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Journey Around the World |
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By Gergely Kosa / EHM0001 |
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I was handed over to Bucharest Approach who authorized me to climb to my final flight level, FL120. After Strejnic VOR, I intercepted radial 307 outbound and continued to BUKEL. When I reached FL120, I turned on the autopilot. I passed BUKEL and now I was in the airspace of Bucharest Control, flying north on airway L619. There were clouds over the Baragan plain, but later when I reached the South Carpathian Mountains, the weather became much more clear and I could see the majestic mountains below me. |
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After a half of hour, I was instructed to descend and I tuned to 125.9 (Mures Approach). The weather was clear, with no clouds, winds calm and unlimited visibility. Soon I had visual contact with Vidrasau Airport, Targu Mures. I had made about one hundred landings at this airport, with planes ranging from the AN-24 to the BAC 1-11 so I know it well and had no problems intercepting the ILS and landing on runway seven. I reported runway vacated, taxied to the apron and parked the aircraft between a Yak-18T and a Zlin 526. "Harmony One, shutdown approved, flight plan closed at 45". As I stopped the engines, I could see the sun disappearing behind the distant hills. |
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26th February Targu Mures, Romania (LRTM) - Svidnik, Slovakia (LZSK) After spending half of the day with re-visiting my old hometown, I took a taxi to Vidrasau airport and prepared for my second flight. The destination was Svidnik, a small town in Northeastern Slovakia, situated among picturesque hills of the Nizke Beskydy mountains. Although yesterday the weather was clear, today the visibility was poor, and I was quite worried as the destination airport had no navigational aids, not even runway lights. The plane has been checked by some customs officers and refueled, meanwhile I made the flight plan. Thirty minutes later I started the engines and taxied to runway 25. After being cleared to takeoff, I made a rolling departure and when I was in the air, I turned northwest to my next waypoint. As I passed 2500 feet, I wasn't able to see the ground due to the fog. I reset the altimeter, turned on the autopilot and continued the climb to flight level 140. Soon I was in the airspace of Slovakia and the center controller was quite worried how would I land at the airfield as the visibility was below four kilometers, so a visual approach was quite hard to perform. However I decided to try to land first at Svidnik, and if I don't succeed, I'll divert to Poprad, the alternate airport. After checking the enroute charts, I planned to try to reach the airport by intercepting radial 020 of Kosice VOR. I got the approval and I was also instructed to descend to 8000, then 3000 feet. I began to worry as I still didn't see nothing, and I descended to 2000 feet, above minimum safe altitude, to see the ground. Finally I spotted something that looked like a runway, and I reported runway in sight. Luckily it WAS the runway and I landed without any problems, exactly one hour after takeoff. I parked the plane on the small apron. The airport was quite deserted and there was no bus nor taxi, but an officer who was also preparing to leave offered to take me to the town by car. Svidnik is much smaller than I imagined, with about ten thousand inhabitants. I took a room at Hotel Dukla - now it's evening, I'm listening to Mike Oldfield and reading some guide about the city. Tomorrow I'll visit some attractions in the surrounding areas, then I'll continue my journey tomorrow afternoon or on Friday morning. |
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27th February Svidnik, Slovakia (LZSK) - Gdansk, Poland (EPGD) At five o'clock in the afternoon I was at the airport, making my flight plan to Gdansk. There weren't any interesting places to visit at Svidnik (except for a military museum), at least at this part of the year, so it was a good idea to continue the trip. |
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I departed at dusk from runway 19 and turned north to UVSOV intersection. After five minutes I was in the airspace of Warsaw Radar, the airport being quite close to the country border. The next waypoint was Jedrzejov VOR. The plane climbed to flight level 160 and followed airway L618; meanwhile I enjoyed the beautiful sunset over Silesia and completely forgot for a half an hour that I was the pilot of the plane, and not a passenger. By the time I reached Warsaw (where traffic was quite high), it was total darkness. I was instructed to begin descent after |
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passing Grudziadz VOR. Runway in use at Gdansk
was 29, and visibility was again quite poor, below 2000 m or so. I hope the
weather will be clear in Scandinavia and Canada as I plan to visit several
small airfields, where landing is possible only in visual meteorological
conditions. I was number two on the final behind a LOT ATR-72 that came from Warsaw. The landing was no problem, but I couldn't read the ground chart in the darkness (I'll have to buy a flashlight). The taxiway signs were readable, but I couldn't see the markings on the apron. I stopped the plane at a place that seemed to be a parking for general aviation aircraft, hope I won't get a parking fine. |
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28th February Gdansk, Poland (EPGD) - Boras, Sweden (ESGE) Gdansk is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen and I definitely recommend for everyone to visit it! I wish I could stay more at this magnificent place, and I'm sure I'll return to spend a couple of days or weeks here after I finish the tour. The sun was shining and I could hear the roar of the Baltic Sea as I was traveling to Rebiechowo airport. I planned to depart two hours or more before sunset as only visual landing was possible at the destination. Once in the cockpit, I asked for startup then route clearance. Runway 29 was in use and after takeoff I proceeded to Darlowo VOR and climbed to 5000. Once I got clearance for higher altitude, I continued to flight level 160 and let the autopilot to follow the flight plan - first on airway L621, then on L996 and M736. The sky was overcast when I entered the airspace of Sweden. I descended to 5000 then to 3000 and still didn't see anything so I was planning to divert to Landvetter airport. However when I was about 20 nm inbound, the visibility suddenly improved so a visual landing was possible at Boras. I enjoyed the tricky landing, this was the first time I landed on a runway that was in the middle of a dense pine forest. |
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1st March Boras, Sweden (ESGE) - Kristiansund, Norway (ENKB) I got lost about three times in the pine forest as the footpaths weren't marked so I couldn't know which of them leads to the airport. I found it in the end, and managed to take off with about one hour delay. I still don't know who had the idea of putting an airport in the middle of a forest. But Swedish must be very good pilots as I couldn't spot any aircraft wreckages on the treetops. I received route clearance and after a short taxi I departed from runway 4 then turned left to intercept L997 airway. My cruise altitude was flight level 160, and the total airspeed 250. Soon I was above Norway and as there were no clouds, I could see the beautiful scenery below me. Although it's possible to reach America from Kristiansund via Iceland then Greenland, I plan to do some more flights in Scandinavia as I greatly enjoy the scenery here - like a flight above the fjords tomorrow. I was instructed to descend when I was about 30 nm inbound the airport. Runway 07 was in use and there was ILS but I preferred a visual landing. I taxied to the main terminal and parked my aircraft between a 737 and a Fokker 50. Kristiansund is a very nice town, too bad it's still winter, I'm sure it looks much better in the summer or in autumn (although weather is clear now and temperature higher than in Bucharest). |
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2nd March Kristiansund, Norway (ENKB) - Harstad, Norway (ENEV) This was only the sixth leg, but I think it was one of the most beautiful flights of the entire journey. I flew along the western coast of Norway at a quite low altitude (flight level 110) and admired the fjords for about two hours. |
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I went to Kvernberget airport at noon as I planned to depart early in the afternoon. This way, the sun will shine from the west during my flight so I will have a good view of the coast. After checking the plane and refueling her, I climbed into the cabin and got the maps ready. Weather was clear with no clouds and more than 10 km visibility, and a light breeze. It took a bit of time to get route clearance, I didn't fly on airways, just from VOR to VOR, to be able to follow the coast. |
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But finally the clearance was given and four
minutes later, I was in the air. As I departed from runway 25, I had to make
a 180-degree turn to my next waypoint so I got a nice view of the city. What should I say about the scenery? I don't even try to describe it, you have to see it with your own eyes. I was again rather a passenger and not a pilot; admiring the fjords and letting the autopilot to fly the plane until I was instructed to descend by Evenes Approach. I took a bus from the airport to Harstad (it was a long ride of about 40 minutes). This was my last opportunity to be in a larger city; my next flights will take me in small villages at the coast of the Arctic Ocean and in Northern Canada. After exploring the city, I went to the Viking Nordic Hotel and listened to Mike Oldfield albums until midnight. |
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3rd March Harstad, Norway (ENEV) - Hasvik, Norway (ENHK) Before I continued my journey to the arctic regions, I spent half of the day in the city, buying some warm clothes, chocolate and batteries for the CD player. I went to Evenes airport late in the afternoon (about one and a half hour before sunset), made the flight plan to Hasvik and soon I was in the air, climbing to the final flight level, heading east. As it was a short flight, I chose a flight level of 110 and hoped to see more of the beautiful scenery of Northern Scandinavia. But unfortunately, the sky was cloudy and ceiling was quite low (3500 ft), so I saw the coast and the islands only occasionally, between the broken clouds. I was within the airspace of Bodo Center, who soon instructed me to descend and expect runway 11 at Hasvik. There was some snow on the runway (I don't think many planes come here) but I had no problems with landing. I've been to Hasvik several times and it was nice to see it again. It is a small fishing village at the northern latitude of 70 degrees, on the island of Soroya, with about one thousand inhabitants. |
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4th March Hasvik, Norway (ENHK) - Longyear, Norway (ENSB) Soroya is the fourth largest island of Norway, situated in the waters of the Arctic Ocean. I spent the day with exploring the wonderful fjords on the northern side of the island (although the people told me a legend about some terrific sea monster) and I was quite tired when arrived to the airport at late afternoon. It was already dark when I departed from Hasvik. The sky was overcast and I flew above the clouds at flight level 180, within the airspace of Bodo Oceanic FIR. My destination was ENSB, Longyear airport on Svalbard. At 78 degrees northern latitude, it is the world's most northern full service airport. It has daily scheduled jet service from Tromso and Oslo, the 2 km runway has ILS, localizer and HIRL and it's capable to handle large aircraft as the A300 or MD-11. The flight took about two hours, then I was instructed to descend. I used the flashlight I bought in Gdansk to take a look at the approach charts; runway in use was 28, so I flew over the island - too bad it was dark so I couldn't see the unspoiled arctic nature. There was fog and light snow when I landed. Touchdown was ok, I taxied to the apron and parked the Beech. I hope it won't be stolen by some polar bears. 5th March Longyear, Norway (ENSB) - Alert, Canada (CYLT) |
