OCCASIONAL AIRFIELDS

A few regulatory reminders in response to frequent questions about the use of occasional microlight strips

The order of 13 March 1986 setting the conditions under which microlights may land and take off elsewhere than at an aerodrome^[1] states that a strip can be permanent (a prefectoral order sets the conditions of use) or occasional.

What is an "occasional" strip?

There is no definition of an "occasional" microlight strip. This notion sometimes causes difficulties in application, both for applicants who cannot easily tell whether their activity counts as occasional and for State departments. A movements criterion, already in the order of 6 May 1995 on helicopters, had been introduced in a draft regulation for microlights so that applicants could clearly know which scheme they fall under, but that draft was not published.

In addition to the obligations common to all microlight strips (a strip located outside built-up areas, outside the safety perimeter of a priority Defence installation and away from an aerodrome), the order of 13 March 1986 states that, to use an occasional strip, you must have the prior agreement of the person with use of the land and make a prior declaration to the mayor of the commune concerned.

Occasional: something that happens only by chance or from time to time, irregularly, as opposed to "habitual".

An occasional strip is characterised by a low number of movements and is used only for private leisure flights (no paid introductory flights since, under the 1998 order, a microlight can only be operated from permanent strips). The presence of a hangar or a windsock is not incompatible with occasional-strip status; it is the frequency of the activity that gives it its occasional character.

In the absence of other regulatory details specific to microlights, it is generally understood that an occasional strip cannot handle more than 200 movements a year and 20 movements a day (a landing and a take-off counting as two movements), but these limits, which apply to (certified) helicopters, do not appear in the 1986 order. Periodic use therefore cannot be a criterion for requiring the strip to become permanent and be covered by a prefectoral order.

One point to take into account is the presence of homes and the nuisance that may result from the activity. The prefect may prohibit the use of an occasional strip where it causes noise nuisance seriously affecting the peace of the neighbourhood, in particular at the request of people with the use of homes located within 150 metres of a strip, as is the case for helicopter landing areas.

Respect for neighbours is therefore the obligation that must be observed above all for trouble-free use of an occasional strip.

^[1] From the title of this order, you will note that microlight strips are not considered aerodromes, and so escape the many standards introduced by EASA to guarantee safety. As a result, their use is the pilot's sole responsibility.