Let’s dive deep into the basics of aero clubs and a list of some of the best aero clubs in Burgundy Franche-Comté.
Located in Eastern France, Burgundy Franche-Comté is a region that is well known for its environmental and social qualities and is frequently associated with good living and well-being.
The region is known for its blend of art of living, nature, and culture. The region is celebrated for its hospitality, quite colourful towns, and jaw-dropping scenic views which makes it the perfect place for pilots to visit.
Burgundy Franche-Comté is known for its aviation community and its bustling airports that are home to several top flying clubs in the region.
Let’s dive deep into the basics of aero clubs and a list of some of the best aero clubs in Burgundy Franche-Comté.
Best Aero Clubs in Burgundy Franche-Comté to Fly to from Sherburn
Before we begin, it is important to point out that while pilots in Sherburn can visit these aero clubs fairly easily, they will have to go through some documentation and additional procedures put in place post-Brexit. Make sure that you have either an EU-issued EASA licence or a UK Part-FCL licence and that you fill out all required custom forms and duly submit these documents via Eurocontrol.
Burgundy Franche-Comté is known for its “art of living” where the region emphasises traditions, history, culture, and hospitality. The region is celebrated for its highly cultured communities and its jaw-dropping scenic routes.
If you are looking for an adrenaline-seeking or calm learning environment, then Burgundy Franche-Comté is the best place since it offers diversity in not just training but also in geography and the places that you can visit.
Here are some of the best aero clubs in Burgundy Franche-Comté that you can visit when flying from Sherburn:
Aéroclub de Franche-Comté (Tavaux)
Located at the Dole-Jura airport, Aéroclub de Franche-Comté is one of the best places to visit for private and commercial pilots who want to take a break from routine flights and enjoy calm and peaceful skies with a vibrant aviation community. This club offers one of the best flight training in Burgundy Franche-Comté and the club is well-known for its iconic initiation sessions that fast-track students and give them a taste of what they can expect in aviation going forward with the club.
It is one of the most well-known clubs in the region, operating with four highly maintained aircraft and providing a range of aviation services – all of this, on top of access to key tourist locations in the region.
Aéroclub de Pontarlier
Based in Pontarlier, Aéroclub de Pontarlier is ideal for students near the Swiss border. It provides pilot training and recreational flying experiences for a wide variety of palettes. Not only does this aero club provide access to picturesque horizons, but it is also known for its world-class hospitality and vibrant aviation community.
This makes this club not only great for students but also for visiting pilots who want to experience the best of the best in aviation.
Aéroclub du Pays de Montbéliard
Located in Courcelles-lès-Montbéliard, Aéroclub du Pays de Montbéliard is renowned for its training programs and scenic flights over the Doubs region. The school is frequently visited by pilots around the region and since it is conveniently located in several top geographical locations, it is the best aero club to visit from Sherburn.
Whether it is relaxed light aircraft pilot training or private pilot training, this club offers all services under one roof along with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for all pilots. Please ensure that you call the aero club beforehand to book your spot and to find out if they have any particular policies for visiting pilots.
Aéroclub de Lons-le-Saunier
Located in Lons-le-Saunier, this club is perfect for those interested in both leisure and pilot certification programs. It emphasises community and accessibility along with a strict focus on private pilot training.
The location of this flight school makes it the ideal place for any visiting pilot. Not only do you get access to jaw-dropping manmade structures around the region, but you can also witness one of the most beautiful terrains and horizons in the region.
Aéroclub de Vesoul
Ideally located in Vesoul, this club offers an engaging experience for aspiring and experienced pilots. It has all the basic amenities that new and experienced visiting pilots can ask for along with a strong faculty known for its highly experienced and veteran instructors.
The club offers a friendly atmosphere with a very vibrant community of aviation enthusiasts which makes this club another noteworthy option in the region.
Why Choose an Aero Club?
Aero clubs are a hub of all aviation activities. They are a place of meeting, community, and aviation training all wrapped into one convenient package that is made accessible to all. Aero clubs have been around since the 1900s and have been the cornerstone of modern aviation activity.
They not only provide a great community space for aviation enthusiasts but also play a vital role in training next-generation pilots.
Due to the universal popularity of aviation and the steady rise in demand for commercial pilots, aero clubs can be found in nearly every city in every country in the world. These clubs are great for people who want to either fly as a hobby or to build a career.
Aero clubs work closely with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to develop strict training programmes for pilots. However, the business model of these clubs is far more diverse than just training. Flight training requires considerable real estate which opens up several opportunities for flight schools to monetise the space for both students and pilots.
Apart from teaching students how to fly for either a Private or Commercial pilot licence, aero clubs also provide a host of services for established pilots as well. The club offers hangarage services, engineering services, a fleet of aircraft, and several amenities.
These services are targeted at private pilots who take up aviation as a hobby. In other words, once graduate from flight school, these pilots use their private licence and fly planes just for fun – and for that, they require all the services of a small airport, and that is how aero clubs come into play!
Aero clubs can be thought of as fan clubs where enthusiasts meet and fly planes together. It also creates a vibrant environment for learning as students can frequently converse with established pilots, ask for advice, and learn from the experience of seasoned pilots.
