Not only do the Swiss charge a "kings ransom" for biz jets to use this awful and very dangerous airstrip but now they want you to sit down on a precious day off and answer 30 inane questions about the dump before you are allowed to carry on flying into it! Why we need to be tested on the actual names of the villages around LSZS, why we need to answer what the telephone number is or the ATIS freq and other mundane info that is clearly on the jepp plate defeats me!!
I quite agree. Far better to put in some proper aids to getting into the place than having to answer a string of banalities not dissimilar to JAA written exams.
Come to think of it, it sums European aviation up. As much irrelevant written rubbish as they can throw at you, with as little practical stuff as they can get away with. Hoops my friends Now jump. If pilots applied the basics, and stick to what is sensible, then the rest wouldn't have to jump through an ever increasing number of hoops, each time someone buys the farm in a perfectly serviceable aircraft.
Arse covering sums it up. Like everywhere else in EASA country. No need for navaids, no need for waypoints. If you go there in VMC it's a lovely place. In borderline weather or IMC it is indeed awful and dangerous. I agree the quiz is ass-covering, however the place is anything but awful and dangerous. Some people flying there obviously are.
Switzerland empowers local communities to make their own decisions - a great system. I don't know the politics of Samedan, but maybe they just don't want a bunch of rich oiks flying into their nice valley in their bizjets, getting drunk, bringing in drugs, prostitutes etc which has ruined other nice valleys in the Alps.
