450 Nautical miles, 3 hrs 27 min
This was an eventless IFR flight in severe VMC. As with all flights on our trip we started early in the morning to avoid the hot temperatures. The only remarkable thing was that we filed the FLP with EOBT 06:15Z and while I was already taxing in Mannheim, we received a slot with CTOT 06:20 due to congestion in France (affected area wasCACHI, time: 08:19Z). Our actual takeoff time was 06:15Z.
Airport Bergerac LFBE:
A typical regional airport with some commercial traffic in the boundary hours. There are rental car companies at the airport but we took a taxi to the city which is just a 10 minutes ride to the center and costs between € 10 and € 15. If you go by taxi and plan to return to the airport early in the morning upon departure, be sure to order a taxi upfront. It may be difficult to find a taxi before 9 am without prior notice (don’t ask me how I know …). The landing was € 6 and parking for 1 night was € 11. Avgas is available, but if don’t have a Total carnet, you have to wait for the fuel-service, which, in our case, was quite fast. Together with the fact that Bergerac itself is worth a visit, LFBE is a clear recommendation.
Bergerac city:
As mentioned above Bergerac is really nice. Given the fact that it has a population of only ~27.000 people, it sports many bistros and restaurants. Bergerac is most prominent for Cyrano de Bergerac although neither the real person Cyranoy de Bergerac nor the fiction character had any relation to the city of Bergerac or the region of Périgord. But: if you can make money out of it, who cares, anyway?
