Day 16 The white cliffs of Dover (cloud not chalk)

I could tell as soon as I woke up that the news was bad. I could hear the rain falling and the sounds of the cars driving by told the same story. I parted the curtain and saw that the cloud was down to about 100 feet and visibility was less than 500meters. I turned over and went back to sleep. This was a good move. The “hotel” last night was strange to say the least. It was a private house that had been converted into the hotel annex. Somehow they had turned a small 2 bedroom house into a 6 bedroom hotel. This meant a few compromises. No such thing as en suite. Facilities consisted in 1 toilet and one shower. The shower had the smallest basin I have ever seen , but was supplied only with cold water. The main washing facilities existed on the main landing offering no privacy whatsoever. The main(only) washing facilities.

My lying in meant that everyone else in the house got up to go to work and by the time I got up they had left and I had the place to myself.

Breakfast was minimal, I was presented with a plastic bag full of bread and some slices of ham and cheese. Still it was breakfast and I did get a lift back to the airfield. Looking back the included evening meal was a bit strange. It consisted of soup followed by 2 pork sate skewers a barbequed chicken leg, one slice of ham and a fried eg, all served up with noodles prawn crackers and salad. Weird.

Back at the airfield I watched the weather develop by talking to the guy in the tower. It was clear that both sides of the channel it was going to get better, but heavy rain was also headed to Holland from Belgium. Another UK pilot decided it was OK when they gave a 4k viz. and cloud of 1000. But then he did have a Cirrus including stormscope, autopilot and everything so he probably wasn’t too worried. His main concern was that the tower controller might report him for flying illegally. I stayed on the ground.
By mid day it was looking as though it was going to be OK so I filed my flight plan, sent a GA report form so I could land directly back Willingale, and waited the obligatory hour. Meanwhile a Lynx helicopter from the Netherlands flew in to refuel. It was interesting talking to them. They all looked very professional in their flight suits which I suddenly realised were immersion suits. I thought I could do with something like that only to realise that the chances of me being able to fit into one of those was nil unless I lost about 3 stone in weight.

Parked up at Midden Zeland with the Lynx in the background.

Eventually I was off. The flight started well. I overflew Ostend and Koksiide with their permission and headed for Calais. Someone had hidden it. All I could see was this apparent new coastline appearing in front of me, with just even greyness beyond. I realised that this was not good news and so turned out over the sea to avoid what was now turning into a very heavy rain shower. Once out at sea I thought I might as well carry on so I did. The cloud kept me down to 2000ft, but I was OK with that. In mid channel I called London and received no response. I tried again a while later, then gave up. As I neared the UK coast I realised that all was not perfect. At 2 miles, I still could not see the coast and I was gradually being forced lower and lower. At 700 feet I decided that the cliffs might present a problem, and if not them the 1200foot radio masts. By now it was raining heavily. I could still see the sea below me but forward visibility was not good. I turned right to head up to Manston. In my defence I had checked the Sangetty Light Vessel, the varne light vessel, Lydd, Manston and Calais. All had shown cloud above 1500ft and 10K visibility. I called Manston explained my problem and asked for their weather. It was OK there so I headed up the coast, round the top of Margate and along the Thames. The weather improved. In no time at all I approached Willingale. Stansted were giving 190 at 17 knots so I as a little concerned, however I made the approach quite high and it was one of the best landings of the trip. So with stops in 16 countries and an overflight of one further country, 4300 miles covered, 40 hours of flying and 525 litres of fuel consumed, the adventure for 2009 has come to an end. Thoughts now turn to what I should do next year!

