's head. When landing, they have to keep on quite a bit of power just to make it up the hill and then they suddenly swing right at the top. Everybody piles out and the next lot pile on. Turn around is under half an hour. It needs to be in case the weather changes.

Tignes also has an altiport, up towards Col du Palet. It used to be (not sure now?) marked with an aeroplane on the piste map.

I've never seen any evidence of flying or flights there - though there are a few hangers on site.

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Courchevel Altiport

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