Month: September 2017

Up early again for collection by the airport van for the five minute drive back to the airport. It was my first visit to the airport and I shall certainly go again; the delightful town is but a short distance away and the airfield GA staff are friendly and helpful.

Low visibility procedures were in place as the RVR was only 300 m; this delayed us slightly and we took off in fog and broke out into wall to wall sunshine at 500 ft above airfield level. Looking around, the fog was very prevalent and we guessed it would take a good hour or two to burn off. Thereafter a very pleasant flight back to the UK with the initial small headwind later turning into a useful tailwind for the last 150 miles. We traversed a weak cold front in the Manchester area and landed in clearing conditions at Carlisle.

So ends another PPL/IR adventure; successful with excellent company despite the occasional set backs on the way. Stuart at RGV tells me that they have already taken the old magneto apart; the coil inside had burnt out and shorted so well and truly caput.

Schwabisch Hall to Carlisle   655 nm in 4 hours 15 min

Up early and out to the airport by 8 am local. By the time we had negotiated security, taken off shoes and belts and recovered luggage on otherwise a deserted airfield, it was nearly 8:30 am. Geoff restarted work and about three quarters of an hour later after adjusting both magnetos timing using a clever electronic device attached to the prop spinner declared we were ready for an engine test run. This went well and the aircraft was once again serviceable – hurrah!!

Flights plans had already been filed so off to the terminal again for a last pit stop and to find some refreshments for our flights and (again) security and we were off. We left first in Juliet Bravo climbing to FL120 and later FL130 as we routed through Hungary and Austria to Schwabisch Hall in southern Germany. On the whole, the weather was good; we were between layers of AC above and CU/SC below; the cloud thickened at one stage in W Austria to put us in IMC and we picked up some ice but this sublimated off helped by the upper cloud clearing as we went into Germany.

Schwabisch Hall was a very friendly field and their ground staff drove us into the town to our hotel and will collect us again tomorrow morning for the final leg to Carlisle. Later we walked round the old centre of the town, a charming and attractive place. We noticed how much cooler it is – jerseys now on.

It was good to get into the air again; Geoff remarked that a mag failure was very rare so we were unlucky. At least it did not happen in the middle of Africa! Geoff and Phil had a good flight home in D-FLEX routing again via Luxembourg for fuel. Phil is off somewhere else tomorrow so he is certainly adding to his hours in his new plane.

Sibiu to Schwabisch Hall   635 nm in 4 hours 25 mins

Now time to tell you a little more about D-FLEX which came to rescue us today. D-FLEX belongs to Phil Caiger whom I first met about this time in 2012 on a PPL/IR trip he organised to Turkey. Since then we have done a number of adventurous trips together as described in earlier parts of this blog in the PA46 Malibu Mirage that he owned until recently and my Bonanza.

In late 2014, Julian Fitter, one of RGV’s people, knowing my predilection for seeing new aviation places, asked me if I would like to come down and see the Daher Socata TBM factory in Tarbes where he was about go for a training course as RGV were becoming a TBM service centre.  I jumped at the prospect and immediately thought Phil would be keen so we went down together in his Malibu Mirage expecting an interesting factory tour. On arrival, we were told that our test flight was arranged for a couple of hours later when we were taken up in a new TBM900 by Daher’s chief test pilot. What a revelation that flight was, quite apart from a fascinating visit to the factory!

I thought no more about it but Phil certainly did. At Friedrichshafen last year, he told me that he had decided to buy a TBM and asked me if I would like to train for the rating to fly it with him. It took him a while to find what he wanted but earlier this year, he acquired D-FLEX, a TBM700 C2 model of 2005 vintage; this has the range and payload of the later 850 and 900 models but with a traditional analogue instrumented cockpit. Phil updated some of the avionics and the aircraft also has RVSM airspace capability. We got our TBM SET ratings on 2nd May at Carlisle where our examiner had done his initial flying training and coincidentally on the same day that 46 years ago, I had done my first solo in a C150.

Since then, we have done a few trips together and more are in the planning stage. We have helped each other out on positioning flights in the past so I thought Phil would be amenable to a rather longer rescue flight and so he was. I am lucky to have such a loyal friend. His TBM is a marvellous aircraft to fly; at low speeds it handles much as my Bonzana while at 280 kt at FL290 cruising (usually) well on top of the weather, it is superb.