Day 14, Just 2 hours from home

A look at the weather forecast this morning showed that it might be possible to get back to the UK before all the fronts arrive. With that in mind I left Halmstad as early as possible, but not really early enough. I submitted my flight plan as soon as I woke up to try and avoid delays at the airfield. It was not to be. By the time refuelling had been carried out time was running away. I finally got airborne about 9:00am and headed for Denmark. There was a lot of low cloud about, but I managed to avoid it and once I had crossed into Denmark things started to improve. By the time I got to my destination Aero, the sun was shining. Aero is a delightful little airfield run by a husband and wife on a small island 20km x 1km. It is quiet and peaceful. The runway edges are the home for hundreds of orchids and the owner proudly told me how ay species of grass they have (over 20)., They were very disappointed that I was going to stay only a matter of hours ad suggested I really ought to stop there. Camping was allowed (the first time that has been possible since the trip started) but I really wanted to make better progress, so I left. As I approached Germany, the tail wind grew and was for the most part around 25mph. It all helps. The visibility was not very good and the air was quite lumpy. I climbed and eventually at 7500 ft found smooth still air. All too soon it was time to descend into Leer Papenburg. I arrived on the downwind leg at exactly the right height, turned base then final thinking this is ok. Then as I got nearer the ground I realised the impact that a 20 knot wind from 45 degrees over trees that are nearly 200 ft high has. I was all over the place. It makes a 13 knot easterly at Willingale feel like a breeze. Twice I got close to the runway, but then had to give it up. The solution was to touch down slightly fast just n the very start of the numbers. With that done I was on the ground. I would recommend this place. They have Mogas as well as Avgas and an excellent restaurant.
With both me and the plane refreshed, it was time for the next leg to Midden Zealand. From there I felt it might be possible to strike for home. As I got closer the visibility declined until I felt I was flying at 120 knots (with a tailwind giving me 140over the ground) in about 5 k viz. legal but not at all nice. Without GPS who knows whether I would ever have found the airfield. I landed ad parked up. I had been here before, but it was unrecognizable. Then it was sunny and you could see for 20 miles or more. Today it was hot clammy overcast and murky. The sound of thunder and a view of the storms on the controllers screen suggested that I gave up chances of getting to the UK tonight. Lets hope tomorrow gives a chance.

So for the stats; today a total of 562 miles making 4103 in total.

Day 13 To the edge of Denmark

The Hotel

It was rather nice staying in a 5 star hotel. It meant I had to have the full breakfast and of course take advantage of the Sauna. All in all this meant I didn’t make the earliest of starts. Also I noticed that I am using a small but regular amount of oil. No problem in itself, but I wanted to top it up. This meant I had to get some Shell VSX-4, f rom a shell Garage. Not the easiest job in Stockholm. The first two I tried were no more. One was redeveloped into a dockside restaurant area and the second had disappeared under a new development. I was amazed at how much Stockholm had changed in the 3 years since I was there. The third attempt took me to just alongside the old Electrolux offices. I gave them a friendly wave as I passed. Then I called up an old work colleague just to say “Hi Jesper, fancy a coffee.” That would have shocked him but disappointingly he was not around, so I just left it as a message. With the oil in hand I took the underground to Akalla to save the huge taxi fare and then tried to get a taxi to the airfield. This too took longer than I expected but in the end I was there. No one questioned my presence, so I loaded up, checked the aircraft and departed.

Bromma was busy so I couldn't get a transit over the city, this is as close as I got.

The flight then took me to Norrkoping.

The runway here is best described as Dry, Dry, Very Wet!

A very helpful shell man helped me to refuel at a not outlandish price. Once I had checked the met I continued South West. The showers were quite dramatic and frequent, but I dodged round them and with very helpful ATC giving me transits of all the zones I arrived at Halmstad. I am in sight of Denmark, and also the big thunderstorm over it (wasn’t there something about that in Hamlet?)
So, today’s totals are 303 miles covered making 3541 in total.

