*** Last and final update: Friday Aug. 27, 2010 ***
Well, we thought it´s the final update. We just had to add a photo at the bottom of this page. Our friend Todd captured our Cessna shortly before touch down at Vero Beach Airport. Thanks Todd!
EDSB-EGPC: Flight time 4:45 - Distance 750 miles.
Local Weather at Landing: Wind 150 @ 6 / Visibility 10 / Light rain / Few clouds at 600ft - Scattered clouds at 2,900ft / Temperature 14°C
The routings in Europe are, well, a bit on the complicated
side. The flight from Karlsruhe to Wick is 702 nm. The routing, which can basically only
be created by a software you have to pay for, consists of 45 waypoints and 847
nm. Time to fly is 5:28 hours instead of the straight line 4:30 hours.
Usually you never fly that routing, instead you end up getting seven or eight
waypoints to fly direct to.
So about halftime in the flight, just after crossing the Channel when we were with London
Center for a while I asked for a more direct routing and suggested "how
about direct GASKO"? The controller then asked: "If you want a more
direct routing, that would lead you outside controlled airspace. Can you accept
that"? Since we had extensive experience flying outside controlled
airspace from the flight to Europe we agreed. But we were not prepared to hear:
"Proceed direct WICK, in 15 minutes you will be outside controlled
airspace, then STAY outside controlled airspace and squawk 7000 (which is the
Europe equivalent to the US 1200)". Wow! He then switched us to a non
radar information frequency and that was it. Now our routing lead us through a maze
of restricted airspace and sure into controlled airspace over Aberdeen towards
the end of our flight. So going back to the tried old VFR skills we pulled out the map. With the help of our Garmin and the controller on the information frequency
we worked our way up north, avoiding active restricted areas and crossing through non active restricted areas.
But were also slowly approaching controlled airspace over
Aberdeen. Eventually I asked for a clearance. Flying IFR, it was our responsibility - not the controller´s - to get a clearance before entering controlled airspace.
After a while the controller got back to us and told us that the airspace
towards Aberdeen is only controlled on weekends. No clearance necessary until
our final destination. One problem solved.
To lessen the load even more, we received "Deconfliction Service" after entering Scottish controlled
airspace. Remember that lesson from our flight to Europe? This means we received clearances for the descend
although theoretically the separation responsibility was ours.
Getting closer to Wick we could see the ground through a big break. So we cancelled IFR to dive under the cloud deck and come in VFR, which saved us about 60 USD approach fee (this is something specific to Wick we learned on our way to Europe). Coming in for landing after almost five action filled hours, I was toast. I forgot weather the tower wanted us to be on the left of right downwind and overshot the final. The concentration was just not there anymore. But after a smooth touchdown Andrew from Far North Aviation welcomed us with his warm personality and everything was fine again. In the end the straight line flight time would have been 4:30. The flight time for the complicated routing would have been 5:28. Our real flight time was about 4:45. You just need to know how to deal with the system.
We had a rental car and took the chance to explore the country a little. Driving on the left side of the road was a little confusing for Gerd at first, but with the help of the passengers from row B he managed to always turn into the correct lane. Following the coast line going north from Wick we visited John O´Groats which is where the ferries to the Orkney Islands land. We spend quite some time there watching the boats, throwing rocks in the water and observing exotic birds. Our way back to Wick lead us though Thurso, a picturesque little town. The Scottish landscape is interesting: Very flat, but with steep cliffs and drop offs into the North Sea. There are not many trees, instead the farmlands are dotted with thousands of sheep. Many little harbors are hiding behind cliffs.
Another highlight was the Heritage Museum in Wick, where we learnt about the fishing history of Wick. We are wondering why they did not name the town "Herring Town" ... everything came and went with the fishing industry: Growth, prosperity, whiskey and prohibition. Today Wick has only about 8000 inhabitants, but the distillery stayed.
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
Bye Bye EDSB - Stress outside controlled airspace - Row B doesn´t seem to care - Scottish landscape - Picturesque harbor
Our dinner - Affordable Real Estate - Downtown Thurso - Gerd´s new survival suit - BYOB: Bottle Your Own Bottle
EGPC-BIRK: Flight time 4:20 - Distance 650 nautical miles.