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Imagine a place where the sun never comes
up... well, if I had arrived here a month earlier, I would have experienced
24-hour darkness. But now we are close to equinox and there was a pale gray
light as I walked to the airport in the foggy weather. Luckily the polar
bears left the plane (and me) alone I could continue my trip to Canada. Next stop was Alert, beyond 82 degrees of northern latitude. It is the most northern permanently inhabited settlement in the world. I checked the plane and systems thoroughly and refueled it, then departed from runway 10. |
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This was my longest flight on this tour so far, about 750 nm (but the plane's range is above 1200 nm and if I fly at a very high altitude I think I can make 1500 without refueling). I was cruising at flight level 240 and as I had a tailwind of over 40 knots, I reached a ground speed of 290 kts. The NDB at the airport helped me to land in the darkness and poor visibility. There was only a gravel runway and some small hangar-like building. As I stepped out from the plane, three soldiers came up to me and asked what was I doing at the airport as there was some military facility (besides being a scientific research station). I told them I was on a promotional flight for EHM (as I didn't think they would believe me if I told I was doing just some trip), showed them papers with the flight details and clearances, gave them some EuroHarmony publications and in the end everything was ok. ;) Temperature was below minus 40 degrees and I was happy when I finally entered the main camp. |
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6th March Alert, Canada (CYLT) - Resolute Bay, Canada (CYRB) I considered quite exciting to be at the end of the world, in some arctic camp, far away from civilization. The main camp at Alert is stationed with around 200 to 300 military and civilian personnel year round; and there's also an observatory on a plateau. The land around the camp is covered with snow for almost ten months of the year and has a sparse polar desert vegetation in the summer. I spent there about a day, and I prepared for my next flight to Resolute Bay in the morning of the 6th - I say 'morning' as it was about 8 o'clock local time, but of course it was darkness; the sky became lighter for only about two hours, at noon. I thought I didn't have problems with decoding METAR, but when I was given the weather report from Resolute Bay I was at my wit's end. It contained codes like SC0AC2CI1 CC ASOCTD SLP196. The guy confirmed that it was a weather report and not some records from the Seismographic Department of the Observatory so I was quite puzzled. Fortunately I managed to contact a fellow EHM pilot who helped me decoding it. (thanks Scott!) The flight itself was uneventful, but I didn't have a such good tailwind as yesterday; the winds were blowing from the south. I cruised at flight level 240 and the flight took more than two hours. The runway at Resolute Bay was gravel but there was an NDB which helped me in the approach. Resolute is on Cornwallis Island in Nunavut with a population of about 250. It is the second most northern community in Canada (Grise Fiord being the most northern). It must be interesting to live in a such small arctic community at 74 degrees latitude. |
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7th March Resolute Bay, Canada (CYRB) - Norman Wells, Canada (CYVQ) In summer, visitors may see an endless sea of gray shale rocks, and between those rocks the small, colorful arctic flowers that burst to life for a short period each year. But winter travelers are greeted with countless miles of snow and ice, and across that white expanse you can go forever. 'Harmony One, radar contact, climb to flight level 240, continue as filed'. I departed from Resolute Bay at dawn and my destination was Norman Wells near the Mackenzie River. There were no airways or navigational aids so I just chose a direct route and flew with the GPS. |
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The flight lasted more than 3 hours, and it
would have lasted more if there hadn't been a 38 knots tailwind. Edmonton
Center was controlling me during the flight, and instructed me to descend
when I was about 50 miles from the airport. Sky was overcast and visibility was poor at the destination too. I'm used to landings in low visibility (fog is frequent at my home airports LROP and LRTM, especially in the winter) and I didn't have any problems with the approach and landing. I made a VOR DME approach and landed on runway 27. |
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8th March Norman Wells, Canada (CYVQ) - Haines, USA/Alaska (PAHN) The community is located at the north bank of the Mackenzie River and views the entire width of the Mackenzie Valley from the Franklin to Richardson Mountains. The mountainous, rocky environment gives the area a special kind of beauty, with its many lakes and trees. The river is the longest one in Canada covering a distance of around 1800 km. It begins at Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories and flows north into the Arctic Ocean. Unfortunately it was still fog and snowfall, so I couldn't see much of the surroundings. I continued my trip in the afternoon. Still no airways or navigational aids, I had to fly a GPS route. I was within the airspace of Edmonton Center; there wasn't much traffic, only a couple of planes approaching to Edmonton and others doing intercontinental flights. |
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As I continued flying west, the clouds
below me disappeared gradually and when I reached Alaska, the weather was
clear. I descended and admired the beautiful scenery - Haines is on the shores of America's longest fjord,
surrounded by spectacular peaks, glaciers, rivers and lakes. But there was one problem: the winds. There were variable and very strong winds, gusting up to 30 knots, and it was very hard to keep the aircraft on final. Landing wasn't perfect, but the plane remained in one piece. |
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After taxiing to the
hangars and shutting down the systems, I inspected the plane thoroughly,
especially the landing gears, but I didn't find any problems. I refueled the
plane for the next flight, then spent the night in Halsingland hotel. 10th March Haines, USA/Alaska (PAHN) - Bella Coola, Canada (CYBD) Haines is in a beautiful location and offers unlimited opportunities for outdoor recreation. The town itself has about 1000 inhabitants and the economy is based mostly on tourism. Weather was clear (but windy), I spent the whole day of 9th with exploring the wonderful sights around the town and along the fjord and continued my journey in the morning of the 10th. |
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The checklist and maps
fell under the back seat during yesterday's windy approach and although
the B60's cabin is very spacious and comfortable, it wasn't designed for
crawling under the seats. Finally I found the papers and reported ready to
copy route clearance. It was a wonderful flight along the western coast of Canada but the problems appeared on the initial approach to Bella Coola. The sky below me became overcast by then, with a ceiling of 3000 and a visibility of about 3 kilometers at the destination airport. And the problems were - the mountains. |
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There were very high mountains below me, hidden in the clouds. I was descending to flight level 150 and the radio altimeter showed altitudes of about 8000-13000 feet above ground level (I installed a large radio altimeter on the panel - when I used to fly the Antonov 24, I learned how important was to have one). So they had an altitude of 7000 feet, the ceiling (of course overcast) was at 3000 and the airport was at sea level. Tough challenge, isn't it? There wasn't any navaid or ATC at the airport ant the charts didn't show much, only some high MSAs. When I was enough close, I descended to 6000 feet (it was the MSA according to the chart). While I was trying to find out my exact position and bearing from the runway, I suddenly glanced to the radio altimeter and I was horrified to see the following indications: 200... 150... 100... My trip nearly ended there. I even saw the pine trees on the mountain in front of me, and I would have crashed in a few seconds, but my quick reactions and the plane's power saved me. I applied full power, disabled the autopilot and climbed to 9000 feet. There wasn't ATC at the airport (it's only a small municipal airfield) so I had to figure out how to land there. Of course I could easily divert to Vancouver (and I think any sane pilot would have done that) but I like the challenge. Using the GPS, I could see there was a long fjord from the ocean to Bella Coola so I turned towards it, and when I was nearly above the ocean, I descended to 2500 - the ceiling being 3000 - and entered the fjord running eastwards. I flew at a low speed in the narrow winding canyon with high mountains like walls at both sides, and close to the water to avoid the clouds. If you believe it was easy, you should try it for yourself. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it greatly. After flying for twenty minutes in the fjord, I finally spotted the airport near the water. |
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11th March Bella Coola, Canada (CYBD) - Castlegar, Canada (CYCG) I've been flying now for two weeks, visited 14 destinations and 7 countries, flew more than 5500 nm (10000 km) and my total block time exceeds 24 hours. I completed a flight almost every day so I didn't spend more than one day in any of the places visited; but one day was generally enough to explore the locality or the surroundings. The scenery around Bella Coola was wonderful and as the weather was good yesterday afternoon and this morning, I explored the surroundings and took many photos. I went to the airport at noon, the next destination was Castlegar. I had the plane refueled, made the flight plan then started the engines and performed a rolling takeoff from runway 22 (it was an airport with no ATC services and there wasn't other traffic so I could just take off, and later I contacted the center controller). I had to follow the fjord until I reached an altitude of 8000 feet, then turned to my next waypoint (UAB). I cruised at flight level 150 with 250 kts and admired the mountains - but soon the sky became overcast below me and the approach was quite similar to yesterday's one. Ceiling of 5000 this time and a river to follow among the mountains to get the airport. However, it was easier than the landing at Bella Coola - higher ceiling, less dangerous mountains and even some navaids. I touched down at 14:01 local time, one hour and 40 minutes after I departed from CYBD. |
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13th March Castlegar, Canada (CYCG) - Salt Lake City, USA/Utah (KSLC) Visiting remote settlements in the Arctic and small towns in the North was interesting and I can say I really enjoyed it - beautiful scenery, challenging landings, friendly people. However I felt quite isolated in the North, and now I wished to be in big cities, to fly in crowded airspaces, to be put on holding pattern and to land with ILS. So my next stop was Salt Lake City in the United States. At dawn, I was at the airport, had the plane refueled and prepared for the next flight. The sky was cloudy and the visibility was about 5 km. It was an uncontrolled airfield and there was no other traffic, so I taxied to the holding point and made a rolling departure. For about 15 minutes, I followed the river to south, at a very low altitude. Then I applied more power to the engines and began the climb to flight level 210. When passing FL120, I contacted the center controller (Salt Lake City Center) and proceeded according to the flightplan (on V253, V293 then V484 airways). The sky was cloudy but I could see the ground and the mountains below me. After about two hours of flying, I was instructed to descend and soon I've contacted Approach. At this time, I was overflying the lake, from north to south. Traffic was high, but the ATC did his job well and no delays were expected. I was given vectors for ILS approach to runway 16R and I was third for the approach, behind a Skywest and a Delta aircraft. Landing clearance was given when I was over the outer marker. Touchdown was followed by a long taxi to the general aviation buildings. I had to pay a high landing and handling fee, then took a bus to Salt Lake City's downtown. |