Day 12 Finland and Sweden. The turn to the South

True to his word I was collected by the airport manager from the hotel at 8:30. On arrival at the airport we had to stand outside for a while as the Tallin scheduled flight was still loading. They are rebuilding the terminal with the last of the EU grants so they had no space for people to go except in the door through the x ray machines and so on. Eventually we were through and I was taken upstairs to the control tower for a run through of all their equipment including the precision approach radar.. I was offered detailed met (about 12 pages) Notams and eventually managed to get the flight plan submitted. Off I went. This time a really long sea crossing of 78 miles although some of it was no more than 3 miles off shore. I was passed over to Tallin who immediately asked me to be aware that I was going to be near some danger areas. Near wasn’t quite the word as what she meant was through. These were actually in Finland not Estonia and why they hadn’t appeared in the notams remains a mystery. Anyway I adjusted and hit the Finish coast and continued to Helsinki Malmo. The approach is right alongside the city, very reminiscent of Templehof but closer. Max height 1000ft. As I approached final for 36 it looked as though I was on a long final at the main airport Vanta as they are so close. The approach was bumpy as anything and the wind gusting up to 20 knots. Still I was down and then had to negotiate the hurdle of getting to pay for fuel and landing fees. Signs were non existent but eventually I found the office on the second floor of the old terminal building. With those duly paid and yet another cluster of paper provided, this showing heavy rain and possibly hail showers in Stockholm. On that basis I decided to file a plan for Marieham first so I could make the decision then as to whether I would continue. The flight to Marieham is one of the prettiest in Scandinavia. It would have been even better if spring had arrived, but it hasn’t. The trees are in bud, not yet in leaf. The arrival in Mariaham was marked by a horrible crosswind of about 17 knots. I was glad to be on the ground. The temperature was bitterly cold and I regretted just wearing a T shirt. Refuelled and refreshed (if you can call a 3 hr old coffee refreshing). The flight plan was filed for Stockholm. First choice was Ska Edeby, with Barkaby second and Bromma third. The view ahead did not look encouraging.

Eventually as I approached the narrow gap between Arlanda and Bromma, my way was blocked by a very heavy shower. I turned left at Masten and made the call for Barkaby. The landing was not the easiest as it has to be a very tight turn onto final and the 15knot crosswind didn’t help.
No sooner was I on the ground trying to phone to close my flight plan when the heavens opened. It would have been quite amusing if someone had a photo of me hiding under the wing trying to keep the book dry as I called Bromma. Job done I headed for the clubhouse. The welcome was a little flat and in the end I used the computer to find me a hotel room and someone did help me call a taxi. A night in a posh Stockholm hotel. Tough.

Total today another 400 miles making 3237 in total

Day 11 Latvia and Estonia

It didn’t look as though much was going to be possible today as there was thick fog when I woke up at 6. A quick check on the weather showed it was unlikely to clear before midday, so back to bed for a lie in. Sure enough it gradually lifted and suddenly the sun broke through. Back at Klaipeda aerodrome all was deserted. I filed a flight plan for Palanger (all of 10 miles away and I was already inside their control zone) and off I went. The big problem with flight plans is the delay they introduce. You have to submit them an hour before the flight and you rarely get the chance to submit them ‘til everything else is done. So even though I tried to get through as quickly as possible it was still two hours before I was on my way to Riga, fully refuelled but with a credit card nearly £100 lighter for the landing charge, the handling charge, the fuel delivery charges, the air traffic control charge, the air transport tax (yes that did apply to private flights there). As I crossed into Latvia aiming for Riga I was asked to descend to 1000 feet and then call Riga approach. I did and no response. I couldn’t hear them at all until I climbed a bit just for an experiment. Still they couldn’t here me so I called Riga Information. They told me I had to talk to Riga Approach and I explained the difficulty. They offered no solution other than to keep trying. At this point I felt uncomfortable going into a major international airport with lots of aircraft already talking to them (BA, Easyjet, Lufthansa, SAS are those I remember, so I asked for a diversion to my alternate. This was quickly granted and I found my way to Ventspills. I got a great welcome there, but they apologised that they had no fuel. All scheduled services were stopped last year, and it appears that they keep on 2 people simply to maintain the paperwork so the airport can be operational during the summer. I so had my plan filed, a landing fee of 19 euro seemed quite reasonable. Was then off, with my first long sea crossing of about 60 miles. Once I reached the other side, the scenery had dramatically changed. These Estonian islands are more like northern Sweden than anywhere else. The trees are still in bud and spring is only just beginning to arrive. The sun was shining and it looked quite idyllic. I continued to Kadla and was almost immediately cleared to land. On landing I was met by the Airport manager (also the refueller and Air Traffic control). He helped me park up, refuel and secure the aircraft and then offered me a lift to the hotel. The hotel is quite pretty, all made of wood and charges the princely sum of €40 euros dinner and breakfast included. Sounds like a bargain to me. The airport manager is coming to collect me tomorrow morning and he assured me that this would not incur a fee.
Kardla itself is a small town set on the northern edge of the island. Apparently it comes alive in the summer when the population rises from 10,000 to 70,000 and hence the airport.
As I arrived I could see the line of thunderstorms marking the Finland coast. clearly not something to mess with today. I just hope tomorrow brings a calmer outlook.