Local Weather at Landing: Wind 230 @ 9 / Visibility more than 10 km / Few clouds at 1,200ft - Scattered clouds at 1,800ft - Broken at 800ft / Temperature 14°C - Dewpoint 12°C / QNH 1020 hPa - 30.12" (wow they even give the QNH in inches) /Transition Level 70. In reality it was 700 overcast and a few km visibility.
It was time to move on to Iceland. The weather
forecast for the oceanic part was good, no icing en route, only closer to
Iceland from about 10000 feet on. So we decided to cruise along at 14.000 feet.
Everything was fairly routine. This time Scotland Control advertised a
"limited deconfliction service". Since separation was our
responsibility anyways I did not really care to find out what this special
flavor of Deconfliction Service really meant. The routing was BARKU RATSU ALDAN
EL. Before reaching BARKU we requested our oceanic clearance from Iceland Radio
and right before reaching the waypoint we switched to Reykjavik Control as we
have been told to do. We were well prepared, the position report sheet was
filled out and we were ready to do as the airliners do. So we called Reykjavik
and received a squawk code. However we did not hear the phrase "radar
contact". So after a while I called him up again and asked if he needs
position reporting. He came back with "negative, you are radar
contact". What a disappointment! We were so well prepared and he did not
need estimates, observing us on radar in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
However there were quite a few airliner crews from Lufthansa, Delta, Alitalia
and others who also offered position reports. Finally we found out that the
radar coverage was fairly new and that they also were used to give position
reports in that area.
Cruising along at FL140 in our "comfortable" Mustang Immersion Flight Suits (which are much better than what we saw in Wick in the museum) we watched the weight slowly decrease and the airspeed slowly increase. Everything was working perfectly. Reaching Iceland we could see that almost the whole island was covered with low clouds, probably up to 5000 feet. Getting closer to Reykjavik and already descending things became interesting. The controller informed the aircrews that Keflavik was switching to CAT II approaches (very low weather approaches). We can do ILS approaches down to 200 feet but are not equipped for the super low weather CAT II approaches. Keflavik is only 20 miles to the southwest of our destination and the wind was from that direction. The ATIS was still advertising few 1200, Scattered 1800, broken 3000, but was almost an hour old. I was getting ready for a missed approach and a flight to our alternate airport. The fuel status was good, we had fuel for at least 2.5 more hours of flight. We briefed the ILS 19 into Reykjavik. Flying conditions were easy, it was very smooth in the clouds and since the clouds were so low we were way above freezing temperatures, so there was no ice to worry about.
For the first time I got the Cessna
autopilot to capture the glide slope and it was tracking down the ILS like on rails. Not bad for ancient analog technology, way better than our
modern STEC-55 in the Mooney. Since we had been here before, we exactly knew
that this ILS would lead us over a bridge with the approach lights on top. We
were ready. As expected the weather had deteriorated but at 700 feet we saw the
lights and the bridge and knew we are going to make it. I asked for "Flaps
40", I got "Flaps 40 and indicating" from my experienced First
Officer and we arrived with the smoothest touchdown of our entire journey. Five
more minutes for Customs and Passport Control (remember the Schengen and EU
rules?) and we were in the hotel.
Submitted by Row B
After a relaxing flight, we arrived in Reykjavik. The
weather: cold, gray, rainy. Summer in Iceland, I guess. After dinner at the Caruso,
an "Icelandic Restaurant with southern flair, just south of the Arctic
Circle", we went to bed. The next morning was cold and gray, without the
rain. We sat down to breakfast with a map and decided on a destination. We
would do some driving and have a look at one of the geothermal areas that are
all over the place. It happened to be the area south of Reykjavik, where the
famous "Blue Lagoon" is. After a look around the inhabited area
around Reykjavik, the driver and navigator decided to try out some Icelandic country
roads. In many places, the term "country road" brings a feeling of
serenity and an image of a peaceful drive through lush green hills. In Iceland,
they're generally made of gravel, are full of potholes and puddles, and in the
area we explored that day, run through landscapes filled with bizarre stone
landscapes from past volcanic eruptions. A little rattled, but with all
fillings still in place, we reached the geothermal area we had found on the
map. Boiling water bubbled to the surface, creating hot pools and rivers in the
rock, releasing a nice amount of steam in the process. A very interesting sight,
but certain teenagers were hungry and we moved on in search of food. We found
it in the small harbor town of Grindavik (population 2,800). One can find good food in the most
remote places. We went home tired, but well fed.
