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Farm Sanctuary

Farm Sanctuary

 As all of the animals at NearlyHeaven are so happy, we decided to share that joy with some new additions.
We started our Farm Sanctuary in the summer of 2008 and it was an instant success with our guests—especially the children, many of whom have never enjoyed the opportunity of seeing farm animals close-up.
Many of our animals were rescued or re-homed when their owners moved away. 

They include sheep,

    Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs

ducks, rabbits, pheasants, quail, pigeons & hens.

 

We find that children love to help with the animals and enjoy such activities as grooming the ponies,  feeding the hens and collecting eggs.
There are additional pictures of the farm animals in our 'photo gallery'

welcome

I am a British Flying Instructor, Ground Examiner and Flight Examiner operating in France.

My training facility, NearlyHeaven, is authorised by both the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the French  Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile (DGAC) to conduct flight training, in English, for the JAR (FCL) Private Pilot’s Licence.
 
To be clear, the training syllabus is identical to that followed by UK clubs and the JAR licence carries equal privileges in all JAA (Join Airworthiness Authority) countries, which essentially covers Europe.

The main difference is that flying is cheaper here, the weather is more reliable, and the facilities available to private flyers are generally superior to those in the UK.
The aircraft are in top class condition and we have full time mechanics on site.
I give one to one training and generally each student you would fly about three hours per day with me. I am a great believer that my students should be relaxed and confident during their flight training, this enables them to forge ahead with their training.
Given the weather conditions and the wonderful unrestricted airspace in this part of France a PPL can be completed in approximately four weeks.

Training is primarily conducted from Limoges International Airport (Bellegarde) and is provided in association with the Aero-Club de Limoges. The benefits of training at an International airport are second to none ,the circuits are not busy , the experience of flying in a professional environment provides a solid base for the students understanding of  Radio Telephony and formal circuit procedures. this grounding allows the  future pilot to feel comfortable flying into any airport in the world.

 The training would be conducted  in a modern Robin DR 400/140 and there are also various higher-performance aircraft available.

The annual club membership is 153 euros which also covers membership of the Fédération Française Aéronautique who provide the legally-required ‘Public Liability’ insurance cover.

There are no landing charges at Limoges for ‘ home based’ aircraft and charges at other airfields are generally modest compared with the UK.

All ground examinations can be taken with me here in France. It is advantageous if you have studied the ground subjects prior to arrival ( a PPL training pack from Flightstore or other aviation stockists)
It is advisable to have a current JAR medical prior to arriving in France. see link below for list of doctors in your area.
http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=49&pagetype=65&appid=21

I also offer self-catering accommodation about 20 minutes drive from Limoges Airport,
See web site www.nearlyheaven.com
Further information is available on the Nearlyheaven website/NH blog.

If you would like to discuss the various options, do give me a call—evening is best on good flying days.

Telephone (France) 0033 555481750
Telephone (Skypein) 0207 193 8229 (Calls via Skype at UK rates)
Mobile 0033 689713603 
Skype ID nearlyheaven (free pc-to-pc calls)
email info@nearlyheaven.com (preferred contact method)

 
 

Kobi is shattered...............

Just to say that Kobi has had another wonderful 'away day' with his family and favourite Spanish human who speaks to him with that beautiful, soft Spanish accent.  We arrive at La Chataigneraie and Kobi does not even glance back at us when we hand him over and leave, he is far too interested in what fun and play are in store for him with Teddy, his brother, although  I am not so sure that the older members of his family, his parents and aunts and uncles are too thrilled with another silly, bouncy, and unruly pup coming back to disturb their peace.  They seem to be very tolerant of him though and just look rather aloof and disinterested with his youthful exhuberance.  When we return to collect him, he is happy to leave but would, I am sure be just as happy to stay for more play.  It is incredible to see the difference between the full of energy Kobi we arrive with and the totally 'doggo' Kobi on the journey home.  He needs a long rest when he gets back and by the look of the twitching tail and legs, he is busy dreaming about his wonderful fun day with his doggy family and the lovely Spanish senorita!  I wish our 'exciting' day at Mr Bricolage was as memorable!

Space is at a premium with five Vizsla's.

Unusual sleeping habits

.

  

     

 Zack and Teddy sharing!     .

   Blanchette!

