Saanen is one of my favorite airfields. It is located in the Berner Oberland, in the Swiss Alps, approximately 14 miles to the east of the eastern end of Lake Geneva. This former military airbase is now open to civilian trafic. The runway is long enough to be used by turboprops and light jets, offering taxi services for VIPs to the nearby town of Gstaad.

The VFR approach chart mentions that an introduction flight is required, because of the high grounds surrounding the airport. As the airport is in a narrow valley, the circuit pattern is all but standard. The procedure starts overhead the runway, and continues with a loop around Gstaad (no overfly, there are many VIPs there…). The runway is not visible before turning final, so managing the descent is a bit tricky.

One helpful landmark is a white chruch, located to the right side of the threshold, allowing for some visualisation. The whole pattern is flown below the moutain tops, and the “base” leg and first part of final are quite close to terrain. Because of this special location, it is important to check weather, and particularly the winds. Flying low over terrain in mountainous area is not a good idea if there are turbulent downdrafts.

The video below shows the full procedure, including the landing and taxi to the châlet where the C office is located.

The take-off procedure is simple: turn slightly right after take-off, to line-up with the valley, and climb straight ahead…