The next morning was - you guessed it - cold, gray, and rainy. This time we could enjoy our breakfast without maps, as our tour guide had gotten up early and had already done the planning. We would drive the "Golden Circle", which includes three of the most interesting sites in Iceland: Pingvellir National Park, Geysir (the most famous spouting hot spring) and the Gullfoss waterfalls. Pingvellir National Park had a visitor center with information about the first and oldest Icelandic parliament and how Iceland's landscape was formed, and outside (in the rain...), you could see for yourself the ridges of rock formed by volcanoes and earthquakes from an observation platform. The geysers were a much more entertaining sight. Although the original Geysir, the one that gave the phenomenon its name, is no longer active, its neighbor, Strokkur has taken over. Every 2-5 minutes, a bubble forms in a pool of water as steam from below rushes to the surface. The water then erupts in a huge fountain of white spray. It was very cool to see the power of nature in action like that. The Gullfoss waterfalls were even more impressive. The amount of water that fell over the rocks was immense. Have a look for yourself in the pictures. The water sent up a good amount of spray that, combined with the rain, had almost soaked our rain jackets. After some hot beverages it was time to head back to the hotel.
Iceland has been a very interesting experience so far. The people here are nice, and almost all speak relatively good English. The money takes some getting used to though. Seeing a number like 15,436 ISK on your bill after dinner is a strange sight if you're used to Dollars and Euros.
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
On final at Reykjavik - Can anyone read Icelandish? - Preview of the famous Blue Lagoon - Rocks look like rising dough - Real Estate, priceless
Pizza the Icelandic way - Seltun Geothermal Area - Why do they dry the carcasses? - Enjoying the hot steam of Geysir - Gullfoss waterfalls
We did the Blue Lagoon thing and we need to agree with our friend Günther: It´s a MUST for Iceland - but only once.
For our passengers in row B it was time to go back to school, so we sent them home on a commercial flight. (Gerd´s comment: "Now we can fill the Cessna to the brim with 1311 lbs fuel.") With Günther we took advantage of the unusual good weather and did a 1.5 hour / 195 nm sight seeing flight. Below is his report - in German for a change!
Island in 90 Minuten am 18. Aug. 2010
Noch nie vorher habe ich so häufig zum Himmel, zu den Wolken, hinaufgesehen wie in den Tagen vor dem geplanten Rundflug. Am Mittwochmorgen war es dann soweit, die bis dahin allzu niedrige Wolkendecke war vor der Sonne geschwunden.
Nach den notwendigen Flugvorbereitungen starteten wir mit Kurs Südost, Richtung Eyrarbakki. Es bot sich ein schöner Blick über Reykjavik, das jedoch schnell immer kleiner wurde und schließlich verschwand. Wir überflogen das riesige, durch viele vulkanische Eruptionen entstandene Lavagebiet der Reykjaneshalbinsel, das von den Resten der Vulkane - pittoreske Berg-Ungetüme - durchsetzt ist. Das Morgenlicht ließ die Konturen deutlich hervortreten. Hingerissen schaute, schaute und schaute ich - konnte den Blick nicht abwenden, vergass völlig, zu fotografieren.