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14th March Salt Lake City, USA/Utah (KSLC) - Denver, USA/Colorado (KDEN) Salt Lake City is situated in a valley beneath the Wasatch Mountains. It is the most populous city in Utah, yet remains remarkably pleasant and livable. It has plenty of cultural offerings, numerous parks and some inspiring buildings, including the splendid structures of the Mormon Temple Square. I wasn't in a larger city since I left Gdansk and it was good to be finally in contact with the civilization (of course I had a phone, but no internet connection in the plane). I continued my trip in next day's the evening, the destination being Denver. It was a relatively short flight, but with very intense traffic. And of course, low ceiling and very bad visibility, as almost on all my flights on this journey. I hope the weather will be good in the Caribbean by the time I get there. Route clearance was given at 20:00 local time. Soon I was taxiing to runway 16L, being followed by an America West CRJ. I had to wait about two minutes at the holding point because of the wake turbulence from an aircraft that departed before me, then I was cleared to takeoff. I flew at flight level 190, with a total airspeed of 250 kts. It was darkness and skies were overcast so there wasn't much to see. After one hour I was instructed to descend to 12000 (that was a quite low altitude as the airport was 5500 ft ASL, with some mountains surrounding it) and to fly a holding pattern over some VOR. There was fog and I couldn't see anything because of the low visibility (except the traffic on the TCAS). Soon I was cleared for further descend, then I intercepted the ILS for the active runway. Landing lights couldn't be used; when I switched them on they reflected from the water particles of the fog, creating a curtain of light around the plane. I continued the approach and got landing clearance when the plane was 3 miles from the runway; but runway lights could be seen only from a distance of about one mile. Landing was perfect, but I had problems finding the general aviation parking and the ground controller wasn't happy. |
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15th March Denver, USA/Colorado (KDEN) - Houston, USA/Texas (KAXH) Denver is one of America's youngest cities - and one of the most exciting. Today it has a population of 2.4 million and is the largest city in a 600-mile radius - the entertainment, shopping, cultural, sports and recreation capital of the vast Rocky Mountain West. I went to the airport in the afternoon to continue my journey. I made the flight plan and once I was on board of my plane, asked for route clearance. Departure was smooth; although traffic was high (the airport is the sixth busiest in the US) I experienced no delay. Another long flight, which lasted more than 3 hours. High traffic, crowded skies, continuous talk on the radio - I felt like I was flying some scheduled EuroHarmony flight with a large passenger plane. When I was about 60 miles inbound Houston, I was instructed to descend and was given all kinds of vectors to not overfly the city and to avoid airspaces of other large airports. I planned to land at one of the smaller airports of the city (Houston Southwest - KAXH), used mainly for general aviation. The controller gave me vectors for runway 9. Weather was of course bad, with an overcast ceiling of 700 feet and three miles visibility, but there was also a localizer so approach and landing was not a problem. |
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16th March Houston, USA/Texas (KAXH) - Cozumel, Mexico (MMCZ) I set off for the Caribbean after spending only three days in the US. I wish I could spend more time in this country, but I must hurry; some airports I plan to visit will be closed soon and then I will need to change my whole itinerary. The next stop was Cozumel, a small island just off the coast of Mexico, south east of Cancun. I phoned the EHM management (last evening I didn't call them as it was night in Europe at that time; they were surprised to hear I'm flying to Mexico as they believed I still was in Salt Lake City), then went to the airport and prepared for the next flight. Some student pilots in Cessnas were flying training patterns at the airfield. Winds were calm and weather clear and sunny. |
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I departed from runway 9, then contacted
approach, turned south and followed my flight plan. After 20 minutes, I was
at flight level 230, cruising above the sea with 250 kts. Weather was clear
for the first half of the flight, but later it became cloudy and I had a
ceiling of few clouds when I approached Cozumel and prepared for landing. I requested a visual approach and touched down smoothly on the runway. I parked and locked the plane and spent the remainder of the day on the beach. |
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17th March Cozumel, Mexico (MMCZ) - Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (MWCR) Cozumel is Mexico's largest island, nestled just 12 miles off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. It is world renown for it's dazzling white sandy beaches and the remarkable clarity of the multi-hued azure Caribbean ocean in which it rests. Do you ask if I regretted leaving this wonderful island? Well, I could spend several days, even weeks here. But hey, I'm not leaving the Caribbean - my destinations for this week are other islands, like the Caymans or St Lucia (I feel sorry for the rest of the Management who are now in cold and foggy Europe). And after that, challenging landings in the high mountains of South America. I departed in the afternoon from the airport; after takeoff I turned east and intercepted airway R640 that should take me to the Caymans. There were ideal conditions for flying - clear weather, unlimited visibility, a tailwind of 10 kts and the sun behind me. I cruised at flight level 170 with 265 knots. I arrived at sunset to Grand Cayman. There was VOR and NDB, the runway was long and well lighted (large jets often come here) so there was no problem with landing. Temperature was still 27 C, so I went exploring the beaches on the island. 19th March Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (MWCR) - Anegada, British Virgin Isl. (TUPG) I like the freedom of traveling with a small private aircraft that is capable to land anywhere. To visit places most people only dream of. Two weeks ago I was at an arctic camp, a week ago in an American metropolis, and now at the Caribbean islands. People may think it's hard and costly to organize and to fly a tour like this - in fact, the EuroHarmony management in Europe takes care of flight planning, customs, fuel and other issues so it's not that difficult for me. And you're right, it costs quite a lot (maybe it would be cheaper if I'd just travel with charter companies) but it's a great publicity for EuroHarmony. |
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Today's flight was a quite long one (about 1000 nautical miles flight
distance). I was tired of the legions of tourists, so I chose Anegada in the
British Virgin Islands - a beautiful island, but a quite remote place with
sparse population and few tourists. The flight lasted more than four hours; mostly because I had a headwind of 12-20 kts. Weather was cloudy, so I couldn't see much of the islands below me. Traffic was high - large jets arriving to Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti; and smaller charter or general aviation planes flying between islands. |
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The controllers (I flew through 5 FIRs) kept asking the destination (TUPG) was correctly entered in the flight plan; as it's only a small airstrip, it wasn't included in navigation databases. I was within the airspace of San Juan Oceanic FIR when I was instructed to descend. Radial 070 outbound St Thomas VOR took me directly to the airport and I landed on the 700 meter long runway. |
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21st March Anegada, British Virgin Islands (TUPG) - Belmont, Grenada (TG01) Due to its remote geography, sparse population (a couple of hundred people now) and indigenous culture, Anegada is truly a world apart. It is a flat, coral island with miles of white sandy beaches, reaching its highest point at 28 feet, hence its name which means the 'drowned land'. It is guarded by the famous Horseshoe Reef which, at eighteen miles long, is one of the world's largest coral reefs. For two days, I enjoyed strolling the miles of glorious beaches, swimming in the warm waters, relaxing in the sun or watching the sun rising from the ocean. Anegada is one of the most northeastern islands in the Caribbean, and there was nothing between me and Europe other than blue-green water, white deserted beaches and magnificent coral reefs. I was far from civilization, and far from the tragic events currently taking place in the Middle East. At noon, I went directly to the airfield from the beach, made the flight plan, then get in the plane. I rolled to the runway and departed south (it was an uncontrolled airfield) and contacted Center after passing FL120. |
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After about two hours of flying, I landed on the coral runway near Belmont on Carriacou. Carriacou is the largest island of the Grenadines in Grenada territory. The coast of the island is largely coral or shoal formations and is wave-cut in the majority of places. Beaches range from white coral sands to spectacular black sands formed from volcanic rock. This was the last island I planned to visit in the Caribbean; Sunday I will continue my journey to South America. |
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23rd March Belmont, Grenada (TG01) - Miraflores, Colombia (SKMF) Luckily I could refuel my plane, so I was able to do a longer flight. Sunday at 15:00 (local time) I departed from the coral runway of Belmont, made a training pattern around the airfield, then turned southwest to Carupano VOR. It was a quite long flight so I chose flight level 260 as a final altitude and I cruised with the usual 250 kts TAS. The weather was clear when I departed, there were clouds over Venezuela. The flight was quite uneventful, with me following the flight plan and occasionally reported the waypoints passed to the center controller. The flight lasted about four hours. I made a NDB approach to Miraflores and touched down on the 1300 meter long runway at sunset. Miraflores is an isolated jungle town, very close to the Equator. And it's quite dangerous too, violence and fighting being frequent in this country. What's more, climate is sultry and oppressive, with high temperatures. I can hardly wait to continue my journey to Peru. |
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24th March Miraflores, Colombia (SKMF) - Anta, Peru (SPHZ) I must say it's interesting to live in a such isolated community in the jungle - however it would be much better if it was a more peaceful region. I felt relieved when I finally departed from the airfield, at dawn. Now I can tell that I was in the jungles of eastern Colombia and escaped in one piece. I turned southeast and continued to my next waypoint, a VOR station. There weren't many airways here, so I used VOR to VOR navigation. I contacted center and reported my current position; the controller cleared me to flight level 240 and to continue as filed. |
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After about one hour, I spotted the Andes Mountains in the distance. I chose
small villages in the Andes as destinations in South America, my destination
now was Anta, at an altitude of 2750 meters above sea level. Approach was scenic; I had to make all kinds of turns among the high mountains to descend into the valley where the airport was located. Luckily weather was clear and I touched down with no problem on runway 16 of Anta Huaraz airfield (full name: Commandante German Arias Grazziani Airport). |