Furthermore, aero clubs are also known for hosting community events that attract people from all around the region. These “air events” are excellent for attracting the general public who come to watch a number of adrenaline-filled air events. The best part about these events is that they can be set up by the aero club to benefit the community. For example, some clubs may host events to raise funds for a community issue - or just to celebrate aviation for enthusiasts in the community!
Due to the sheer capital required for building and operating aero clubs, you would commonly find aero clubs in major airports or airstrips around the region. This is a smart way to promote aviation because opening an independent aero club can be extremely costly and you would require quite a lot of investment just to get started.
In some cases, larger airstrips can also accommodate specialised training facilities like helicopter flying. In fact, Sherburn Aero Club is known for its high-end infrastructure, large real estate, and highly capable staff. The club also provides separate helicopter training under the Hields Aviation banner right within the airfield. By using the infrastructure of established airports and larger airstrips, aero clubs can take advantage of the available amenities and attract more candidates from nearby towns.
The Right Aero Club
Learning to fly is like learning how to drive a car, however, the stakes are much higher and the expenses, are considerable. If you want to learn how to fly, then you must start at a great aero club.
Picking the right aero club from the start guarantees a great learning experience where candidates can get the most out of their tuition. Without the right facilities and faculty, candidates can struggle with complex subjects and end up staying longer for advanced practical training. The right faculty can not only help unlock the full potential of pilots, but they can also train them to build their own intuition, which is a widely sought-after quality for pilots in aviation.
The easiest way to determine the quality of an aero club is to look at its infrastructure, faculty, and facilities. If the Aero Club has veteran flight instructors with hours of logged flights, then you are likely in safe hands! Aviation is an experience-based field that requires considerable theoretical and practical experience. Only highly trained instructors can teach both private and commercial pilots about the particulars of flying and how to build intuition for quick decision-making while in the air.
Facilities are also as important! Keep in mind that most flight schools only offer basic training where you just show up at a scheduled time, meet with the instructor, and begin training either in a class with other students or individually depending on what you are training for. This type of training is ideal for Light Aircraft Pilot Licences (LAPL) or Private Pilot Licences (PPL).
However, when it comes to commercial flight training, facilities are of more importance due to the training regimen of this programme.
Private and commercial pilots share more or less the same training material when it comes to theoretical knowledge but in essence, these training programmes are quite different and have various specialised requirements.
For example, commercial pilot training requires extensive flight hours and has a range of specialised training modules like Night Rating, Instrument Rating, Simulator training, and more.
A Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) also requires more thorough and extensive theoretical knowledge. This type of training requires students to train on state-of-the-art simulators that put them in various virtual environments that can be interfaced through a physical console. Again, not every flight school will have this facility which is why it is important that you filter appropriate flight schools if you choose to become a commercial pilot.
If you don’t know where to start, then the best way forward would be to make a list of your top choices for flight schools in your area. Then visit the website of each aero club for their contact details and gather information about their services, costs, fleet, requirements, and amenities.
When you have all the necessary information for every flight school on your list, you can then do a quick comparative analysis and hone in on the best flight schools for you.
Make sure that you start with your expectations first. Picking between private and commercial training will dictate your choice in finding the right flight school. For example, private pilot training would require you to put more weight on the experience of the instructor, the costs, and the available fleet instead of emphasising simulator training.
Additional amenities are also key in picking the right school. Some people like traditional learning with a campus experience where you would have a common area for people to meet and a café. While most major flight schools offer these value-added services, you might not find them at aeroclubs operating at a smaller level.
However, just like with the other services we listed above, you can assign a weightage to amenities in your search criteria when comparing flight schools. This weightage system can not only allow you to cut down from 10 to the top 3 flight schools, but it can also help you make a much more informed decision on where you want to start your aviation journey.
WHY CHOOSE SHERBURN AERO CLUB
Sherburn Aero Club, which has been operational since 1964, is the ideal place for most of your training and flying needs. It is one of the largest flying clubs in the North of England and also one of the largest in the country.
If you wish to begin your career in aviation or wish to take to the skies as a hobby, Sherburn’s flight training school offers private and commercial licences, along with pilot medicals to ensure a smooth journey going forward.
For those who wish to experience the thrill of a flight for fun or to help fuel their aviation dreams, Sherburn offers experience flights for the newbie, as well as the veteran in various types of light aircraft.
With a large fleet of new aircraft and an airfield refurbishment with new runways, hangars, and an extended clubhouse, we cater to brand-new flyers who have just started their journey to the skies, as well as seasoned flyers who have been operating aircraft for decades.
The flight experience option is also available for people who wish to take to the skies for special occasions, even if they aren’t into aviation in the long run.
Sherburn offers a dedicated day-long Flight Radiotelephony Operator’s Licence (FRTOL) course for those wishing to get the certification, running the first Sunday of every month.
In addition to that, if you are looking for a hangarage for your own aircraft, need servicing or repairs, want to buy a new aircraft or aviation equipment, or are just looking to enjoy and watch the aircraft, Sherburn Aero Club is the place to be.
Call us at 01977 682 674, email us at flightdesk@sherburnaeroclub.com, or message us via our online contact form for more information on light aircraft, training requirements, fee structure, licencing procedures, as well as experience flights and pilot training at Sherburn.