   

 

   Teddy after exercise.

Leko  in his normal  sleeping position

    Teddy waiting his turn for the chair

" Dogs vs Frogs"

" Dogs vs frogs"

Spring has really arrived in the Limousin with blue skies and temperatures of 26° last week. The leaves are on the trees and everywhere looks beautiful. I am truly privileged to teach flying in this beautiful unspoilt part of France.
On the downside, Lucia is mowing the lawns daily as the grass grows so quickly.
During the last week, I have stayed close to the Limoges airport area as I have been doing some concentrated teaching with a lovely couple, Jason and Nicole.
This young couple originate from Australia and are currently living in The Hague.
Both served with the military in Australia, spending many hours in helicopters though not as pilots.
However, this previous experience helps with their training as they are already familiar with general aviation terminology as well as the basic flight instruments.
As Jason and Nicole have a baby son called Jack, they take turns at flying and childminding which seems to be working very well as both were ready to train in the circuit by mid-week and this is what we have been doing over the last few days.
Limoges Bellegarde is in class D airspace so we have to integrate with commercial IFR arrivals and departures as well as military training flights.
This provides excellent training for my students who become used to performing 360° orbits and extended downwind legs to make way for Ryanair or other IFR traffic. This gives them the confidence to fly into other large airports without undue concern.
Quite often, Ryanair and FlyBe flights have to wait until we have landed though the commercial flight crews usually give us a friendly wave.
I am delighted with the progress of my English Radiotelephony class for French pilots and I am now receiving enquiries from prospective students who are not even members of our club.
No problem. It is very rewarding to support French PPL holders in this way and I am sure that we will be able to accommodate a few 'outsiders'—by prior arrangement, of course.
The puppies are now six weeks old and have discovered how to bark!
We have a steady stream of visitors to see them as the dogs will spend another few weeks with their mother before transferring to their new owners. It is so nice to meet these people and to offer advice on bringing up these delightful dogs.
Now that the weather is warmer, the older dogs have been going for a daily swim in my neighbour's lake which is presently full of very noisy frogs whose 'mating' calls can be heard from a mile away!
Being bred for hunting, my dogs are swimming in all directions to catch the elusive frogs who are pretty good at diving out of trouble. However, the dogs never tire of this frog-hunting sport.

   

 " I'll catch you one day!"

  

"  I got all my onions on! hahaha!"

   

"Mayhem in the kitchen, calm at the AGM"

The puppies are three weeks old today and have trebled their birth weight of 400 grams, which is excellent considering that Meg has ten mouths to feed!
At present we have only two puppies unsold. The others have new homes lined-up in Spain, Britain and several areas of France.

Now that the puppies are three weeks old, we have introduced cereals and milk as supplementary feeding. This causes mayhem in the kitchen as they manage to scatter their weetabix in all directions.

'Miracle' is nearly six months old and has now moved from the baby paddock to join the older horses in the larger field.
He is still drinking gallons of milk from a bucket but is more independent now and enjoys playing with the “big boys” as well as chasing the sheep whom he sees as the perfect-sized playmates.
Thanks to the extra hour of daylight in the evenings, I have managed to 'back' Pasha, the stallion who is the father of Miracle.
Pasha is now four years old and comes from a winning bloodline. It is therefore time to begin his training as either a showjumper or an eventer.
Phoebe has been training him on the ground and the time had come for someone to sit on his back for the very first time. That person, I decided, should be me.
The unexpected outcome of this 'terrifying' moment was that de did not even twitch his ear and just accepted me without a second thought. We have now progressed to walking and trotting around the paddock each evening when I return from the airport.
On the flying side, congratulations’ to Fiona Renton for completing her qualifying cross country. The local weather was dominated by a pressure system which caused poor visibility but this did not deter Fiona who managed to navigate without a problem.
Stop Press
Last night's AGM of the Aeroclub de Limoges was a quiet affair and went smoothly compared with the mayhem of last year’s meeting—French people can turn very ugly when a meeting overruns by two hours and dinner awaits (faint cries of "fooood" were heard from the English contingent).
Our new President is Christian Dalbin who is presently joint Chief Flying Instructor and head of the engineering department.
Michel Kofyan has stepped down from this position to be Vice President of the Aero Club. Further news on this at a later date.