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25th March Anta, Peru (SPHZ) - San Rafael, Peru (SPRF) Crisp mountain air, sunshine, light breeze, snow-capped mountains around the scenic valley - for me this environment was even more relaxing than the Caribbean. I explored the surroundings, had a deep sleep and at noon next day I was at the airfield. I checked and refueled the plane and asked for route clearance from the tower controller (yes there was even a tower here). I had some problems starting the engines due to the high altitude, I had to adjust the mixture until I was able to start them without problem. I departed from runway 34 - it's not possible to take off from runway 16 due to the mountains, luckily the wind represented no problem. A few steep turns until the plane reached an altitude that allowed me to leave the valley and to turn southeast. I set the frequency of the next NDB, contacted center and continued climbing to flight level 230. Another wonderful flight. It was unlimited visibility and only a few clouds, so I could admire the mountains of the Andes for about two hours (the flight took longer than expected as there was a headwind of 13 kts). Then I began descent and prepared for landing at San Rafael. San Rafael is a village at 4400 meters above sea level and it's one of the highest airfields in the world. The airfield was on a plateau and wasn't surrounded by high peaks, so approach wasn't so tricky as at Anta. Finally I had visual contact and I turned on final. It was unusual to read 16000 ft on the altimeter while I was only at a couple of hundreds feet above the ground; and this was probably the most demanding landing for the plane - there was a bumpy dirt strip and I had to land on it with a high speed due to the low pressure at the high altitude. However the aircraft remained in one piece. I've been traveling for one month now, visited 13 countries on 3 continents and flew a distance of more than 12500 nm (23150 km) in 52 hours flight time. |
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26th March San Rafael, Peru (SPRF) - Copacabana, Bolivia (SLCC) I enjoyed being a plateau of almost 5000 meters above sea level without having to climb mountains; however I suffered a bit from the high altitude. The air was clear and cold and I could see the snowy peaks in the distance. Of course there was no hotel or an inn in the small village, but some friendly folks invited me to spend the night at their house; so I didn't have to sleep in the plane. It must be quite unusual for them to get visitors at this remote place in the mountains. The next flight was a short but very scenic one. From San Rafael I flew to the Titicaca lake, the highest lake in the world. I departed in the morning and flew with GPS navigation at flight level 230 (which was only 5000 - 10000 feet above ground level), under the control on Lima Center. |
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The destination was Copacabana, a small
Bolivian town at the southern side of Lake Titicaca. As I was coming from
the north, I flew over the lake before landing at a low altitude. At the
middle of the lake I descended to 13000 feet (about 500 feet above the
water) so I couldn't see the shores and the mountains in the distance; only
the water like I was above some calm ocean. Another demanding landing on a bumpy dirt runway with high speed - then I taxied to something that resembled to an airport building and shut down the engines. |
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27th March Copacabana, Bolivia (SLCC) - Tinogasta, Argentina (SANI) Titicaca originally means Gray Puma. It is the highest lake in the world, also the birth place of the Incas - in the lake is the Island of the Sun and Island of the Moon where the first Incas were born. The lake is shared by Peru and Bolivia; Copacabana (the word means 'beautiful') is a town on the Bolivian side of the lake. Despite being small, the town attracts a quite large number of tourists as tours to the Island of the Sun and Moon often start here. At 14:00 local time I was at the airfield; I also managed to buy some fuel. Engine start (not quite easy at such high altitude), a short taxi to the runway, throttles to the maximum and a gentle pull on the yoke when the plane reached 60 KIAS. I continued flying south over the Andes Mountains. Tinogasta, a town in Argentina, east of the mountains was the next destination. I climbed to flight level 250 and set the autopilot to fly the plane, while I was watching the mountains. |
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After several hours, the controller instructed
me to descend to flight level 140. Rocks and red sand everywhere, strange
mountains, no vegetation and water - I felt like being on some alien desert
planet, or on the moon. The runway was small and narrow but at least it was paved. I taxied to the deserted airport buildings and shut down the engines. The place gave me the creeps; luckily I announced I was coming and a car was waiting for me (the town was quite far from the airport). |
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28th March Tinogasta, Argentina (SANI) - Chaiten, Chile (SCTN) The plane's range doesn't allow me to reach Australia or one of the islands in the Pacific Ocean from here (the only way would be via the Easter Islands but the distance to them is about 1800 nm). A possibility would be to turn around and go back to Alaska to reach Russia. Another is to try and reach Australia via the Antarctica. And my option, of course, is to visit the Antarctica. There are about 20 airfields on the continent, mostly snow or ice, near the major research stations - and most of them are capable to handle aircraft like the Twin Otter, C-130 and Ilyushin 76. Although the Beech B60 is a business twin and wasn't designed to operate from unpaved runways, I think I can do it. The management contacted the crews of the research stations and the embassies of the nations operating them; and my flights were approved. It won't be easy however. No ATC, no navaids (except some TACANs) and no runway lights at the airports. The main problem is that we are past the equinox so the length of a day is only a couple of hours at the Antarctica - I need perfect timing to reach the airfields in daylight. A small mistake in flight planning - and I have to make an emergency landing in the darkness and eat raw penguin meat until a relief crew finds me. From the ocean to the jungle, then to the highest mountains; now I'm somewhere on the moon, and planning to visit Antarctica - this is what I call a world tour! My next stop was Chaiten. It's at the southwestern part of Chile, where the Andes mountains submerge in the waters of the ocean to create thousands of islands and archipelagos. |
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I departed in the morning; the four-hour
flight (with a constant 20-kts headwind) was uneventful and clouds
obstructed the view of the mountains. Weather became more clear when I
approached SCTN, but strong variable winds made the landing difficult. Finally I was on the ground and stopped the engines at 12:07 local time. Chaiten is a wonderful town and weather is also pleasant (it's at the same latitude as Bucharest, of course it's on the southern hemisphere so it's autumn here). |
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29th March Chaiten, Chile (SCTN) - Punta Arenas, Chile (SCCI) Before I go discovering the Seventh Continent, it's advisable to stop in some bigger city to re-stock the plane - so my next stop was Punta Arenas, the most southern city in the world. It lies along the western side of the Strait of Magellan between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, at a southern latitude of 54 degrees. I left Chaiten at noon and continued flying south. Unfortunately the sky was overcast below me, so I couldn't see the nice scenery of Patagonia. After two and a half hours the controller instructed me to descend and to contact Approach. It was a major airport, with approach, tower and ground positions, and the runway had ILS. There was fog and visibility was about 100 meters but as you already know I'm skilled in poor visibility landings so there weren't any problems. Today, Punta Arenas reflects a great mix of cultures, from English sheep ranchers to Portuguese sailors, and it remains an utterly fascinating testament to the Chile's rich history. It has a superb port and the only large airport in the area. Punta Arenas is also the starting point for excursions to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. And for me, it's the starting point for my trip to the Antarctica. |
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30th March Punta Arenas, Chile (SCCI) - Marambio, Antarctica (SAWB) After re-stocking the plane and taking a long walk in the foggy city, I spent several hours in a hotel with planning my Antarctic flights (luckily the tourist season was over so it was easy to get a hotel room). The first destination will be the airfield of Base Marambio, an Argentinean base at 64 degrees southern latitude. It is the 'front door of the Antarctica', being the first airfield that was inaugurated on this continent (in 1969). 'Harmony One, you are cleared to destination Marambio'. Runway in use for departures was 01 and soon I received taxi clearance. I had to hold short while a LanChile A320 landed, then the controller cleared me for departure. I followed the SID procedures and intercepted the airway that would take me to Base Marambio. Weather was good with scattered clouds and unlimited visibility; I hope the good weather will last for a week - it would be impossible to land visually on the snow runways in bad visibility. Soon I left the controlled airspace and I continued with GPS navigation. There was a tailwind of 32 kts that boosted my ground speed to 280 kts, and so the flight lasted only three hours. |
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There was VOR, NDB and even a tower controller
at the airfield; the runway is capable to accept airplanes like the 737. Of
course not all Antarctic airfields will be like this - most of them have
only bumpy snow or ice runways without markings and navaids. I taxied to the
hangar and stopped near a Twin Otter. The crew manning the base was happy to have a visitor and after I had a rest, they showed me parts of the base and told me about some of the ongoing researches. Weather is pleasant, with the sun shining and temperature over 3 degrees C. |
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31st March Marambio, Antarctica (SAWB) - Patriot Hills, Antarctica (----) Scientific activity in Antarctica is developed in various fields: paleontology, glaciology, biology, seismology, volcanology, magnetism, meteorology, and also history. Military activities are not allowed on this continent. Studying the ozone layer is the principal function of Base Marambio. The crews of the Antarctic camps assured me that they can sell me 200 gallons of fuel - so I don't have to worry. One of the most important things when planning the Antarctic trip was fuel. The flights are long, and if the plane can't be refueled at an airfield, I'll remain stranded there until some other plane comes in the spring (which means October on this continent). The next stop is Patriot Hills, near the Ellsworth Mountains, at 80 degrees southern latitude. After planning the flight, and saying goodbye to the guys at Marambio I got in the plane, started the engines and taxied to the active runway. A few minutes later I was in the air, and after passing 2000 feet I turned south and continued with GPS navigation. The flight took more than four hours. At the beginning I had a tailwind of 39 kts, but later it changed to a headwind. I arrived to Patriot Hills around noon (I had to plan the starting and arrival time carefully as the day lasts only for a couple of hours here). There is a natural 'blue ice' runway at Patriot Hills, an area with no net annual snow accumulation, so that the resultant ice surface is capable of supporting aircraft landings using wheels instead of skis. Touchdown was not a problem, but it was difficult to slow down on the ice. Other planes that usually land here (C-130, IL-76, Twin Otter) use thrust reversers, but my plane didn't have any and I skidded about three kilometers until the aircraft came to a stop. Patriot Hills isn't a research base; it's a tourist camp used as starting point for Antarctic expeditions. Several charter aircraft come here in the summer to bring people who want to climb the Vinson Massif in Ellsworth Mountains, the highest peak of Antarctica (4897 m). It consists of large tents and offers comfortable place for 48 guests, equipped with complete kitchen and meal areas. |