Before Phil’s arrival, we went to see the Astra Museum. Situated about 4 km to the south of Sibiu, this consisted of several acres of grassy woodland where middle ages and later houses and workshops have been created around a large lake. It was interesting to walk round this but rather obviously out of main visitor season as many were shut up and the surrounding souvenir stalls closed. From pictures we saw, it would be a good place to bring family in the summer. Meanwhile the weather has become cooler and unsettled with showers but still comfortably warm to sit out for dinner in the evening.

Phil and Geoff Broucke, RGV engineer, arrived at around 6:30 pm having stopped off at Luxembourg to refuel. Geoff immediately started work and the mag was fitted and partly timed before darkness stopped work after an hour. Geoff hopes to finish early tomorrow; meanwhile off to the hotel to collect Miranda and out to the centre of Sibiu for a walk round and dinner.

All being well, we hope to get away around 10 am local tomorrow.

The thundery weather cleared overnight to leave a fine and sunny day, pleasantly warm but much cooler than yesterday. The first part of the morning was spent catching up on emails and checking with the handler that everything is ready for Phil’s and RGV’s engineer Geoff’s arrival tomorrow. Their arrival time has been put back a while due to unfavourable en route weather over Austria; a tiresome depression has been hanging about there for several days bringing cloud at all levels, and thus the need to use the inertial separator in Phil’s TBM to prevent ice particles entering the engine, which reduces airspeed and unhelpful winds at high altitude.  Stuart confirmed arrival at RGV of the replacement magneto; with Romanian time three hours ahead of UTC, it will be touch and go as to whether there will be sufficient time to replace the magneto in the daylight available tomorrow evening or whether this will be done on Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile we have heard that another of the group aircraft has run into engine problems at Schwabisch Hall; Colin Williamson, overall organiser of the trip, flying with group member Joel Tobias, in their SR20 had engine problems on startup there resulting in several new plugs, a further overnight stay and probable further engine work when back home. This group trip has had more aircraft and weather problems than any others that I can remember.

Then off to visit the two main churches in Sibiu; first the catholic cathedral in pleasantly understated baroque style followed by the Lutheran cathedral in quasi perpendicular style with an impressive organ which was being played when we arrived so we enjoyed the Bach piece which was being practised.

Later in the afternoon we moved to our new hotel on the way out to the airport, because our present one is booked up from tomorrow. As anticipated this was “practique” but has little else to commend it. Fortunately taxis are very cheap so it was easy to return to the centre of the city for dinner in the evening and then inspect the completed marquee in the central square for the beer festival later this week.

Today the rest of the group leaves us to fly home to the UK with a planned night stop at Schwabish Hall in Germany and a refuelling stop en route at Baleton in Hungary which we visited around eight years ago.

Coming down to breakfast with the group, tables are covered with pc’s and tablets as the latest weather is perused. There is a cold front moving east from Austria into Hungary with forecast showers and possible icing with better weather behind it. We say goodbye and see everyone into their taxis and monitor their flights westwards; all arrive safely although there was some bad weather en route.

The spare magneto should arrive at RGV tomorrow and the plan is that Phil will fly it out on Tuesday morning with RGV engineer Geoff Broucke arriving around 4 pm local time. Assuming fair weather, the magneto should take around 2 hours to fit allowing a short test flight before nightfall which would enable a departure early on Wednesday morning – fingers crossed.

After a hectic few days, we decide to have a leisurely day wandering round Sibiu; the museums are open today and closed tomorrow so we will go to the History and Art Museums today and then visit the Catholic and Lutheran Cathedrals tomorrow. Both museums turned out to be well worth a visit with an intervening light lunch. In the central square, a massive marquee was being erected which we found fascinating so sat down to watch the operation for 20 minutes or so; Key Structures on a grand scale so today’s photographs capture that for Richard’s benefit.

There was a also a book fair going on in the smaller square and a miniature beer/food festival along one of the outer city walls and generally all the world wandering about in temperatures of 30º C plus.

