Flying in Barcelona (LELL)

Getting in the air in Barcelona has been a little more challenging than what I expected. I looked online and in magazines for suggestions. From this, the one that stood out the most was Aeroclub de Barcelona-Sabadell (www.aeroclub.es).

I visited Aeroclub de Barcelona-Sabadell, met with some of their staff and got to check out their fleet and facilities. Of all the organizations I have visited, they offer the greatest and best selection of airplanes and helicopters. You can find just about everything you need to fly from gliders, Tecnams, Robins, new Cessna 172 and 182 airplanes complete with Garmin G1000, planes for aerobatics and twin engines (I even spotted a brand new Tecnam P2006T that they were looking to bring online).

Because of the bad weather, our plans to fly were canceled. In the end, this was best because as it turned out, I would not have been able to log the time I flew with them: if I understood them correctly, this had to do with the fact that I was not a club member. There was an option to become a member for a month but this cost was over €100 for the month and, considering how much flying I am able to do, it did not make sense.

Considering I only plan to be in Barcelona for a couple of months, it also did not make sense for me to spend the €900 on the initiation fee plus the monthly fees to be a member. Compared to clubs I have seen in the USA, Aeroclub de Barcelona-Sabadell offers a lot more than what I am used to seeing: a great selection of aircraft and a great social atmosphere including a very nice club house complete with a restaurant (now my favorite place to hang out in Barcelona). If I were to stay in Barcelona, I would definitely consider becoming a member.

While visiting at Sabadell airport (LELL) I spotted offices for flight schools and I also spotted airplanes for other schools in the air. I called one school that I knew had two Cessnas and spent some time on the phone with their instructor going over my situation: I am an FAA licensed pilot interested in flying in Spain and in getting my license in Spain. The instructor assured me that I would be able to log my flight time with them. Things were looking good until I returned from my trip to the USA and wanted to schedule a flight. This is where things got more complicated than they needed to be. I had to speak with two different people about scheduling. When I finally spoke to the person that did the scheduling he told me the Sunday I wanted to fly was “probably” going to be difficult – he thought that Sunday was “probably” already full. I suggested he look at the schedule and call me back.

In the end, I went flying with Gavina (aerogavina.com). I was originally looking to fly in a Cessna 172 (it gives passengers in the back seats a better view) but they had a relatively new Piper Warrior III (PA28A) with nice instruments (including dual Garmin 430s). When I got there I was surprised to find they had two Piper Warriors, a Piper Meridian (P46T) plus a Robin R200.

I flew Warrior EC-IUK and found this to be best Warrior I had ever flown and the newest. I once flew a brand new Cessna 172S that had recently arrived at West Houston and this Warrior had the same new feel to it – that is how well cared for this airplane is.

The cost of the Warrior was €178 plus another €20 for the instructor. To compare prices, the instructor rate is comparable to what you would pay in the USA: I have seen prices in the USA ranging from $20 to $50. I was quite happy with the instructor and consider him to be on par with instructors I have flown with in the USA and a lot better than a couple that come to mind.

In the USA you can rent a Warrior for under €90 but that is still not a fair comparison: Most of the Warriors I have flown in the USA are closer to my age and the newer ones are not as in good of shape as this airplane. The other reason the rates are going to be higher when comparing a Warrior in the USA with a Warrior in Europe (if fuel is included) is because of the higher cost of fuel in Europe.

The only Piper I can compare this airplane to is a 2000 Piper Archer III (PA-28-181) that I fly out of Santa Monica, CA (SMO). For that airplane I pay $144 with fuel and SMO landing fee included. Of course, the Archer offers better performance than the Warrior.

One more thing that was different for me was the way they calculate your bill: the hobbs is noted but so is the time of engine start and engine stop and that is used to calculate your bill.

One additional charge that may be new to many of us used to flying in the USA are landing fees. Sabadell charges €10 per landing. I only remember once paying a landing fee and that was in Catalina Island ($20 for the first landing but after that you can make as many landings as you want). SMO charges a landing fee but I never had to pay it since the airplanes are based out of SMO.

More on my flight in another posting.

If you find yourself in Barcelona and want a change from Gaudi architecture, the beach scene or the pick pocketing, give Gavina a call and do something most of the other tourists will not be able to do or see. After flying, you can hang out in Aeroclub Barcelona-Sabadell’s terrace and order lunch and watch the airplanes take off and land.