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2nd April Patriot Hills, Antarctica (----) - Byrd Station, Antarctica (----) There were only a few people at the camp, who will leave in one week - tourist season ended early March and nobody will come here until October; so I was the only guest at the whole camp. It was a unique and very relaxing experience to spend here two days, admiring the distant mountains, taking short walks in the snow, watching the aurora australis and listening to the katabatic winds during the long nights. The next stop was Byrd Station, a research station 400 miles west from Patriot Hills (roughly at the same latitude) in the Ellsworth Highlands. I started the engines at dawn and after a few maneuvers on the ice I managed to take off. As I was close to the South Pole, the magnetic compass was unusable and I had to fly with GPS navigation, cruising at flight level 160 with 270 knots TAS. |
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After 90 minutes I was close to the airfield, but
it wasn't easy to spot the snow runway and I had to overfly the station three
times before I could make a safe touchdown. Byrd consists of a surface station, and subterranean tunnels where the sleeping quarters, scientists labs, work areas, power supply and communications room are located. The scientific activities are focused on paleoclimatologic research. About 50 people are at the station and most of them will stay here during the winter; the summer party has already left. |
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4th April Byrd Station, Antarctica (----) - McMurdo, Antarctica (NZPG) After a relaxing sleep, next day I was ready to continue the journey (you may say 'wait, if the date is 4th, that means that you spent 2 days there!' Well, but on this flight I crossed the International Date Line at 180 degrees longitude, so that's why a day was lost. I departed on 3rd in the morning, and arrived 3 hours later, on 4th at noon). Departure was scheduled for 2050Z - that way I will arrive at McMurdo at noon, in daylight. It was still darkness when I walked to the runway, and katabatic winds were quite strong (gravity-driven winds constantly blowing from the South Pole; their speed can reach 100 knots). Snow runways aren't exactly for wheeled aircraft; a man with a bulldozer tried to make the snow more hard and even, so that I could take off without problems. The flight lasted more than 3 hours; and finally I landed on the Pegasus ice runway, the only runway of McMurdo capable to accept wheeled aircraft. McMurdo (S078, E166) is situated on Ross Island, off the coast of Antarctica, at the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf; about 25 miles distance from the Erebus volcano. This base is the largest one on Antarctica, with a population of about 1200, providing the logistical and operational support to all Antarctic Continental science and science support activities. It includes a 'downtown' area, science and support facilities, an outlying airport (Williams Field), a blue ice runway (Pegasus) and a summer runway on the sea ice. |
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5th April McMurdo, Antarctica (NZPG) - Vostok, Antarctica (----) McMurdo resembles an urban center in its population diversity and hectic pace - like major cities, it serves as an international center where people of different backgrounds meet and exchange ideas. I stayed in the Mammoth Mountain Inn (of course it wasn't an inn, just a dorm where the temporary residents are housed), but spent most of the time in Building 155, the center of activity at McMurdo. This is the building where the galley, store, TV and radio facilities and the library are located. The next base I planned to visit was Vostok, a Russian station near the geomagnetic South Pole (not to be confounded with the magnetic one!), at 3400 meters altitude on an ice plateau. A vehicle took me to Pegasus Field (it's at a distance of 16 miles from the station); we refueled the plane and shooed the emperor penguins off the runway then I departed west. The coordinates of Vostok are S078, E107, exactly west from McMurdo, at a magnetic bearing of 083. 'But 083 is east, then how did you fly west?' - you may ask. Well there's a quite big difference between the geographical and magnetic poles. The magnetic South Pole isn't even in Antarctica - it's in the ocean, at coordinates S065, E140. Tailwinds of 40 kts helped me keep my ground speed over 280 kts, and I arrived in less than 3 hours. The long snow runway was well marked and it had a relatively hard surface. After touchdown, I needed about 2 km to stop the plane on the snow. People from the station greeted me and we walked to the main building. The Russians were very friendly (they surely don't get much visitors, especially this time of the year). They talked about some experiments going on at the station, about some ice core drilling and an ancient subterranean lake (at least that's what I understood - my Russian is far from perfect). We played some board game and drank vodka until midnight, then I went to the sleeping quarters to get a good night's rest. 7th April Vostok, Antarctica (----) - Dumont d'Urville, Antarctica (----) Vostok (means 'east' in Russian) Station was built in 1957 on an ice plateau. The primary research activity has been ice core drilling, and they also measure the currents flowing in the ionosphere. They also discovered a large subglacial lake (10000 square km), at a depth of 3600 m under the ice. Water in the lake is potentially several hundred million years old, and may contain primitive life forms or other information about the Earth's past. This lead to many speculations and unofficial theories about the possibility of new types and species of life, from the forgotten city of Atlantis, to alien ships having landed and living under the ice. |
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After refueling and thorough calculations (so
that I would arrive in daylight) I started the engines - not quite easy in
this cold as it was minus 57 C (Earth's lowest temperature, minus 89 C was
measured here in 1983). This chilly weather is due to the exceptionally high
speed of the arctic winds. My next stop is Dumont d'Urville, a base at 66
degrees latitude in Terre Adélie. A rough takeoff from the snow in darkness - then I turned north and climbed to flight level 250. The flight took almost 4 hours, and I was admiring the aurora australis on the night sky. |
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After three hours the sun came up in the north, and soon I started to descend. Weather was good and temperature minus 15 C (after the minus 57 at Vostok, it was very warm). I made a low pass to scare off the penguins and seals from the ice runway, then a firm touchdown on the ice. This is the last station I visited on this continent; from here I can finally reach Australia. 8th April Dumont d'Urville, Antarctica (----) - Hobart, Australia (YMHB) The end of my Antarctic adventure. Spending more than a week on this unspoiled continent was certainly an unmatched experience, beyond the reach of many people. And it's also a miracle that I could cross it with a small general aviation plane; find the airports without navaids and ATC; and land without bigger problems on ice and snow runways. The final challenge is to reach Australia. The flight to Hobart is about 1500 nm, which is more than the normal range of the plane. If I fly at a high altitude I will be able to make it; but if there are strong headwinds, I might not. |
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I departed at noon. Weather was clear; I
turned north (heading 200) and climbed to flight level 250, constantly
monitoring the fuel flow and quantity. The flight took me over the magnetic
south pole and it was funny to read heading 200, then suddenly heading 350
while I was flying without changing course. Soon I was in controlled airspace, for the first time since I left Marambio. The controller was greatly impressed by the fact I'm on a world tour; meanwhile I was worried because of the fuel as the headwind grew stronger and stronger. |
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9th April Hobart, Australia (YMHB) - Sydney, Australia (YSSY) Hobart is Australia's southernmost capital city and the country's second oldest. The fact that it is also the smallest is a key to its particular charm. A riverside city with a busy harbor, its mountain backdrop offers fine views over the compact suburbs below. Its relaxed atmosphere, beautiful buildings, numerous parks and attractive homes make Hobart one of the most enjoyable and engaging of Australia's cities. I checked the plane thoroughly to make sure that the polar flights didn't do any harm. You might think it's dangerous to start a world tour with a small plane like this - but apart from the windy landing in Haines and the slalom in the canyon at Bella Coola, I didn't have any problems, which is quite amazing. Once the plane was in the air, I was handed over to the Approach controller and cleared to climb to flight level 210 and to continue as filed. My destination was Sydney, Australia's largest and most cosmopolitan city. Flying in crowded skies, on airways, under ATC control; standard terminal arrival and intercepting the ILS - the first time I left the US and the Caribbean. After touchdown I reported speed under control then vacated the runway. A long taxi to the general aviation parking, engine shutdown and flight plan closed. Then I went to explore Sydney, said to be one of the most beautiful cities of the world. 10th April Sydney, Australia (YSSY) - Brisbane, Australia (YBBN) |
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I like to wake up late - especially when the
hotel room is so expensive. At noon I was at the airport; had the plane
refueled, made the flight plan then got into the plane and asked for route
clearance. The destination was Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland,
midway up the east coast of Australia. After takeoff, I made a left turn to overfly downtown Sydney before climbing to final flight level (after being cleared by the ATC of course). Then I continued to the next waypoint and let the autopilot fly the plane. |
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It was a short flight (less than 2 hours
flight time) on crowded airways. Brisbane is an ideal holiday destination in
Australia and traffic was quite high; I even had to make a holding pattern
before being cleared for approach, runway 19. I landed and quickly vacated the runway as a landing aircraft was 4 nm behind me; then asked for taxi clearance to parking. This is my last destination on this continent; tomorrow I'll go to visit some islands in the Pacific. 11th April Brisbane, Australia (YBBN) - Ile Des Pins, New Caledonia (NWWE) Five continents visited, two to go. After my Antarctic adventures, I now wish to relax on some small tropical islands, so I plan to fly to several destinations in the Pacific ocean in the next 10 days. After that I'll visit Japan, the Himalayas, Middle East, Sahara and then back to Bucharest. In the morning, I was already in the air, leaving the Australian coast behind me. Clouds were broken and there was a 15-18 kts crosswind during the flight. I climbed to flight level 250 and watched the sparkling ocean and the clouds below me. Once I was close to New Caledonia, Brisbane Center handed me over to Nadi Oceanic and soon I was instructed to begin descend. I made an NDB approach and touched down on runway 10, then taxied to the hangars. New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France, is a land like no other - offering visitors an insight to a paradise of undeniable beauty and ecological treasures. It offers an endless variety of landscapes, from some of the best white sand beaches in the Pacific to spectacular mountain retreats. Ile Des Pins is a beautiful island surrounded by an emerald green lagoon, southeast from the Mainland of New Caledonia. An enchanting place, where time seems to stand still in an idyllic setting of white beaches under swaying palms and soaring Araucaria pines. |
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13th April Ile Des Pins, New Caledonia (NWWE) - Luganville, Vanuatu (NVSS) Paradises abound in the South Pacific, and New Caledonia ranks among the most idyllic. Like all natural beauties, it a mundane rendering in words - it has to be experienced, not described. Often called the island closest to paradise, Ile Des Pins offers marvelous panoramic dense pine forests and green hills, surrounded by pristine beaches and cobalt-blue waters. But I continued my journey on Sunday, two days after arriving to Ile Des Pins. This two-hour flight took me to Luganville on Vanuatu. I departed in the morning from NWWE, contacted center and climbed to flight level 220. The flight was carried out on airway B590, at flight level 220, with 250 kts (174 KIAS) cruise speed. |