However not long after we returned to our hotel for a pause, a massive thunderstorm broke with very gusty winds and torrential rain (all in accordance with the forecast) so we delayed going out to dinner until it was past. Much cooler now and far fewer people around; luckily the forecast for tomorrow is fair.

 

After a good group dinner at a restaurant in the main square in Sibiu and out until late, it was up early to pack be ready for our minibus foray into the countryside. Luggage space available meant that only an over-night bag could be taken and remaining luggage was left in the hotel.

First main stop on the route was Bran Castle; not just a castle but a town within the castle which amongst other things provided lunch before our guided tour. Both towns and countryside have an Austrian flavour and it is interesting that many of the schools teach in German rather than the Romanian language; some locals are critical of this as it encourages the brightest to go off to university and jobs in Germany rather than staying at home.

From Bran, we went on to Miclosoara, a small village where the party divided into two groups. One group overnighted here in a typical farmhouse while the other, including us, journeyed another 50 minutes along increasingly bad roads to the Prince of Wales’s Romanian retreat where we were to rest. It was certainly a quiet and remote spot with the Prince decreeing that there should be no wifi and internet so we could more properly chill out. We took up all the rooms bar one which was occupied by an Aussie girl who was chilling for four days, but then she was on a four month world tour career break. However the beds were certainly 5* comfort even if some of the other aspects such as dinner and breakfast were not.

Next day again up early to fit in a long day in the minibus; first job was to go back and collect the other group. But a puncture delayed us and we never recovered time for the rest of the day. Difficult to say which group had the better deal but our perception is that probably the other group did – they drank the local eau de vie after dinner which we did not!

From there to Sighisoara to see another castle (interesting but not dissimilar to Bran Castle) with a guided tour and a side trip to see a couple of houses in another Saxon village, so named because of the very wide front doors and reflecting that large numbers of inhabitants came from Germany and Austria two or three centuries ago. Most have since returned there.

Then a drive back to Sibiu arriving in time for a ten minute break before we set off on an hour’s walking tour of Sibiu, ending with dinner at a Portuguese restaurant, the only one which could take a late booking for 16 people on a busy Saturday night. Back to the hotel after midnight; at least we were spared the flight planning chores and we are rather looking forward to a quiet day tomorrow!

Woke up to a CAVOK day at Tirana and after an early breakfast, we took a taxi back to the airport with Colin Williamson and Judith Niechcial who had a similar departure time to Belgrade as us. Formalities at Tirana worked quite speedily and Miranda spent my remaining Albanian currency on some interesting books and refreshments for the flight to Belgrade. A shortish flight over some very high and wild country before we landed at Belgrade just as the morning rush ended.

A much bigger airport than Tirana but once again ground handling was efficient and we were turned round in just under an hour and an half. By then it was quite hot so with full fuel, including tip tanks, our climb was quite slow. Again quite a short flight to Sibiu where we were the first to land in fine and warm conditions. But then came the problem; on shut down checks, the right magneto (ignition) system had failed, a fault which grounds the aircraft. Various phone calls to Stuart at RGV and ohmmeter checks established that there is a fault in the right magneto; a spare has been ordered and current plans are that Phil Caiger in his recently acquired TBM (of which more in due course) will fly out the spare with an RGV engineer on Monday. This means that our planned departure on Sunday will be delayed probably until Tuesday so the earliest we will be back will be Wednesday. Luckily the kennels can keep Inca and Isla and there is nothing else urgent at home.  A major bore but the first time in 46 years that I have had a magneto failure!

Everyone else arrived safely, having refuelled en route at another Serbian airport, and we then went out to a very jolly dinner organised by our Romanian pilot Eleonora before leaving for the countryside tomorrow morning. We split into two parties for the night. Miranda and I and  three others are staying in Prince Charles’s Romanian house. Then back here on Saturday afternoon and the rest of the team will depart on Sunday while we amuse ourselves here but at first sight, Sibiu looks a jolly place.

Tirana to Belgrade   206 nm in 1 hr 40 min

Belgrade to Sibiu     197 nm in 1 hr 30 min

Today we were up promptly for an 8:30 am departure to Durres and Berat by minibus. It was around a 45 minute drive to Durres through flat countryside with considerable suburban development. Durres is the main port for Albania and dates back to Roman times, if not before. The main sight here was a Roman amphitheatre which had been discovered and excavated in the 1960’ties.

