Just sharing my experience!

Just sharing my experience ... when I decided that I wanted to start my PPL-A training, I checked the flying schools around where I live - Barcelona:

1. In El Prat it is not allowed to do Visual Flights, hence it has no PPL flying schools. Instead it has a big zone around it, where small planes cannot enter - this zone basically goes from Mataró to Sitges, and even beyond those towns any small plane must stay below a certain altitude, in order to not mess with the commercial airliners. Too bad.

2. Sabadell is the closest airport for General Aviation, about 30 minute in car from where I live. It is famous for some troubles with the people living around it, which like to complain about the noise levels and had some restrictions imposed, for example on EFATO training ("engine failure after take off"). There are 5 flight schools, but some of them provide only the advanced training to upcoming commercial pilots. The Sabadell Airclub does PPL-A training, and has a very impressive fleet, but is more expensive when compared to Reus. With so many pilots, Sabadell is a very busy little airport.

3. Igualada is 45 minutes drive from where I live, and a tiny airstrip in between some hills, with a school that has only 1 or 2 planes, I believe. With regards to being busy - it is the complete contrary to Sabadell. Sadly it has no fuel available, hence for fueling you will have to fly to Sabadell - that really put me off. :( Furthermore Igualada itself is not a controlled airport, hence you don't learn the Radio communication skills like you would on a controlled airport.

4. Reus is the airport furthest away that I included in my research - about 1 hour by car. On advertisement RAC Reus is a little less obvious than other schools in Catalunya. For example in the magazine "Aviación general y deportiva" there are 3 advertisments from TopFly, and several other schools (including ULM only) are in the register at the back, but the RAC Reus is not included there. So you have to find it first ;) When I did, I loved it from the start. Compared to Sabadell, the Reus airport is not even half as busy. It has a runway about 3 times as long as Sabadell or Igualada, which means there is more security for engine failures or human mistakes during starts and landings. With regards restrictions, instead of the big Barcelona no-entry zone, Reus has direct access to the Mediterranean sea, part of it still covered by the airport's control zone. Unlike Igualada, it has fuel and is controlled. There are few residential areas directly adjacent to the airport. The cities Reus and Tarragona are a few miles out. For the normal approach, you fly around 1 village called Constanti, but the rest of the traffic pattern has just some fields and motorways underneath. It's funny that you share the airport with the occasional Ryanair, and in the summer month there are a few more holiday airliners - which will always take priority over General Aviation traffic. Yet, I had hours in Reus where the tower told me to continue touch and go's "at my own discretion" ;) And I was thinking how different the flight training must be when you are based on a very busy airport. Yet Reus will give you the occasional funny situation, where you taxi in your little Cessna, and the plane ahead is a Boeing, and behind you an Airbus waits in line :) ... that's something you would never have in Sabadell or Igualada.

The RAC Reus crew was always very professional with me. I started flight training and ground school in parallel around January, and the hardest part for me was the Spanish - all 9 written exams are available in Spanish only :(. Once I started doing both the flying and the Radio contact inside the plane, I switched that to English. Middle of May I had my first Solo flight - by that time I had 23 hours with instructor and 140 landings in my log book. By the end of July I did my Solo Triangle to Huesca and Lleida. On the 24th October I had my practical exam and got certified for my JAR-PPL (A). Since I work full time and can only fly on Weekends, it was really important that my flight school has time for me when I need it - and RAC Reus has been incredible helpful with that. I'm sure if you have more time available, you can go through all the practical training in a month or two. For my own availability, doing it in 9 months was still pretty impressive.

For anyone checking out Flight Schools around Barcelona, I hope this write-up is useful.

Cheers,

Kai Steinbach

* Note: The Aeroclub de Reus does not have to share the comments herein. Is not responsible for the opinions expressed by their members and / or collaborators.

Aeroclub de Reus
racreus@racreus.com
Phone: +34 977 771911
Website: www.racreus.com

Activities and news from the Aeroclub de Reus

Activities and news from the Aeroclub de Reus.

• Web of the Aero club de Reus: http://www.racreus.com/ updated on February 2010.



