Lake Bourget and nature reserve

A really nice nature walk at the entrance to the lake in the Natura 2000-listed nature reserve. It’s a great opportunity to see lots of bird species, plants, and the famous European pond turtle, as well as some beautiful medieval architecture remnants with Thomas II’s castle. The walk is slightly spoiled by the noise from the Savoie parachute club’s planes, which take off every fifteen minutes and dump fuel on the site non-stop, even after nightfall.

The walk is somewhat ruined by the noise of the planes from the Savoie parachute club, which take off every fifteen minutes and dump fuel on the site non-stop, even at nightfall.

Planes that "dump" their fuel?! Could you tell us more about this? Fuel dumping is an exceptional practice for airliners in distress that are too heavy to land at an airport... They must first dump fuel at a sufficient altitude so that the fuel is dispersed in the atmosphere, but I’ve never heard of parachute-dropping planes doing this.

hi, don’t forget that Chambéry Airport is practically right on the lake, so maybe some "unofficial" dumping happens—just a guess . Also, the Chambéry runway is short, barely 6,600 feet (2,000m).

Oh, and about the lake—you can take the train from Chambéry to Culoz-Bellegarde. It’s a really scenic line; I’m taking it next week 🙂 Otherwise, you can head up to Revard from Aix-les-Bains for a stunning high-altitude view of the lake and the surrounding area.

and which dump fuel on the site non-stop, even at nightfall.

But how? Skydiving aircraft dumping AVGAS constantly on the ground? That’s outrageous!! Or maybe the jumpers are scared and emptying their bladders before the jump. The color’s often confusing.😎

Hi there, I was unsure what you meant by "dumping" fuel... but since you opened another discussion on the topic, I now understand better what it’s about. To keep it short, I’d say skydiving is a sport like any other, with rules that must be respected. To practice this activity, a drop plane is necessary... and this can cause nuisances for those living near an airfield. Overflights and parachute drops are subject to regulations, and non-compliance is severely penalized. For example, flying over natural areas (such as Natura 2000 reserves) must be done at an altitude of at least 3,000 feet (1,000 meters). In my opinion, this rule should be respected over the natural areas of Lake Bourget, just like anywhere else—otherwise, the club would face severe penalties. More broadly, people tend to oppose any polluting or noisy activity when they’re directly affected. For instance, those living near an airport or airfield protest against noise pollution or CO₂ emissions from aircraft... yet many of them won’t hesitate to take a flight for travel. Personally, since I’m not affected by this kind of nuisance, I find cruise ships—those sea monsters, real floating cities—far more polluting than a few drop planes from the Savoyard skydiving club.

This is why flying over natural areas (Natura 2000 reserves, among others) must be done at an altitude of at least 3,000 feet (1,000 m)

That’s partly true and partly false.

The overflight altitude is defined by ICAO and VAC charts from Civil Aviation.

For Lake Bourget, there’s no Natura 2000 zone or anything similar.

For Natura 2000 areas, the overflight altitudes are indicated on ICAO and VAC charts.

Example: The Natura 2000 reserve of Bagnas between Agde and Marseillan Plage—if there’s no indication on the chart, flying below 1,000 feet (around 300 meters, not 3,000 feet) is prohibited.

For this reserve, Civil Aviation has also included the famous beach (sandy and water sections) of the naturist area, affectionately called "Baie des Cochons." This is likely due to the possible VIPs who frequent this spot—some see it as a den of vice, others as a leisure destination.

One day, I managed to land right next to the beach in a command helicopter (an old red Civil Defense AIII, which helps), for a fire mission. The only aircraft allowed to land here are SAMU, Gendarmerie, Civil Defense, and Fire Department command helicopters, but you can’t hang around.

Lake Bourget



Bagnas, Agde