Bei Eyrarbakki erreichten wir das Meer. Gerd nahm nun Kurs auf die Westmännerinsel. Wie diese riesigen Felsen aus dem Meer aufsteigen, zum Teil grün bewachsen, dann Inseln bilden, ist faszinierend. Die beiden Vulkane auf der einzig bewohnten Hauptinsel Heimaey, der lang erloschene, kleine Helgafell und der junge, größere Eldfell (von 1973) sind von oben besonders deutlich zu erkennen. Ebenso die Lavaregion, die nicht nur im Januar 1973 die Insel vergrößerten, sondern auch einen Teil der Stadt unter sich begrub. Übrigens ohne dass ein einziger der rund 4000 Bewohner zu Schaden kam. Über den gut angelegten Flugplatz auf der kleinen Insel verwunderten sich Pilot und Copilot besonders.
Wir nahmen wieder Kurs auf das "Festland". Dort am Strand, auf dem Landeyjasandur, ist der neue Fährhafen zu den Westmännerinseln 2008/2009 gebaut und in diesem Sommer in Betrieb genommen worden. Jetzt braucht das Fährschiff "Herolfur" nur noch wenige Minuten und nicht wie bisher mehrere Stunden.
Wir flogen vorbei an der - für mich verwirrend schwarzen - Hekla, einem der aktivsten Vulkane Islands, zum neuen Vulkan am Eyjafjallajökull. Wir sahen auch hier einen schwarzen Berg, wir wussten, es ist ein von Vulkanasche geschwärzter Gletscher, auf dem sich der inzwischen zur Ruhe gekommene Vulkan befindet. Eine leichte Dampfwolke stieg auf und verriet seinen genauen Ort. Unser Flugkapitän konnte seinen (und gewiß unser aller) Wunsch, den Vulkan noch näher zu erforschen, angesichts der niedrigen und kompakten Bewölkung unterdrücken, flog aber für die Fotografen eine Ehrenrunde.
Unter uns breiteten sich ausgedehnte nur von Schafen bewohnte Gebiete aus, durchtrennt von Wasserläufen und kleinen Vorgebirgen. Wir sahen im Norden die Ausläufer des Langjökull und erreichten kurz darauf Thingvellir, den alten Thingplatz, der heute Nationaldenkmal ist. Von oben kann man die hier besonders deutlich auftretenden Spaltenschwärme, die durch die tektonischen Bewegungen in der Erdkruste entstanden sind, ungewöhnlich deutlich erkennen. Es ist faszinierend zu erleben, dass der so sehr theoretisch anmutende Ansatz des Auseinanderdriftens der eurasischen und der nordamerikanischen Platte hier unmittelbar sichtbar wird.
Wir nahmen Kurs nach Westen, nach Reyjavik. Schön zu erkennen das Hengill-Gebirge, das ich im vorigen Jahr ausgiebig durchwandert hatte - nun alles auf einen Blick, umwerfend! Schließlich schnell noch einen Blick auf das Haus des Schriftstellers Halldor Laxness, das einsam in der Landschaft liegend auftaucht - und schon kam Reyjavik auf uns zugeflogen.Vom Aufsetzen der Cessna habe ich nichts bemerkt, erst Unebenheiten der Rollbahn machte mir klar: wir sind gelandet. Landest Du immer wie auf Watte, Gerd?
Eineinhalb Stunden: ein unvergeßliches Erlebnis! Danke Gerd, danke Sylvia!
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
Geothermal Water used for Sidewalk Heating - Lighthouse at Vogar - Silicia Mud Mask for our Pilot - 4 Perlan Musicians and 5 Travellers - Sunset at Reykjavik Airport
Vestmannaeyar BIVM, a possible Alternate for Reykjavik - North Side of Eyjafjallajökull - Thingvellir. Left Side: North American Plate. Right Side: Eurasian Plate. - With the Perlan at Eye Level - A Different View of the Hallgrímskirkja
Our favorite locally owned and operated places to eat: The Pearl/Perlan (best whale carpaccio), Laekjarbrekka (heavenly Icelandic skyr with blueberry sorbet), Ristorante Caruso (Pizza Enrico, a humongous pizza sandwich), Icelandic Fish & Chips (F&Ch the organic way) and any tap water for the purest, tastiest, additive free spring water we ever had!