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The center instructed me to descend flight
level 120 when I was about 60 nm inbound Luganville. Weather was cloudy and
wind was moderate. I landed on runway 30 and taxied to the hangar. Luganville is the second biggest town in Vanuatu, with more than 10000 inhabitants. It is a country town in many ways but there are good accommodations. The American Army left behind many buildings, some still in use today, and several airfields after WWII. Not far from the town is the "Million Dollar Point" - the place where war surplus equipment was dumped. |
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14th April Luganville, Vanuatu (NVSS) - Seghe, Solomon Islands (AGGS) The town was a somewhat disorderly collection of rusty and corrugated iron huts that were erected during the world war, as well as dirty concrete slabs and corroded steel sea walls. The beaches of the island were mostly sharp coral and not very good. So next morning I was already on my way to the Solomon Islands. It was a 700 mile route that took about 3 hours. I departed at dawn and turned northwest to intercept the airway. The controller cleared me for flight level 240 and I cruised with the usual 250 kts. There was hardly any planes at this altitude - traffic consisted mainly of small planes (Islander, Twin Otter) doing short charter flights. Weather was clear and I could see the calm ocean and the islands below me. After two and a half of hours of flying I began descent. There wasn't approach or tower so I switched to the local traffic frequency and made a visual approach. As I approached to the islands and saw the surroundings, I knew that I would love to spend here a few days, maybe a week. Crystal clear waters; small, barely inhabited islands with rocky mountains; high cliffs in the ocean like some surrealistic setting. I couldn't make a long final coming from the east because of the high mountains; instead I arrived from the north, made a traffic pattern around the airfield and touched down on the dirt runway of Seghe. 18th April Seghe, Solomon Islands (AGGS) - Pohnpei Island, Micronesia (PTPN) |
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Four days - this was my longest stay at a
destination since I began my tour. The surroundings were wonderful and I
enjoyed every minute of the days spent at this place. I explored every small
uninhabited island in the vicinity; and at night I slept in a tent on the
beach. On Friday I continued to Pohnpei Island, an equally fascinating place
in the Pacific Ocean. Fortunately I could refuel the plane so it was possible to do a longer flight. After departing from the bumpy dirt runway, I flew a few circuits around the islands, then turned north. |
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| I contacted center who recleared me to cruise altitude and cleared me to continue as filed. The flight lasted four hours, and I crossed the Equator for the second time on my trip. I arrived at dusk and after announcing my intentions on the local frequency, made a NDB approach and touched down on the runway. Pohnpei is also a magnificent island so I will spend more than a single day here. | |
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21st April Pohnpei Island, Micronesia (PTPN) - Tinian Island, USA/Mariana Islands (PGWT) Pohnpei offers possibly the most diverse scenery among the islands of Micronesia and is considered by many to be the most beautiful. There are rushing rivers and tranquil fresh water pools as well as some of the most spectacular waterfalls in Micronesia. The tropical forest which covers the island teems with more than 40 species of birds, reptiles and even deer. Of special interest is the ancient "city" of Nan Madol. Said to be over 700 years old, this Venice-like community complete with canals, stone towers and bridges, offers a fascinating tour of Micronesia's most famous ruins. One last Pacific island to visit, and then I'm off to Asia. Another long flight (with occasional 20 knot headwind) watching the ocean below me and listening to the conversations of other planes. West Tinian was used once for military operations during WWII, now it's a civil airport. After about three and a half hours I began descent and soon I spotted the two islands next to each other, Saipan and Tinian. I made a pattern due to the wind, and touched down on runway 26. |
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22nd April Tinian Island, USA/Mariana Islands (PGWT) - Matsumoto, Japan (RJAF) Tinian is approximately 18 km long by 8 km at its widest point and a coastline 60 miles in length. The highest point, Punta Carolinas is 175 m above sea level. The principal community is San Jose. Tinian is primarily an agricultural community; a large portion has been leased to the U.S. military. It seems this is the last small tropical island I visit on my trip. The next destinations will be Eastern Asia, some airports in the Himalayas, Middle East and then Africa. This was the second longest leg to date (the first being the escape from Antarctica) with its 1350 miles distance. It was quite a challenge to fly a five and half hour flight above the ocean with a small general aviation plane. |
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Luckily I had a 10-20 kts tailwind at flight level 260 so my ground speed
was well above 260 knots. Heavy variable winds gusting up to 30 kts made the
approach difficult but the plane remained in one piece during touchdown. The
city was in a nice place, between scenic hills and mountains. After shutting down at the small terminal building and refueling for the next flight, I took a cab to the city. My plan for today is to visit the famous Matsumoto Castle; then tomorrow I'll continue to Russia. |
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24th April Matsumoto, Japan (RJAF) - Vladivostok, Russia (UHWW) Matsumoto is situated at the southern end of a long valley that lies between high mountain ranges - it is perfectly surrounded by natural beauty and filled with pure mountain air. The peaks of the Japan Alps soaring 3,000 meters into the sky to the west of the city are a splendid sight. To the east is a high mountain plateau, Utsukushigahara, with hot springs nestling in its foothills. The Azumino valley is covered with fields and orchards. A superb castle, a magnificent setting, cultural sophistication, civic pride... these are some of the things that impressed me about Matsumoto. "Harmony One, taxi to the active, backtracking approved, report ready for departure". Weather was good at Matsumoto, but low visibility has been reported from Vladivostok airport. Since leaving Punta Arenas, I haven't done a landing in IMC; so now it's the time for it! I reported ready for departure, and after receiving takeoff clearance, I gently pushed the throttle forward and took off after a short run. I reported airborne and the controller cleared me to proceed to my next waypoint. I reached FL220 after more than 15 minutes, and continued as it was filed in the flight plan, with 260 knots true airspeed. The flight lasted two hours. As I approached Russia, weather became more and more cloudy and visibility was poor at lower altitudes. |
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Vladivostok Center instructed me to descend to
3600 meters, then to 2000 m. Runway 25L was in use for landings.
After reporting localizer alive, I was cleared to intercept the ILS for 25L. Then, cleared to land. Vladivostok (the name means 'Lord of the East') is located in the Southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula and it the largest city of Far East Russia, with a population of about 700 thousand. I plan to stay one or two days here, then continue to Lake Baikal. |
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25th April Vladivostok, Russia (UHWW) - Irkutsk, Russia (UIII) I've been flying for two months so here's a quick summary... 44 flights, 24 countries visited on 6 continents, more than 27500 nm (50000 km) flown, 115 hours of flying and 46 hours of listening to Mike Oldfield albums. A long flight above Eastern Siberia was scheduled for today. The destination is Irkutsk near Lake Baikal. Weather was nice but there were strong winds from the northeast, gusting up to 30 knots. Knevichi airport was very busy; many planes were departing and arriving; the traffic consisting mainly of TU-134, TU-154, Yak-40 and IL-62 aircraft. I received route clearance, and was number 7 for departure. I followed a VladAvia TU-154 on the taxiway, a Sakhalin 737 was after me. After takeoff I climbed to 1200 meters on runway heading and maintained a speed of 300 km/h. Metric system is used in Russian aviation, and despite common opinions, it isn't confusing for the pilot (after all, European pilots use metric units in everyday life). And in many people's opinion there is no justification for prolonging non-metric units in aviation except for the comfort of doing nothing. I continued to the next waypoint and was instructed to climb to 5500 meters. I intercepted the airway and soon was recleared to climb to my final cruise altitude, 7200 meters. Cruise speed was 465 km/h. The flight was very long, well over 5 hours; but at least the weather was clear and I could see Eastern Siberia. After five hours of flying I began descent and I could spot Lake Baikal in the distance. I overflew the lake from east to west, and began the initial approach to Irkutsk airport, on the western side of the lake. There was no ILS so I made a VOR approach and touched down on runway 30. |
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28th April Irkutsk, Russia (UIII) - Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (ZMUB) Located in Siberia near the Mongolian border, and surrounded by mountains, forests and wild rivers, Baikal is an immense and breathtaking area of physical beauty. It is the deepest, purest and oldest lake of the planet, and holds 20% of the earth's fresh water and harbors more endemic species of plants and animals than any other lake in the world. Today, as in the past, Baikal remains a crossroads of cultures where native Sayats still herd reindeer and Buryat people maintain many of their old traditions. The wilds of Siberia also offer a gateway to Mongolia and its ancient and amazing culture. I left the beautiful city of Irkutsk after 3 days, and done a short flight to the capital of Mongolia. After departing from runway 30, I intercepted a radial outbound Irkutsk VOR, then continued to RT NDB. I overflew Lake Baikal again, this time the southern part, then continued over Mongolia. Cruise altitude was 5100 m. After only an hour, I was instructed to descend and to expect vectors. Weather was quite bad at Ulaanbaatar, with very low visibility and moderate winds, but the landing wasn't a problem at Buyant-Ukhaa airport as there was ILS on runway 14. I taxied to the apron and parked the Beech near a MIAT AN-24. |
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29th April Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (ZMUB) - Lanzhou, China (ZLLL) Ulaanbaatar (Red Hero), the capital of Mongolia is built along the Tuul river and surrounded by lovely mountains. It has about 700,000 inhabitants (one third of the country's population). Over 40% of the Mongolian population continue to live traditional nomadic lifestyle; despite urbanization, the traditions of the steppes live on. Even in the cities, most Mongolians continue to live in a 'ger', a large, white felt tent that can be moved easily and has a universal layout. I chose Lanzhou as the next destination; from there I will be able to reach Tibet and Nepal. I went to the airport in the morning and after refueling and making the flight plan, I got into the plane and prepared for the three-hour flight above the Gobi desert. After departing from runway 14, I turned south to the first waypoint. There are not many airways and intersections here, so I'll use some NDBs for navigation. After 20 minutes I was at flight level 220, flying south. I was handed over to Lanzhou Center and didn't have much to do, just to set occasionally NDB frequencies on the radio. Below me, the Great Gobi Desert. The Gobi is often imagined to be place of unbearable heat and lifeless sand dunes, similar to the Sahara. Whereas the reality is quite the reverse - the Gobi has high mountains, springs, forests, sands, steppe lands and rich animal kingdom, and has been inhabited since ancient times. The Qilian and Kunlun Mountains greeted me with their towering peaks as I approached to Lanzhou. A visual approach was approved and I made a soft touchdown on the runway. |
