This picture has been taken in January 2005, and shows a small lake in the Swiss Alps. The lake is the big white patch on the left side. Yes, it is a frozen lake. Do you got the point now ?

So continue… all the black points on the lake are planes. Yes, they are !

The staff of the Ecuvillens airfield (LSGE) are allowed to run the so-called “Lac Noir” airfield two consecutive non-week days a year, as far as the ice is strong enough. To be informed, you have to be on a certain list, or know someone who knows someone…

By luck, my instructor is on the list, so he called me (thanks a lot) the day before, and I could convince my boss to give me a day off (thank as well boss), and we went with two other pilots. I landed up-there twice, but I must admit that on the first one, I was a bit more spectator than pilot.

The lake is in kind of a dead end, so there is a downwind leg (on the right-hand side of this picture) and then a base turn to final. Needless to say, the downind and base are quite close to the trees. Once landed and parked, the challenge is to walk to the C office (yes, they have one…) on the ice.

As you will see on the second picture, there are all type of aircraft, up to Rockwell Commanders and Bonanzas !