Best time to learn to fly in France
How often the weather allows training flights in each month, from weather reports at 184 airfields with flight schools in France.
Across 184 airfields, 74% of daylight hours have weather suitable for training flights. The best months are July, August, and September. December is the most difficult month, at 52%.
Share of daylight hours each month with weather suitable for training flights (cloud base at least 3,000 ft, visibility at least 5 statute miles / 8 km, wind no more than 20 knots, no thunderstorms, freezing conditions or snow).
The flying year in France
France has more flight schools in our directory than any other European country, and 184 of their airfields have weather data. The typical airfield has weather suitable for training flights in 74% of daylight hours.
Summer is the best season, with July (89%) and August (88%) the top months. Winter is much harder: December (52%) and January (55%) lose around half of daylight hours to low cloud, poor visibility and frost. Spring improves quickly, from 74% in March to 83% in April.
North and south
The difference between the north and south of France is large. Corsica and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur have the most flyable weather, followed by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Occitanie. Several of the best airfields in our data are small fields in the south-west, in the foothills of the Pyrenees and in the Gers.
Brittany, Normandy and Hauts-de-France are at the other end, with roughly a fifth less flyable time than the south over the year. Île-de-France sits in between.
Planning your training
Most French students learn at an aéroclub and fly at weekends, so the season matters. Starting in early spring lets you reach your first solo and the cross-country flights during the summer.
If you live in the north and want to train intensively, a course in the south during spring or autumn can avoid both the northern winter and the busiest summer weeks.
Questions
What is the best time to learn to fly in France?
July and August, when the typical airfield is flyable in 89% and 88% of daylight hours, with April to September all good.
Where in France is the weather best for flight training?
Corsica and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, followed by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Occitanie. Brittany and Normandy have the least flyable weather.
Flying weather by month
| Month | Typical airfield | Most airfields |
|---|---|---|
| January | 55% | 43–67% |
| February | 64% | 55–75% |
| March | 74% | 66–81% |
| April | 83% | 79–86% |
| May | 81% | 77–87% |
| June | 83% | 77–90% |
| July | 89% | 84–93% |
| August | 88% | 84–92% |
| September | 85% | 79–89% |
| October | 73% | 67–81% |
| November | 63% | 53–75% |
| December | 52% | 42–66% |
By region
| Region | Whole year | Best months | Airfields |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corsica | 89% | June, July, and August | 4 |
| Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur | 85% | June, July, and August | 12 |
| Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 81% | July, August, and September | 26 |
| Occitanie | 78% | July, August, and September | 20 |
| Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 77% | July, August, and September | 27 |
| Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | 74% | April, July, and August | 8 |
| Grand Est | 70% | June, July, and August | 18 |
| Centre-Val de Loire | 70% | April, July, and August | 12 |
| Île-de-France | 68% | April, July, and August | 17 |
| Pays-de-la-Loire | 68% | April, July, and August | 9 |
| Hauts-de-France | 64% | April, July, and August | 13 |
| Brittany | 61% | April, July, and August | 9 |
| Normandy | 60% | April, July, and August | 9 |
Airfields with the most flyable weather in France
| Airfield | Whole year | Best months |
|---|---|---|
| Auch-Gers (LFDH) Occitanie | 94% | June, July, and August |
| Pierrelatte (LFHD) Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 94% | June, July, and August |
| Condom-Valence-sur-Baïse (Herret) (LFID) Occitanie | 94% | June, July, and August |
| Calvi-Sainte-Catherine (LFKC) Corsica | 93% | June, July, and August |
| Bailleau-Armenonville (LFFL) Centre-Val de Loire | 90% | July, August, and September |
| Ghisonaccia Alzitone (LFKG) Corsica | 90% | June, July, and August |
| Chartres-Métropole (LFOR) Centre-Val de Loire | 90% | July, August, and September |
| Cannes-Mandelieu (LFMD) Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur | 90% | July, August, and September |
| Bourg-Ceyzériat Airfield (LFHS) Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 90% | June, July, and August |
| Dreux-Vernouillet (LFON) Centre-Val de Loire | 90% | July, August, and September |
How we worked this out
Based on hourly weather reports (METAR) from 2016 to 2025 in the Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive, at the weather station closest to each airfield and no more than 30 km away. Only daylight hours count. For each month we show the typical (median) airfield, with the middle half of airfields as the range.
Cite this data: BookFlightSchools, “Best time to learn to fly in France: flying weather by month”, 2016–2025. https://bookflightschools.com/flight-schools/france/weather