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30th April Lanzhou, China (ZLLL) - Qamdo, China (ZUBD) Lanzhou is the capital of Gansu province and a regional communications and transportation hub. It used to be called the Golden City; an important stop along the Silk Road and has a history of over 2,000 years. East of the city is the Kongtong mountain, the most famous sacred place of Taoism. I was looking forward to visit Tibet and the Himalayas, so I stayed only one day at Lanzhou and next day I continued my journey. The destination was Qamdo (appears on some maps as Changdu), known as the East Gate of Tibet. |
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A pleasant two-hour flight in clear weather,
above the rocky Kunlun mountain range, the 'Backbone of Asia'. The mountains
below me became higher and higher as I flew southwards - and finally I was
over the Tibetan plateau. Bangda airport of Qamdo is located very far from the city itself and it's said to be the highest one in the world, at 4334 meters above sea level. Well, San Rafael was at a higher altitude, but of course we can't compare a small dirt airstrip to a large airport. Approach and landing was easy. |
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2nd May Qamdo, China (ZUBD) - Lhasa, China (ZULS) The ancient city of Qamdo is a political and cultural center; it is now a symbol of modern Tibet. The first meteorological and hydrologic station and the first primary school of Tibet were all built here. It's also one of the best cities in Tibet to protect traditional culture and ethnic customs. The number of temples and monasteries has risen to over 500. Qamdo Bangda and Lhasa Gonggar are the two highest large airports in the world. The first direct flight between them took place in 1999, and since then several domestic and international flights are operated with airplanes like the B757 or A340. I departed in the early morning from Bangda airport. It's advisable to arrive before noon in Gonggar - as a result of the plateau climate, airflows are especially active in the latter half of the day, and there are seldom afternoon or evening flights. |
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After takeoff, I proceeded to the next intersection and climbed to flight level 240. There's an airway connecting the two cities, between the mountains; it was used even by that historic first flight in 1999. I was assured that I don't crash in some mountain if I keep on the airway and maintain flight level 240, so I just sat back and admired the wonderful mountain scenery. I can say that this was one of the most beautiful flights of my trip. |
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I followed Lhasa Valley and after an hour I was above Lhasa and overflew the city from the west. Now came the hard part of the flight - I had to make a 140-degree left turn and follow a steep valley until I reached the Brahmaputra river. Gonggar is located very far from the city itself; the large airport couldn't be placed closer to the city due to the mountains, only near the Brahmaputra. After another steep turn in the valley, I finally was able to intercept the localizer and I touched down on the runway with high sped (due to the high altitude). After a long taxi I parked the plane near a China Airlines A340 arrived from Beijing; then I took the bus to the city. The bus ride from the airport to Lhasa across the mountains took more than two hours. |
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6th May Lhasa, China (ZULS) - Lukla, Nepal (VNLK) Lhasa, one of world's highest cities is situated on the north bank of Lhasa River. It is the heart and soul of Tibet, home to the highlights of its wonders and heritages. It is the political, economic, cultural and transport center of the region and has a population of 400,000. The Potala Palace, a vast white and ochre fortress, dominates the skyline and can easily be the first sight of the city. The Potala was once the centre of Tibetan government and the winter residence of the Dalai Lama. I can say that Lhasa city and the Tibetan culture impressed me greatly. I explored the city, visited Potala Palace and a couple of isolated monasteries in the nearby mountains. Lhasa is certainly on my list of places where I will return later to spend more time. |
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The next flight is to Lukla, a very small
airstrip
between the mountains of the Himalayas, close to the highest peaks in the
world. The bus take me to Gonggar airport and I departed at noon. Weather
was good as always. After 30 minutes, the highest mountains of the world appeared in front of me, including the snow-capped Mt Everest - it was a breathtaking sight! I slowly climbed from flight level 220 to 260 as I didn't want to become yeti food after crashing into some mountain. |
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After passing the Everest, I began descent and continued in the valley between Syangboche and Lukla. Lukla is at an altitude of about 2700 m, so I had to descend about 5000 meters in a very short time to be able to land - not quite easy between these mountains. Finally I spotted the tiny runway situated on a sloping ledge and after flying above it two times to familiarize with its placement I decided to begin the final approach. There was no chance for going around because of the cliff at the other end of the runway, so I had to do a perfect landing. The length of the runway was 500 meters and I made a high speed touchdown, but the slope helped me to stop. After all, the landing wasn't so dangerous as it seemed for the first time. Lukla, constructed in 1965, is the third busiest airport of Nepal operating flights in VFR conditions. In 2001, the runway and parking area was paved enabling greater flight turnover and safety. It is the main gateway to the world's highest mountain; the starting point of the Everest treks. |
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9th May Lukla, Nepal (VNLK) - Jomsom, Nepal (VNJS) Lukla is a small Sherpa village perched at 2,850 m above sea level literally nested on a shelf getting out over the Dudh Koshi. It is the arrival gateway to the Khumbu region (Twin Otters bring tourists here) and a popular starting point for many treks into the shadow of Mt. Everest. Well I didn't visit the Everest, but I did a trip to the fabled Thyangboche, an enormous monastery at the foot of Ama Dablam, at 4000 m altitude above sea level. On my way to Thyangboche I enjoyed the beautiful scenic panorama of Khumbu Region, the picturesque Sherpa villages and magnificent rhododendron forests. The most frightening bit of the trek was crossing an old suspension bridge above a deep valley. I spent a day at the famous monastery, then returned to Lukla to continue my flight. Fortunately the yetis left the plane alone, so I refueled it and departed at dawn from Lukla. After spending several minutes to find the ideal mixture for takeoff at this high altitude (as the runway was very short) I departed and was able to take off before the runway ended at the edge of the cliff; made a steep left turn to avoid the rock wall on the other side and flew in the valley until the plane reached an altitude that allowed me to turn southwest, direct to Katmandu VOR. I flew at flight level 240 and the flight took about one hour. After Katmandu I proceeded to Pokhara VOR and then direct to Jomsom. The view of the Annapurna region was magnificent. Jomsom is a big village very close to the Annapurna; located in a windy valley and has a small airstrip. I approached and descended in the valley; the landing was much easier than at Lukla. 10th May Jomsom, Nepal (VNJS) - Skardu, Pakistan (OPSD) I departed at 9 o'clock in the morning from Jomsom. Flights in these regions are usually operated early in the morning as the wind would get very strong in the afternoon. I couldn't refuel the plane, but I had enough fuel for the next trip. |
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Due to the winds, I had to take off heading
south; and I could not turn around in the steep valley so I had to fly about
10 minutes in the valley to the south until I reached an altitude that
allowed me to turn northwest. After admiring the Annapurna and doing a couple of maneuvers to avoid some other mountains, I climbed to flight level 260 and contacted Katmandu Center. They cleared me to continue as filed, then soon handed me over to Delhi Center. I reported position then continued admiring the mountains - my flight plan took me above the Himalayas during the whole flight. |
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Lahore Center of Pakistan instructed me to descend, and told to expect NDB approach runway 14. The city lies in the middle of the Skardu plain in the Indus Valley, a desert of sand dunes that shimmers with brilliance during sunny days, and is surrounded by high mountains. Everything would have been fine if the valley hadn't been covered in a mass of white clouds when I arrived; this way approach and landing became very dangerous instead of scenic - but with the vectors given by the controller I was able to land on runway 14. |
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11th May Skardu, Pakistan (OPSD) - Tehran, Iran (OIII) Skardu is set in a landscape of towering mountains, deep gorges, resounding waterfalls and calm, deep lakes. It is the district headquarters of Baltistan. It is also the starting point for treks to K2 mountain and the Baltoro Glacier. After some sightseeing, I departed from the airport in the afternoon. I made the flight plan, got the plane refueled; and once in the plane, I asked for route clearance. I was cleared to taxi to runway 14, and departed east. Once I was at a higher altitude than the mountains surrounding the valley, Approach instructed me to proceed to my next waypoint and soon handed me off to Center. The flight lasted five hours and it was quite boring as there was nothing to see because of the thick cloud layer below me. I occasionally reported reaching the waypoint and the center then asked me to report the next one. When I began descent, it was already dusk and I could see the sun disappearing behind the clouds. In ten minutes, my plane also disappeared in the clouds to do an instrument landing at Mehrabad airport of Tehran. Approach gave me vectors, I intercepted the localizer and landed on runway 11. After vacating the runway, I taxied to the GA ramp and stopped the engines. |
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12th May Tehran, Iran (OIII) - Amman, Jordan (OJAI) Tehran was the first large metropolis I visited since I left Sydney. It is one of the largest cities of the world; it is the country's largest economic center and the base for its modern technological and industrial establishments. Located on the slopes of the mountains and at the foot of the magnificent Mount Damavand, it has been the country's capital city for only 200 years now. After totally re-stocking the plane, I continued my trip, the destination being Amman. I still have to visit Africa to finish my world tour, and then I'll then return to Bucharest. It seems I will arrive home at the end of May. Amman was the next destination and I departed after sunset from Mehrabad. The airport wasn't crowded at this late hour so there was no delay at departing. After takeoff I proceeded to SAV and climbed to flight level 220. It has been a pleasant three and a half hour flight; far above the clouds in the darkness of the night. After KAMEL intersection I was instructed to begin descent, then received vectors to intercept the ILS of runway 08L at Queen Alia airport of Amman. I landed after midnight and after the formalities at the airport I took a cab to a downtown hotel. |
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13th May Amman, Jordan (OJAI) - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (OEJN) Amman has served as the modern and ancient capital of Jordan. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, currently a modern, thriving metropolis of well over a million people. Dawn is perhaps the best time to enjoy Amman, when the white buildings of the city seem to glow in the warmth of the new day, and the beautiful call to prayer echoes from the stately minarets which grace the city. Departure was scheduled for 11:35 local time and I was at the airport before 11. The plane was refueled and checked thoroughly after the tough landings in the Himalayas. There were strong winds from the East so runway in use was 08. After takeoff I continued on the SID route and climbed to flight level 120, then 230. |