It was quite impressive but excavations were somewhat limited because it had all been built on and there was a limit on the number of buildings that could be knocked down to enable the excavations to take place. We then walked a few hundred yards to the Archaeological Museum, a modern building, created to display some of the many artefacts excavated and were given a fascinating tour by the Museum director. He was particularly proud of some early glassware discovered and also of a complete kiln for firing pottery which occupied one corner of a display room whose outer wall had to be taken down to enable the kiln to be moved into position.

Then we had an hour and a half’s journey south to Berat where we saw a substantial mediaeval castle built on a high promontory. Within the castle there were a fair number of houses one of which had been turned into a good restaurant for lunch before visiting a fine medieval church which because of its age had been left undisturbed during the communist period. Afterwards the minibus took us down to the bottom of hill where the old part of the town was built.

Then a journey of similar length took us back to Tirana with general aircraft talk and plans for the flight tomorrow to Romania.We, with one other plane, are routing via Belgrade for fuel and then to Sibiu while the other aircraft are stopping off at another airfield; it turns out that this is somewhat out of the direct route so plans for these may change. At least the weather for the flights is looking good.

Today was a non flying day sightseeing around Tirana. After a leisurely start, we visited the National Historical Museum which gave a fascinating insight into the history of Albania from pre Roman times to the present day, although somewhat short on recent history, followed by the National Art Gallery. The so called art was generally bad from an artistic viewpoint but interesting from an historical one as it was mainly devoted to communist propaganda pictures from the post war regime with idealised people working the land and industrial machinery.

Pause afterwards for necessary refreshment and we then took in a mosque, new RC cathedral and finally and most interestingly of all, the underground bunkers of Enver Hoxha, founder of the xenophobe regime from 1944 to 1991. I remember when I first flew to Greece in 1977 in November B the warnings to keep clear of Albanian airspace, to be disregarded at one peril and it became clear from our bunker visit just why this was so.

Then back to the hotel to meet up with the other members of our group who had arrived by now from Belgrade after good flights in much better weather than yesterday and out for a good reunion dinner. Tomorrow we are off for a tour in the countryside so rather an earlier start than today!

Given the weather forecast for today, we brought the flight to Tirana forward by a couple of hours so leaving at 1:10 pm local time having arrived at the airport just after 12 noon. Before that, we had a further walk round Trogir old town and visited the small but interesting cathedral. The weather was dry and warm but with rather ominous looking cloud and sure enough, just after we started to taxi, so did the rain start.

We received a message on the trip WhatsApp that the rest of the team in Salzburg also had misgivings about the weather and planned to route initially to Belgrade and would then review further progress.

After departure, we climbed to our cruising altitude of 11,000 ft which put us in cloud where we remained for the entire flight until a three mile final. For most of the time it rained, at times heavily, and there was considerable activity on the storm scope generally beyond 25 miles. More tiresome was that we hit a 50Kt + headwind which made progress very slow and increasingly bumpy as we moved south.

The fair forecast for Tirana went downhill with thunderstorms arriving earlier than predicted with a light wind down the runway being replaced by a strong gusty crosswind. We were vectored to hold north of the airfield while the proceeding aircraft made an approach and then broke it off because of wind shear and diverted. Another holding CAT aircraft was considering his position so we elected to make an approach although by now the thunderstorm with heavy rain was almost overhead the airfield. All went well however with an ILS approach and the wind become more favourable for landing with the runway lights seen at 3 miles.

A ‘follow me’ car then lead us to a remote part of the airfield for parking and after a while, the handler appeared in his car so (still in heavy rain) we jumped out of Juliet B, got the luggage out and into the car and were taken to the airfield terminal. Then followed a long taxi ride into Tirana with very heavy traffic and finally to our hotel. En route, we heard that the rest of our group had decided to stay overnight in Belgrade and make their way here tomorrow in better weather.

So ends three days of quite testing flying in parts. Will we ever get any summer weather?

Split to Tirana 200 nm in 2 hr 30 min