So progress today 260 miles making 2841 overall. Fuel consumption is working out at around 15 litres per hour, so better than I thought.

Day 10 Lithuania

Click on the photo to get it full size, then answer the question would you take on fuel here?

It was my own stupid fault. I got to the airfield with flight plans filed for the short hop to Lapaija for refuelling before on to Kurresare and Helsinki. I uncovered the plane and went to lower the flaps only to see that the ignition switch was not off. Yes, a flat battery. It was all to easy to see what happened on Saturday. A storm was forecast and as I was securing the plane I thought I ought to raise the flaps. I did so and obviously in reaching across to turn off the ignition I failed. Removing the battery is not trivial as it means both upper and lower cowls off. The airfield was deserted so I thought priorities. 1 cancel the flight plan with the last 30 seconds or so of my phone. 2 . get a taxi, somehow and buy a charger to charge the battery up. At that moment I saw someone open up the parachute school clubhouse so I wondered over. He spoke not a word of English or German so with sign language I managed to get the problem across to him. He went and found an avionics engineer who had just arrived and the nice man put my battery on charge. He warned me that it would be 3-4 hours before the battery was ready enough to use, so I waited. My attempts to change the flight plan were not good. Neither Vilnius nor Palanga would answer the phone. Eventually it turned out that the number I had was 2 years out of date (Thanks Jeppesen)but even with the correct number There was no one answering. By this time the parachute instructor had arrived. He spoke a little English and helped. Eventually I logged into the AFPEX system to delay or cancel the plan. Both options require you to use the same addresses as when the plan was created. These are added automatically for departure,destination and alternates, and as I had no record of these I had to phone the UK help desk. The guy there amended the plan directly giving a 3 hour delay, and later cancelled it when I gave up for the day.

The weather began to deteriorate and was forecast to be raining by 4pm local. So in the end I cancelled the plan and waited for the battery to be fully charged. Meanwhile it was interesting watching the training being given, and then the flight of the AN2.

A squadron of AN2s all airworthy. You can tell where they park on the Apron as there is such a big oil slick underneath them that the tarmac has dissolved and they have started to sink in.

and a trio of AN-2's not quite ready for flight. There are two more examples under maintenance in the hangers.

They are huge biplanes and are the largest aircraft my licence allows me to fly. They carry 2 crew and 12 passengers. Even with this load on board it was off the ground in a little over 80 meters. Talking to the pilot he sad that empty he could be off the ground in 40 meters and land again at about 40km/hour in almost the same distance. It was truly impressive. He described as the nearest thing to a helicopter there is in the fixed wing world.

At 4 o'clock I refitted the battery just as the rain started to fall. After that one of the parachutists very kindly offered to drive me back to the hotel. There are a lot of nice people around. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Day 9 The storms arrive

I woke up this morning to find the predicted fronts from yesterday had arrived. The wind was howling, the rain falling and the cloud at around 700ft. A quick check on the Tafs for the Baltic showed there was unlikely to be any improvement until 5:00pm at the best, so I am counting today as a washout and will use it instead to see what delights Kleipeda has to offer.