BIRK-BGBW: Flight time 4:05 - Distance 704 nm
BGBW-CYYR: Flight time 4:16 - Distance 708 nm
A thorough look at the weather maps showed great weather
and upper winds from Iceland, over Greenland into northern Canada. Since we
were looking forward to see St. Johns and Halifax the weather provided the
perfect opportunity to shorten the trip back by 800 nm. Initially we planned on
crossing Greenland from east to west, then flying the short leg to Iqaluit,
Canada and then proceed towards St. Johns. However talking to some ferry pilots
they convinced us that there is not much to miss up north. They talked about
shabby outposts with run down "hotel" rooms and the difficulty to get
avgas, if we could get it at all. So looking at the optimal weather and winds
we decided to go the short route: Reykjavik, Narsarsuaq, Goose Bay, then one
night of sleep and then on to St. Johns, a total distance of nearly 1800 nm.
With the experience from the flight to Europe, planning and filling out the flight plan form was easy. I planned FLOSI 64N030W 6330N 039W NA and since the weather was that good we decided to stay low, FL140. That provided enough altitude for the crossing of the icecap but was low enough to enjoy the scenery. We took off from Reykjavik and were in radar contact until about FLOSI. By that time I had already filled out my position report sheet so the required reports were as easy as a change of frequencies in the US.
This time we could actually see the north Atlantic beneath us. For the first time we really had the feeling to fly over the ocean, and being used to the reliability of our trusted Cessna and her two engines it was really enjoyable. After two and a half hours we could see the spectacular coast line of Greenland. Fjords and icebergs where everywhere.
Once we started to go over the icecap it was time to concentrate on the approach to Narsarsuaq. There is no guidance: It is just your airplane, the icecap, the mountains, the approach plate and you. You can do what you want, you can talk to Sondrestrom Radio but nobody is really talking to you. There is nobody between you and the mountains. You need to know what to do and you need to execute it well or you will end up dead in milliseconds when you crash into the mountains which are hidden by clouds. This feeling is completely different from flying in controlled airspace under radar contact when there is a friendly controller who is telling you what to do and you have at least the illusion that he will help you out when you start to screw up.
Fortunately the weather was good enough so that I could see the mountains and the glaciers most of the time, but there were a few shallow layers of cirrus clouds over the icecap, enough to make me think about the odd situation I was in. I was dutifully executing what I thought the approach plate was telling me. Do you usually worry about the minimum safe altitude circle on the approach plate? Here your life depends on it. We finally popped out of the clouds and could see the runway below us, before we even reached the initial approach fix NA, but this taught me flying lessons which are invaluable. I decided to fly the full procedure in beautiful VFR conditions, just to see and learn how the procedure was designed. From the initial approach fix on it was fairly routine and the steep approach angle of 5.6° is no problem for our Cessna. We rolled out on runway 7; Greenland welcomed us with a nice warm climate. We thought the sweating was over, but more work was lurking on the ramp.
When we reached our final parking position the line guy
tried to read the sticker on the tanks which is fairly unusual. We would soon learn
why. I opened the window and greeted the guy we knew from last time. He asked
how much fuel we will need. I said about 400 liters. He answered "shit
that will take an awful long time". I said "we are interested in a
short turnaround". He answered "forget it". What was that all
about? After leaving the airplane I would find out quickly: The meter of the only
avgas truck was not reliable. So they had to fuel avgas from the truck in two 5
gallon (18.9 l) cans to meter the output and then fill the cans by hand into
the airplanes. Four hundred liters makes about twenty cans. And these cans were
a real Chinese/American crap product. There was no separate opening for letting air
in. Filling the cans was easy, but emptying was a problem since the fuel had to
go the same way out as the air had to go in. It took forever to get the cans
emptied. I quickly set up a team. One fueler was taking care
of filling the cans, a second fueler was responsible for emptying one can, I
was responsible for the other can, Sylvia was responsible for counting the
cans.
I still wore my immersion flight suit and I was sweating
like never before on the approach. Four people were busy fueling and after 1.5
hours we were finished. 125 gallons avgas, for $15 per gallon and you have to
fuel yourself using cans. Wow, what a deal!
