Airport Briefing

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AIP LSGS

Introduction

The Airport Briefing is meant to support you in your personal flight preparation. In this section you will find therefore some general information concerning the main operation issues of Sion Airport.

The personal flight preparation of any pilots intending to operate into Sion shall however go beyond the information contained in these pages, and shall be based on actual and updated official documents.

Note that an online application format for the Pilot Qualification Type A is available at the end of the Airport Briefing section.

Airport general

The Airport is open to IFR (Qualification is needed) and VFR flights, private, commercial and scheduled traffic.

Local weather phenomena and dangers

General

Valais lies in the South-West of Switzerland, stretching for 150 km along the narrow ribbon of the Rhône Valley between Lake Leman and the Rhône Glacier with boundary Italy (South) and France (West). A fascinating land of contrasts with an exceptionally mild climate, where the number of sunny days per year is well above the national average. The high surrounding mountains prevent most of the low-pressure weather systems and associated clouds to reach the region. The temperature vary from -10°C to +10°C in January to 25°C to 34°C in July and August. Snow reaches the lower elevations, but usually melts again within a few days.

Wind

Most of the time there are west winds aligned with the runway axis (RWY 25 in use). In a situation of high pressure north of the Alps and low pressure south of the Alps, strong north wind is prevailing. This wind called “Foehn”¹ causes turbulence and wind-shear. The Foehn is blowing into the valley, coming from the east. By such situation, the runway 07 is in use.

1 For “Foehn” definition search under : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foehn_wind

Visibility

Due to low air humidity, the visibility is usually more than 10 kilometers. In the evening when the sun is low over the horizon, the visibility can be reduced in west direction. Ground fog is almost unknown and is observed only during a few days in winter.

Thunderstorm

During the summer months, thunderstorms can build up and are sometimes quite violent. They initiate over the surrounding mountains and the wind into the valley can be very strong and variable.

Clouds

Approximate 10 days per year the ceiling is below 4500ft/QNH (all day). Most of the time it is during winter when it’s snowing or raining. In that situation we can expect  low stratus clouds and therefore reduced visibility. When the cloud base is very low in the morning and the wind is blowing, we can expect a rapid improvement according configuration of the valley

METAR and TAF

Current METAR / TAF

Authorization levels

There are basically 2 different authorization levels given by the Sion Airport Authority:

1. The Airport qualification A (more restrictive): DA 8’000 ft AMSL, day use only
2. The Airport qualification B : DA lower according to aircraft category.

Find below the details of the different authorizations:

1) Airport qualification A

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AIP LSGS(see AIP Switzerland, section LSGS AD 2.22.1.1.1)
To get the Airport qualification A, the flight crew shall study the airport briefing and successfully complete the application exam via internet. (AIP Switzerland, LSGS AD 2.22.1.2.1).

Limitations

IFR Arrival : (see AIP Switzerland, section LSGS AD 2.22)

VIS 8 km
Ceiling 6’500 ft AGL
Day only

IFR Departure :

SID via GRANA:
VIS 8 km
Ceiling  6’500 ft AGL – VCM to GRANA
Day only

SID HP:
VMC to 17’000 ft
Day only

2) Airport qualification B

To get the Airport qualification B the operator or the pilot shall contact Sion Airport Authority:

Sion Airport Authority
Route de l’aéroport
CH-1950 SION
Switzerland

Phone: +41 27 329 06 00
Fax: +41 27 329 06 16
E-mail: aeroport@sion.ch
Internet: www.sionairport.ch
SITA : SIRAPXH-SIRKKLX
AFTN : LSGSZPZX
AFTN : LSGSYDYX

To achieve this authorization, the pilot must successfully complete the training, either on the aircraft or in an approved simulator :

Fly7 Training, Lausanne, Switzerland
FlightSafety, Paris le Bourget, France
FlightSafety, Farnborough, United Kingdom
FlightSafety, Teterboro, NJ, USA
FlightSafety, Wilmington, DE, USA
FlightSafety, Dallas, TX, USA
FlightSafety, Savannah, GA, USA
FlightSafety, Wichita East, KS, USA
CAE, Amsterdam, Netherlands
CAE, Dubai, UAE
CAE, Burgess Hill, United Kingdom
Star Wings, Dortmund, Germany
Alpha Aviation, Praha, Czech Republic
Lufthansa Aviation Training, Zurich, Switzerland
European Flight Simulator Training Centre, Aéroport Cannes-Mandelieu, France
AAA Aviation Academy Austria, Vienna, Austria
SIMCOM Aviation Training, Orlando, FLA, USA

For all other Flight Training Centers, please contact our instructor in charge for the Sion Airport Pilot Qualification, Mr. Pascal BUTHEY (CPT BD700 & PC12) – p.buthey@sion.ch

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AIP LSGS

Application Exam

Answering correctly to 80% of the 20 questions will allow you to get the Type A Qualification Certificate.

[ Photo credit : © ALPARK ]