I had planned to fly from Fayence to Ibiza on Friday 26 September in my Blackwing 600RG (F-JKYS). The occasion was a happy one: my friend Dirk Fahrenbruch is celebrating his birthday there, and what could be more fitting than taking the opportunity to fly myself to Ibiza for the weekend?
Spanish rules: cumbersome and frustrating
Anyone wishing to fly an « ultralight » into Spain quickly discovers a maze of national legislation and administrative procedures. The official information is neatly presented via AEPAL, but in practice it proves unnecessarily cumbersome.
In many European countries no prior authorisation is required at all (see the overview published by EMF). Spain, however, has constructed its own system, complete with e-signatures, digital keys and online forms that take several days to process.
To make matters more complex, the new Spanish rules stipulate that ultralights are not permitted to fly through controlled airspace. I carefully planned my route outside the TMAs, but Ibiza lies inside a CTR. Despite repeated attempts, I received no response to my request for permission to enter their zone.
Handling at Ibiza: procedure clear enough
On one point, I cannot complain: communication with Ibiza Airport itself was straightforward. I submitted a formal request for the mandatory basic handling service (Servicio de acompañamiento en plataforma). Their reply was precise: my aircraft type is not obliged to contract a handling company, but platform escort is compulsory. They also provided links to the official simulator for calculating landing and parking fees.
Weather over Girona: tricky
On the day itself, the weather did not cooperate either. Conditions over Girona were tricky, and with all factors combined the decision became simple: better to postpone the flight to another time.
Still at the party
The destination, however, remains the same: Dirk’s birthday celebration. This time not with the Blackwing, but on a Ryanair service to Ibiza for a weekend of sunshine, friends and good cheer. Sometimes that is the better choice.
Dirk’s 60th in Ibiza
In the end, I still made it to Ibiza in time for Dirk’s 60th birthday. His house was the stage for a full 80’s Glamour Party, complete with pool games in the afternoon and an evening of music, food and dancing. Live tributes to the Pet Shop Boys and Tina Turner set the tone, and the atmosphere stayed high well into the night as you can see in the clip below
We revived the night as we were in our 20´s again.
Thank you Dirk and Paula
🎬 Clip – Pet Shop Boys tribute (“It’s a Sin”)
The party kicked off with this 80’s classic – a perfect start to the evening.
🎬 Clip – Tina Turner tribute (“Proud Mary”)
Later in the night, this timeless anthem had everyone rolling and singing along.
