Questions and answers
Here are the answers to what we are asked most often. If your question is not among them, simply write to us.
Which licence do I need?
PPL(A) or LAPL(A) with a valid SEP (land) class rating, a valid medical certificate, at least a restricted radiotelephony certificate (BZF) and — if you are registered with the German LBA — a background check.
Can I charter by the hour?
Yes. A single charter costs 180 EUR per flight hour, with no block and no minimum.
If you fly regularly, a block of hours is cheaper: from 12 hours a year it is 165 EUR, at 72 hours it is 120 EUR an hour. The smallest block happens to match exactly what you have to fly anyway to keep your PPL.
I have never flown with a variable-pitch propeller or retractable gear.
Then you need differences training for both. You acquire or refresh it during the type briefing; if at least one of them is needed, the briefing is flown with an instructor. We arrange that.
It is entered in your logbook and additionally in the briefing record. The cost is 80 EUR plus the charter fee.
Can I revalidate my SEP class rating with you?
Yes, we work with experienced instructors. The requirements differ by licence:
PPL(A): in the second year after the last revalidation or initial issue you must have flown at least 12 hours as PIC and made 12 landings as PIC. There is no need to wait for a particular date — we suggest flying the hour with an instructor as soon as the 12 hours are complete. The licence is then revalidated by hand for two years.
LAPL(A): within the preceding 24 months, counted from the day itself, at least 12 flight hours as PIC, 12 landings as PIC and one flight hour with an instructor. Counted from the day itself means: on the day you intend to fly as PIC, your logbook must show those conditions met for the preceding 24 months.
How is a block of hours billed?
We invoice monthly. Your block is spread over twelve months. Fly more hours than the block has reached at that point and we charge them in the same month and set them against the block — the following month you take correspondingly fewer. Fly less and you build up a credit of hours. At the end of the contract year that credit expires.
An example with a 12-hour block: in the first month you fly 2 hours, we charge 2. In the second month you do not fly, we charge 2 anyway — you now have 2 hours on the block account. In the third month you fly 4, we charge 2, the account is back to 0. In the fourth month you fly 4, we charge 4, the account stands at -2. In the fifth you do not fly, we charge nothing, and the account is at 0 again.
Payment is collected conveniently by direct debit.
What does dry charter mean?
Fuel is not included in the hourly rate. You always take the aircraft over with 136 litres: there are tabs welded into the tanks — fill up to the tabs and you have exactly 136 litres. That is a comfortable three hours with four adults on board. Before parking the aircraft you fill it to the mark again.
What does D-ENBL burn?
At 60 % power about 35 litres of AvGas an hour at around 130 knots IAS.
How much can I load? Are four people possible?
D-ENBL has a maximum take-off weight of 1,199 kg and an empty weight of 763 kg. It is handed over with 136 litres of AvGas, which is about 97 kg. That leaves roughly 339 kg for passengers and baggage.
Does D-ENBL have an autopilot?
Yes, a two-axis autopilot with heading and altitude hold.
How is the cockpit equipped?
A Garmin GMA 345 audio panel was fitted recently: Bluetooth for phone and music, 3D audio — voices come from where the speaker sits — and a clearance recorder that plays back the last 60 seconds of radio traffic. There is a 2.1 A USB charging socket on the front.
Besides that, radios from King and Trig, a Garrecht VT2000 transponder and traffic information via Stratux.
How do I book?
Through our own booking portal at portal.airfritzen.berlin. It also shows availability and the current maintenance status, that is the hours left until the next service. If those hours will not cover what you have in mind, please let us know in good time.
We set up your access as soon as the charter agreement is in place.
Can I take the aircraft for longer?
You can reserve up to three days directly in the booking system. Longer reservations are possible but need to be agreed — an e-mail or a short phone call is enough. We charge at least 2 flight hours for each complete day, with the total flight time of the booking being what the bill is based on.
How do I get to the aircraft?
There is a key safe at the tower holding the keys to the aircraft and the hangar; you get the code before the flight. Once you have parked the aircraft again, you simply put them back.
How is D-ENBL insured?
With CSL liability cover of 6 million EUR, seat cover of 20,000 EUR per seat, and hull cover with a 5,000 EUR excess.
We also recommend personal pilot cover combining the hull excess, accident and legal costs — through AXA, for instance.