After that I had enough. I paid the bill (including another $132.39 in fees for nothing) and then we slowly walked down the street to a little shop where we could buy coffee and croissants. We sat outside, enjoyed the spectacular Greenlandic silence and scenery for a while. After buying a little bottle of Greenlandic "Faxe Kondi" lemonade as a gift for our missing passengers it was time to continue to Goose Bay.
Here are a few more photos of Greenland. We will never forget the flights over this most scenic and impressive country:
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
East Coast - Another Breathtaking View - Cloud Layers on the Approach to Narsarsuag - No Comment - Town of Narsarq, at the Entrance of the Fjord to Narsarsuaq
Due to the HF issue we planned on FL260 for the flight to Goose Bay. But the controlled
airspace in Greenland starts at FL195, which means
that up to that altitude there is uncontrolled
airspace. So we told the AFIS controller
that we will fly out the fjord for a nice
sightseeing tour of the glaciers and the icebergs and start our climb when we
have reached the ocean. It was beautiful! That
we could take advantage of the opportunity was clearly a result of learning to
know the system over time. The following flight at
FL260 was uneventful. The only difficulty
was leaning the engines, at that altitude they react very sensible to small
changes. With an enjoyable practice ILS
approach we finally made it into Goose Bay. This time customs did not bother to
come out and with a phone call to customs we
were legally back in Canada. It was time for dinner and some sleep - the following
day we planned to continue to St. Johns.
CYYR-CYYT: Flight time 2:58 - Distance 459 nm.
Local Weather at Landing: N/A. Sorry, we didn´t pay attention
The flight to St. Johns was not very entertaining. We were flying along at 11000 feet, one direct
leg to the VOR at the destination. We were in the clear but a low overcast was
covering Canada all the way to St. Johns. There we had to fly the ILS to get
under the clouds again. For three hours there was nothing to be seen and
nothing to navigate. The work load was light enough
that I could dismiss my trusted first officer so she could do some website work
in row B. The whole flight looked like repositioning to me. But compared
to the sometimes high tension situations during the last few weeks we can also
describe these two last legs as very relaxing. We could clearly feel we were back home again.
Newfoundland is strange - their time zone is off a HALF hour. Does anybody know why?
In the past three days we have driven 500+ kilometers and still have seen only a tiny bit of the Avalon Peninsula, which is the southeastern tip of Newfoundland. The landscape could be compared to how we know Sweden: Lots of fir trees, lakes bordered by rocks and huge boulders, endless highways in sometimes rough condition. Along the coast we passed through one little run down fishing community after another. By chance we found the grass strip in Harbour Grace where Amelia Earhart started her transatlantic trip in 1932. The field is still maintained and a monument tells the story of the airfield. The wild blueberries that grow along the runway tasted delicious!
If you ever get to St. John´s, go south to Ferryland. Have a picnic at the lighthouse there and with a little luck, see the whales play in the waves. On your way back don´t forget to stop at Cape Spear, which is the most easterly point in North America.
Favorite places to eat: We did not find many. We are still missing the good European food. Try Auntie Crae´s Food Shops for some good coffee, pastries, bread and sandwiches.
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
Deserted Campground - Amelia Earhart Memorial in Harbour Grace - Affordable Real Estate - Old Cemetery - Downtown St.John´s
Picnic Time at the Lighthouse - Whale Watching for Free - Lighthouse at Ferryland - Ferryland Harbour - New Lighthouse at Cape Spear
CYYZ-CYHZ: Flight time 3h - Distance 481 nm.
Local Weather at Landing: Wind 170 @ 13 / Visibility 15 km / Clouds at 2,500 ft broken, 25,000 broken / Temperature 22°C - Dewpoint 16°C
This flight was a complete novelty: The routing went through controlled airspace and was conducted under radar contact all the time. Wow, technology can make amazing things happen. Since we didn´t have much to do, we could concentrate on the more important things in life: Enjoy yummy inflight catering (sandwiches from Auntie Crae), write reports, ponder life´s philosophies and enjoy the beautiful eastern Canadian scenery.