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After two hours Center instructed me to begin
descent and told me to expect vectors for ILS runway 16L. Visibility was
poor on the approach because of the strong winds blowing the dust and the
sand. Traffic was quite high, but I experienced no delays. I intercepted the
localizer, and after being cleared to land, I touched down on runway 16L of
King Abdulaziz airport. I taxied to the general aviation ramp and stopped the engines. The heat was infernal, over 40 degrees Celsius, but being from Bucharest, I'm used to high temperatures. |
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14th May Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (OEJN) - Socotra, Yemen (OYSQ) Although it's definitely a modern metropolis, Jeddah is also the most interesting and friendly of Saudi Arabia's big cities. Hyperbolically known as the Paris of Arabia, it is centered on Al-Balad, the strip of buildings along its coast road and the old city directly behind them. My last stop in the Arab world will be Socotra Island. I left Jeddah after spending here only one day. Today's flight was over 1000 nm, above the deserts of Saudi Arabia. I was at King Abdulaziz airport at noon - Socotra has no navaids so it's advisable to arrive there before dusk. Heavy winds were reported at the destination, however I planned my next flight and after half an hour I was in the air. Weather was clear and I could see the vast deserts of Saudi Arabia; then after three and a half hours of flying I was above the Gulf of Aden. As I approached Socotra and began descent, the west winds became more and more strong, gusting up to 25 kts. Landing was quite hard due to the winds, but in the end the touchdown wasn't as bumpy as I expected. Socotra has superb scenery and unique wildlife, but it's dislocated from the urban life of the towns some hundreds of years back - so there are no such things like hotel or other accommodation. I set up my tent and enjoyed the sunshine and the clear waters at this isolated place for two days. 16th May Socotra, Yemen (OYSQ) - Mogadishu, Somalia (HCMM) |
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Socotra, the largest Arabian island, is located east of Aden Gulf and it's often called 'the forgotten diamond of Yemen'
or 'the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean'. With its unique flora and fauna and
amazing scenery, this unknown and undiscovered island is truly one of the last paradises on
Earth. Today I left the Middle East and finally reached Africa, the last continent that I had to visit. I packed up the tent, found the airport and planned the next flight. Fuel was available (charter planes operate here) so it was possible to do a longer flight. |
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Winds weren't as strong as two days ago. I departed from runway 21, then after departure turned southwest and contacted Sanaa Center after passing flight level 100. I was soon handed off to Mogadishu Center and cleared to continue climb to flight level 240. I reached the final flight level after 15 minutes and intercepted the airway; cruise speed was 255 knots TAS (179 IAS). After leaving the Gulf of Aden, I flew for about three hours above the barren subtropical deserts of Somalia. Weather was fine at Mogadishu and I was told to expect runway 23. I touched down about 30 minutes before sunset, taxied to the parking and stopped the plane near a Somali TU-154. Mogadishu is the largest and most prosperous city of Somalia, a commercial and financial center, with a long and eventful history and many colonial influences; however much of the city is now in ruins due to the civil war in the 90s. |
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17th May Mogadishu, Somalia (HCMM) - Assumption, Seychelles (FSAS) Next morning at eight (local time) I was already flying above the Indian Ocean, slowly climbing to flight level 230, direct to UNPAR intersection on the airway. After making my first stop on the African continent, I thought of visiting some scenic islands in the Indian Ocean to relax a bit before I head for the jungle, rainforests and the Sahara. So my next destinations were Assumption and Moheli. On this flight, I crossed the Equator for the third time on my trip. The flight lasted for 3 hours and I was flying above the Indian Ocean, under the control of Mogadishu and Seychelles Center. Due to the clouds I couldn't see the ocean or the distant coasts of Africa - only on the GPS. I requested descent earlier than I should have, because I wanted to see the Aldabra Atoll, located northwest from my destination, Assumption. I descended, resumed own navigation and overflew the unique atoll at 4000 feet altitude. |
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Aldabra can be considered as the equivalent of Galapagos in the Indian Ocean, one of the last unexplored corners of the world, and it's a World Heritage Site. It is the world's largest raised coral atoll and it's perimeter is made by four main islands and other minors, enclosing the world's largest lagoon. 20 miles southeast of Aldabra lies Assumption, flat, bare and desolate, scarred across its width by a basic airstrip. Of course no navaids; but visibility was great below the ceiling and after a left hand pattern I touched down on the paved airstrip. |
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18th May Assumption, Seychelles (FSAS) - Moheli, Comoros (FMCI) Aldabra Atoll is one of the last virgin islands in the world whose terrestrial and marine environments represent an untouched ecosystem - so it's beyond the reach of tourists and only a small number of scientist are allowed at this World Heritage site. I had to content myself with seeing it from the air - still a unique experience! However there was not much to do at Assumption so I continued my tour and selected the Archipelago of Comoros as my destination. I taxied to the runway of Assumption and announced departure at the local radio. After takeoff, I turned southwest and climbed to flight level 120. Weather was cloudy, but as I continued climbing, I could spot Aldabra with its green waters in the distance once again. Center recleared me to climb to flight level 180. It was a very short one-hour flight and I flew with 270 knots true airspeed, on a direct route (not many airways here). The center controller didn't care much about me; I requested descent, he instructed me to descend to 8000 and then to resume own navigation (there was Tower at Moroni, but not at Moheli). I announced intentions on the local radio, descended to 1500 and turned into the wind to land on the short paved runway. |
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20th May Moheli, Comoros (FMCI) - Amboseli, Kenya (HKAM) Leg number 60. I'm leaving the islands of the Indian Ocean and heading for the African continent; where my second stop (after Mogadishu of course) will be Amboseli - a natural reserve in Kenya, very close to the Tanzanian border, immediately northwest of the Kilimanjaro. Clouds were obstructing the view as I cruised at flight level 220, so I couldn't see anything of the Indian Ocean and Africa. After Seychelles Center, I was handed off to Dar es Salaam then to Nairobi Control. A somewhat boring three-hour flight, but which took me to a wonderful place - the scenic Amboseli National Park. |
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As I approached Kenya and began descent, I was
greeted by the snow-capped Kilimanjaro, raising well above the clouds. I
descended carefully and resumed own navigation. Amboseli is Kenya’s second most popular park because of the stunning view it displays of nearby Mount Kilimanjaro, the world’s tallest freestanding mountain. The park has a single airstrip for light aircraft at Empusel gate; Air Kenya operates some flights here. Winds were from 085 so I made a right hand pattern to land on runway 08. |
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21st May Amboseli, Kenya (HKAM) - Mwanza, Tanzania (HTMW) The classic image of Africa - a herd of elephants strolling across the plains; and the snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro in the background. The view was magnificent at sunset, when the clouds lifted and the sun lit the majestic mountain. Today's flight was a short one, that took me to Lake Victoria, the largest tropical lake and the second largest freshwater lake in the world. I departed from runway 8, made a steep left turn and continued to the next intersection. Soon the Kilimanjaro disappeared behind me, and after an hour of flying at flight level 180, I could spot Lake Victoria in the distance. I approached from the southeast so unfortunately I couldn't overfly a lake to have a good view of it. Mwanza is a large town, so there was air traffic control. After receiving radar vectors, I intercepted radial 296 of MZ VOR to land on runway 30. |
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22nd May Mwanza, Tanzania (HTMW) - Lisala, Democratic Republic of the Congo (FZGA) Mwanza is the most important port on Lake Victoria. With a population of more than 300000, it is the second largest town in Tanzania. A scenic town on the shores of the Lake Victoria, built on the rocky hills out onto a narrow peninsula, with a lovely waterfront which commands excellent views of the lake in a relaxed setting. In the afternoon, I took a cab to the airport and prepared for my next flight. My next destination will be Lisala in jungles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly called Zaire), near the Congo river, very close to the Equator. Three hours at flight level 220, above the rainforests of Africa. |
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I crossed the meridian of 26 degrees eastern longitude - the
longitude of Bucharest. That means I did a complete ride around the globe;
and I can say that the Earth has rotated one more time below me, although the
date is the same (due to crossing the Date Line). After two and a half hours, I began descent. By now, I was flying above the Congo river, the second longest river of Africa. The airport consisted of a gravel runway and a few crumbling buildings. I made a visual approach and landed on runway 23. |
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23rd May Lisala, Democratic Republic of the Congo (FZGA) - Maiduguri, Nigeria (DNMA) About 50 percent of the dense tropical forests of Africa are in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and most of these forests remain relatively untouched. This unique ecosystem is the home to thousands of animals, birds, insects, and fish. The Congo River provides the country with the most extensive network of navigable waterways in Africa and it carries a volume of water that is second only to the Amazon's. Today I flew to Maiduguri, a city in northern Nigeria. The weather was hot and humidity was very high, so I was happy when I was finally in the plane, climbing to flight level 220. I flew northwest, as my plan was to overfly the Sahara from west to east. So now I was heading for Algeria (after Nigeria), then Libya and Egypt. And from there, back to Bucharest. Maiduguri is close to the borders of the Sahara, and I reached it in a three hour flight. There was VOR and Tower control that helped me in landing. After refueling the plane for tomorrow's flight, I took a cab to downtown. |
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24th May Maiduguri, Nigeria (DNMA) - Tamanrasset, Algeria (DAAT) Nigeria is the largest country of Africa and has a population of 115 million. The city of Maiduguri is in the northern part, with hot and dry climate. Temperature reached 42 degrees today and the winds constantly blow dust and sand off the Sahara. Amazing how the people living here are accustomed to this climate. After takeoff, I continued flying northwest, and soon I sighted the desert. Visiting the arid and hot Sahara will be another outstanding experience of my world tour, after landing at places like the Arctic, Andes, Antarctica or the Himalayas. Admiring the sand dunes and rocks from flight level 220, and landing | |
