The qualification
The St Barts Landing Endorsement
You cannot legally act as pilot in command into Saint-Barthelemy without a site-specific qualification. This page explains what the endorsement is, who is allowed to sign it, what the training actually involves and what keeps it valid. Also written St Barts, St Barths or Saint-Barthelemy. The ICAO code is TFFJ, the IATA code is SBH.
What it is
French DGAC rules place Gustaf III Airport under a restricted-use approval. Landing there requires a recognised aptitude for the field itself: ground instruction on the specifics of the aerodrome, then flight training with supervised landings. It is not a rating on your licence and it is not transferable from another short-field course. It is specific to this one runway.
Who can sign it
Only an instructor approved for the Saint-Barthelemy site qualification, who must be able to demonstrate significant experience of the aerodrome. That last condition is the reason the list of people who can sign is short: it cannot be satisfied by visiting. There is no separate examiner stage. Your instructor signs on completion, on the island, the day you meet the standard.
What the training covers
- The approach to runway 10. Crossing the Col de la Tourmente at the right height and speed, the steep descent of roughly ten degrees, and the point at which a go-around stops being available.
- Runway 28 and the circuits. Approaches and landings when weather allows, and interrupted approaches flown both left and right hand.
- Wind. Rotor behind the hill, shear on short final, and how the picture changes by season rather than by day.
- Performance. Landing distance on roughly 650 metres in your actual aircraft at your actual weight, not the brochure case.
- Go-around discipline. Committing to the decision early, which is the single behaviour that separates a trained pilot here from an unprepared one.
How long it takes
Ground instruction followed by flight training with multiple supervised landings. Most proficient pilots complete it over one to two days. Doing the online ground course beforehand shortens the flight portion, which is where the cost sits.
Keeping it current
The endorsement is not a one-off. Aptitude has to be maintained through recent use of the field, which is why an annual recurrency with check landings exists as its own programme rather than as an upsell. If you fly into St Barts once a season, plan the recurrency before the season rather than after you discover you have lapsed.
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