Halifax has about 300,000 inhabitants, about the same number as Reykjavik and Karlsruhe. The largest employer is the military and many big Canadian corporations have their headquarters in Halifax. The city is bustling, and not only living there is expensive: Fuel $8.30 per gallon, parking fee $60 per night. There is definitely more tourism around Halifax than around St. John´s (at least what we have seen): Try the "Bluenose Coast Scenic Travelway": There are quite a few little restaurants, hotels and shops along the road, which makes us think of this route like a perfect thing to do with a motorcycle. We visited the lighthouse at Peggy´s Cove and the Memorial for the Swissair Flight 111, that crashed off the coast on Sept. 2, 1998.
Favorite places to eat: Ryan Duffy´s Steakhous (perfectly dry aged steaks!!) and Blowers St.Paperchase Newsstand & Café (a funky little café on the second floor that serves a good breakfast all day).
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
Canadian Neighbor on the Ramp - Not so Affordable Real Estate - Swissair Flight 111 Memorial - Coffee Shop - Peggy´s Cove
CYHZ - KBGR: Flight time 1:30h - Distance 230 nm.
Local Weather at Landing: Wind 330 @ 13 / Visibility 10 sm / Clouds at 3,800 ft scattered / Temperature 26°C - Dewpoint 17°C
We are more than ready to go home. The last hurdles were as usual administrative in nature: Filing the Canadian flight plan electronically was impossible. The system did not accept destinations outside Canada. So I had to find a phone number and do it with a personal call as in ancient times. The next step was filing the arrival notice for U.S. Customs, followed by the still required phone call. Who knows why this is so complicated. In all of our travels in those past weeks, only North America required more than a filed flight plan for border crossing. Departing in Halifax was really fun: Our Cessna in between all those big airliners! The flight itself was again unspectacular: Cruising along at 10,000 ft.
Customs was painless, and after picking up some food, coffee and fuel we added another leg:
KBGR - KORF: Flight time 4:02 h - Distance 630 nm.
Local Weather at Landing: Wind 170 @ 13 / Visibility 15 sm / Clear skies / Temperature 22°C - Dewpoint 16°C
KORF - KVRB: Flight time 4:00 h - Distance 650 nm.
Local Weather at Landing: Wind 080 @ 8 / Visibility 10 km / Clouds few at 2,000 feet / Temperature 31°C (hot, hot)- Dewpoint 24°C
Whenever you think you have got it, aviation will get you. When we came in for our landing in Vero, Gerd - being spoiled by the rather benign conditions up north - did not pay attention. When we came in over the runway just after noon the thermals hit and Gerd messed up the landing. He immediately knew he´s back in Florida. Due to the lousy hotel breakfast, the catering on the flight was rather poor, so we were pretty hungry. A little private celebration at C.J. Cannons seemed just the right thing to do. We taxied to the restaurant ramp and got off the plane. It was Friday afternoon at 2:00 PM, a normal working day, so we did not expect a big welcome party. However, Todd, Joel and Frank from our EAA Chapter 99 greeted us. We enjoyed to see our friends again and after some talk we went into C.J. Cannons. The lovely lady at the counter asked where we flew in from and we answered "Frankfurt". "Yeah, yeah", another crazy pilot telling lies. So we ordered the meat loaf we were looking forward to and then the room filled with people. All our die hard friends from the EAA Chapter came in to say hello! It was so nice to see everybody again! Somebody even took care of our lunch bill: Whoever it was, thanks! To have such friends makes us feel right at home again.
After lunch we fired up our Cessna again and asked for taxi to our hangar. A friendly female voice answered: "Taxi to the south T-hangars via Charlie and Alpha" and after a pause she asked: "Are you familiar?" We burst into laughter. Seems that we have been away for a long time!
ADDENDUM
Thank you to all of you who followed us on our pilgrimage and enjoyed reading our blog. Thanks to all our family members who helped with keeping their fingers crossed and relating important news, especially Oma Erika and Muhm. Many thanks also to Captain Keith for his tireless mentoring of our pilot.
We couldn´t have done it without your support :-)
Gerd & Sylvia
