Gap
About 25km to the north of Sisteron lies
the Gap valley, lying adjacent to the western fringe of the
Ecrins. To the south of the town its airfield,
like that of Sisteron, is popular with many visiting glider pilots, and
is also home to a range of other aviation activities, including free-fall
parachuting, micro-lights, helicopters and other general aviation. These
activities co-exist due to the vigilance of all of their pilots who adhere
strictly to the rules relating to over-flying the site and to circuit
patterns.
As we discovered last year, Gap-Tallard provides a
handy landout field should conditions suddenly turn nasty on the way home.
English is spoken at the tower (119.10) and they are all very friendly, so
there is no reason not to call them for circuit advice. Their clubhouse
and restaurant lie on the north side of the airfield and the club is happy to tow
you out again when conditions permit. Probably best not to enquire about
rope-break options at the upwind end of the field - they tend to just shrug
their shoulders and point you at the reservoir...