AIRSPACE RULES |
| 1. RULES VALID AT NORMAL TIMES |
The contest area is shown on the attached map and is defined by the river Rhône, the Italian frontier and the Mediterranean coast, bordered to the south by the airports of Marseille and Nice. This zone is the centre of intense IFR activity close to Marseille and Nice airports, and to the west in the valley of the Rhône, but the traffic is lighter in the northern part of the flight zone.
To the North of Airway Montelimar (MTL) - Nice (NIZ), the airspace is class E up to FL 195.
To the South of this Airway, the airspace is class D above level 115 and class E below it.
This means that a clearance has to be obtained for climbing above level 115 in this zone.
However in France, no class D services are provided for gliders and clearance for gliders to enter Class D airspace is only rarely issued. Discussions are in progress with the Airspace Authorities to obtain a change in airspace classification above FL115 to class E but these have so far not been successful.
Gliders may, exceptionally, be allowed to climb above level 195 (for instance for flying altitude badges) in the so called «Fenêtre de Lure» (Window of Lure) provided this zone has been activated. To know if the window is open contact Saint-Auban on 122.30 MHz.
The attention of the pilots is drawn to the following restricted areas :
This zone which extends to the west of Saint-Auban above FL 75, is used for aerobatic training of military jets from Salon airbase. It is not active on week ends. Before climbing above FL 75 in this zone, glider pilots have to contact Salon Approach on 135.15 MHz and give their location respective to the next aerobatic axis (See attached map). If the zone is active, Salon Approach will give you a list of axes in use. Pilots have to remain in contact with Salon on 135.15 MHz as long they are in the zone.
This zone, located to the west of Vinon, is used for training of aircraft from Salon from 900m ASL to FL 75. Information about activity in this zone may be obtained from Salon Approach on 135.15 MHz.
This is an exclusion zone below 1000m above ground of 1.6 Nm centered on the nuclear facility of Cadarache.
R86A: Flying below FL 65 is prohibited.
R86B: Flying below 300m above ground prohibited.
Landing on the Airbase St Christol is strictly forbidden.
Zone devoted to training of artillery. Information about activity may be obtained from Marseille Info on 120.55 MHz.
Gap airfield is the seat of the National Parachuting Center. Therefore there is intense parachuting activity above the airfield. The zone centered on the airfield extends up to level 155 and is active from sunrise to sunset. Information on activity in progress can be obtained on Gap Info on 119.10 MHz.
In the National Parks, flying of all aircraft (including gliders !) below 1000m above ground is prohibited. A tolerance exists in the Parc des Ecrins but the regulations are strictly applied in the Parc de la Vanoise (to the north of Modane) and several pilots have been fined there. The FFVV is trying to abolish this restriction for gliders but has not been successful up to now.
Each pilot should contact the Chief Pilot of the club where s/he intends to practise, to obtain all additional information and regulations pertaining to airspace matters.
| 2. CONTINGENCY PLAN DURING THE COMPETITION AND OFFICIAL TRAINING PERIOD (from 22 nd June to 13 th July) |
During the competition and official training period, from 22 nd June to 13 th July inclusive the following contingency plan will be set up by the French Airspace Administration :
i) A temporary exclusion zone of 10 Nm radius from the center of Saint-Auban will be created in order to protect the departures and arrivals of gliders participating in the competition.
ii) A NOTAM and an information circular will be published to warn other airspace users about the extent of gliding activity engendered by the World Championships.
iii) Segregation from IFR flights will be provided in certain areas to the south of the axis MTL-NIZ.
iv) The organisers will coordinate their plans with the military authorities at Salon who will take into account the glider activity and the daily tasks so that no clearance will have to be requested to penetrate into R 71.
This plan will allow flights from ground level to FL 195 without clearance in the contest area during the official training and competition period. However, if the airspace becomes saturated by massive numbers of holiday charter departures some restrictions may be imposed. These limitations are expected to be very few and will be brought to the attention of all pilots by means of briefings or by written instructions.
| CONCLUSION |
Everything possible has been done, as far as airspace is concerned, to ensure the smooth running of the Championships.
As in all competitions, the risk of gliders colliding in the flight zone remains the major problem. So just one piece of advice :
Visit Philippe de Péchy's "Vol à Voile" (Soaring) server : infos, ad's, glider pictures, GPS turnpoints coordinates, competitions results and an unofficial ranking of all glider pilots in the world.
| Other sites of soaring interest : |
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| Web page by Denis
Flament (from Nogaro
aeroclub) consulted updated : 22-apr-97 |