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• NEXT ACTIVITY: 13th February 2010. Meet of planes at the Aeroclub de Reus, located at the Reus Airport, Reus (Tarragona), Spain. "LERS". On this planes meet we will know each other, we will know new friends and if the meteo is good we will be able to fly to our space and know the Gold Coast from the sky. We cheer you up to come with your planes, to book our planes, and after flying we alse cheer you up to stay and have lunch with us at the bar of the Aero club de Reus and we'll have a typical "Sardinada" (sardines from the Golden Coast) from the Costa Dorada (Catalonian Mediterranean Sea). The price of the meal will be 10 euros per person (it includes: sardines, bread, wine and water). Timetable: 11am to 14pm. BOOKING: you have to book for advance at the Aeroclub de Reus, phone +34 977 77 19 11 or via e-mail: racreus@racreus.com WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU! For more information, contact with the Aeroclub de Reus.



• We cheer you up to visit the Aero club de Reus and our territory (Camp de Tarragona) and Reus city, the beaches from the Golden Coast and other places of touristic and cultural interest. COME TO FLY WITH US! Ask for hour packs' offers to fly at the Aeroclub de Reus. We have some recommended hotels that are collaborators with us for if someone wants to stay some days in our territory.



• Aeroclub de Reus. Flying school PPL-A.



• We also offer air trips, flight baptisms, iniciation to fly.



• The Aeroclub de Reus has all the services and as examples we can talk about the bar/restaurant, the workshop of planes' mantainment, and hangars.



• Now we are restorating a historical hangar from 1937 (built by the Russians during the Spanish civil war). This building has been saved and we are very happy with this. We think that will be working at March. It will be a hangar for renting places to park planes and a part will become a Museum of the aviation history in Reus. This restoration has been possible thanks to the official helps of the "Memòria Històrica" of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Diputació de Tarragona, AENA, Ajuntament de Reus and the own Aeroclub de Reus. If you want to make a place reservation on this hangar you have to talk with the Aero club de Reus.



• We hope we can tell you soon the date of the Air Rally "Calçotada" 2010, punctuable for the Catalonia championship that we celebrate on our territory, organized by the Aero club de Reus during all the morning. And finally, a lunch (calçotada), a typical food from here, and the awards giving to the champions of the different varieties.

Aeroclub de Reus

Marketing and Comunication

racreus@racreus.com

+34 977 77 19 11

www.racreus.com

Airport of Bern in Belp. CH

On my trips, when I have the opportunity I dedicate some of my time to visit some airport or flying club just to see planes. It’s not strange because my love of the aviation world comes from afar with familiar history in the Aeroclub de Reus and in Commercial Aviation.

During this month (August) I had the opportunity to visit, once again, Switzerland, a country that I’ve loved since those distant years of my adolescence. Well, taking this opportunity of being in the Emmental I went to visit the airport of Bern in Belp (BRN/LSZB).

A small but well fit out airport, located in an idyllic place. I was surprised by an object near to the terminal’s entry, in front of the traffic circle that takes to the area where hotels, cafes, car parks, bus stop…etc are located. It was a big sphere made of steel with a security glass, it was easily accessible for the people that meets there or waited, or who was just, like me, trying to see how planes were taking of and landing.

That half steel and half glass sphere gives to the visitor the possibility to contemplate the airport, the landing strip and the commercial planes traffic, from the school or private, always watched from the big Control Tower, erected majestically next to the hangars and in front of the platform full of well lined up planes. It’s a great show where, without forgetting the security measures, people can see that aircrafts taking of and landing, and they can watch the services process, and we all who love taking pictures about planes, we can do it comfortably.

I found it a good idea because the security measures weren’t infringed but however it was easy to see all the aerial proceedings, a perfect view of the landing strip, the planes evolution and the helicopters. It’s happiness for everybody and lots of pictures.

It’s a shame that usually is not as easy in other many airports.

R. Tàpias

webmaster racreus.com

http://www.racreus.com/

ramon.tapias@racreus.com

Aeroclub de Reus

Airport of Reus (LERS)

Reus, Spain.