We already wanted to share with you the route we have actually flown:
Epilogue
Our final thoughts and some facts regarding our trip will follow shortly.
We already wanted to share with you the route we have actually flown:
We already wanted to share with you the route we have actually flown:
Day 18
Monday May 19th, 2008
Leg 23: Midden-Zeeland (EHMZ) – Hoogeveen (EHHO)
PIC: Etienne
Flying time: 1h36
Landing fee: EUR 42
After arriving at Midden-Zeeland at 1700hours, we needed maintenance. The Cessna needs a maintenance check every 50hours. With a 5 hour extension (what you can do yourself in the logbook) on the plane, we could fly 55 hours instead. And we had 1h06 left after our trip to Morocco, pretty efficient. One more diversion or more headwinds and we would have had maintenance in e.g. France. Since this aircraft has a Thielert/Centurion engine, the 50-hours check only takes 15 minutes or so.
We called Hoogeveen, which closes at 1900 hours but they called us back 15minutes later that 20:00 o’clock was possible today, they would wait for us (for an additional fee). What a service!
So, we unloaded the plane very quickly, got on board, fuelled up and took off at 18:23 hours. The only things we carried with us were our headset, a map and our GPS.
To be honest, we left a bit too much in a hurry and didn’t have a look at the latest weather reports :). In the morning in France we saw the satellite images for the Low Countries and they looked good. But you never know with the weather, it can change really quickly. We were flying south of Rotterdam and we saw that the weather wasn’t that great in front of us. Ofcourse we also forgot our information with visual approach charts, frequencies, etc. But we did remember the ATIS frequency of Rotterdam, just to get a feeling for the weather conditions. The ATIS is a broadcast, updated every 30minutes, with the weather conditions at that moment at a specific airport. Though the sky was not clear, it was good weather to continue.
It really would have been something, if we would have had to divert on this last leg due to bad weather :). North of Rotterdam the weather only got better but we were having some headwinds (15kts), and we really wanted to be there before 20:00 hours as agreed with Hoogeveen airport. Under the Amsterdam area, we saw a lot of big boys flying over our head :)
At Meppel, 15 miles out, we called the tower, just to make sure if it was still open, and fortunately it was. The sky was clear we could clearly see reporting point Victor (VAM for the locals :)). We joined downwind runway 10. Just before, the tower warned us of a lawn mower which was busy on this grass airfield. Well we didn’t want to crash into this one, do we, especially not when they are cutting the field just for you :) (at least that was our wishful thinking).
After a smooth touchdown, we could feel a major ditch in the field (due to the composition of the grounds). Since the aircraft still has a speed of approx 80km hour, it is pretty bumpy :).
Anyway, we were happy that we could deliver the plane tonight, so we could sleep and dream about our adventure the next day.
Frans and Ilona were there too, and helped to park it in the hangar. We thanked Frans and Ilona for renting us their plane for the last weeks And we took a train back to Rotterdam. A bit of an anti-climax :), after flying 5 ½ hours today, we had a 2 ¼ hours to go by train. Sometimes it is just nice to get home and sleep in your own bed.
Leg 23: Midden-Zeeland (EHMZ) – Hoogeveen (EHHO)
PIC: Etienne
Flying time: 1h36
Landing fee: EUR 42
After arriving at Midden-Zeeland at 1700hours, we needed maintenance. The Cessna needs a maintenance check every 50hours. With a 5 hour extension (what you can do yourself in the logbook) on the plane, we could fly 55 hours instead. And we had 1h06 left after our trip to Morocco, pretty efficient. One more diversion or more headwinds and we would have had maintenance in e.g. France. Since this aircraft has a Thielert/Centurion engine, the 50-hours check only takes 15 minutes or so.
We called Hoogeveen, which closes at 1900 hours but they called us back 15minutes later that 20:00 o’clock was possible today, they would wait for us (for an additional fee). What a service!
So, we unloaded the plane very quickly, got on board, fuelled up and took off at 18:23 hours. The only things we carried with us were our headset, a map and our GPS.
To be honest, we left a bit too much in a hurry and didn’t have a look at the latest weather reports :). In the morning in France we saw the satellite images for the Low Countries and they looked good. But you never know with the weather, it can change really quickly. We were flying south of Rotterdam and we saw that the weather wasn’t that great in front of us. Ofcourse we also forgot our information with visual approach charts, frequencies, etc. But we did remember the ATIS frequency of Rotterdam, just to get a feeling for the weather conditions. The ATIS is a broadcast, updated every 30minutes, with the weather conditions at that moment at a specific airport. Though the sky was not clear, it was good weather to continue.
It really would have been something, if we would have had to divert on this last leg due to bad weather :). North of Rotterdam the weather only got better but we were having some headwinds (15kts), and we really wanted to be there before 20:00 hours as agreed with Hoogeveen airport. Under the Amsterdam area, we saw a lot of big boys flying over our head :)
At Meppel, 15 miles out, we called the tower, just to make sure if it was still open, and fortunately it was. The sky was clear we could clearly see reporting point Victor (VAM for the locals :)). We joined downwind runway 10. Just before, the tower warned us of a lawn mower which was busy on this grass airfield. Well we didn’t want to crash into this one, do we, especially not when they are cutting the field just for you :) (at least that was our wishful thinking).
After a smooth touchdown, we could feel a major ditch in the field (due to the composition of the grounds). Since the aircraft still has a speed of approx 80km hour, it is pretty bumpy :).
Anyway, we were happy that we could deliver the plane tonight, so we could sleep and dream about our adventure the next day.
Frans and Ilona were there too, and helped to park it in the hangar. We thanked Frans and Ilona for renting us their plane for the last weeks And we took a train back to Rotterdam. A bit of an anti-climax :), after flying 5 ½ hours today, we had a 2 ¼ hours to go by train. Sometimes it is just nice to get home and sleep in your own bed.
Day 17
May 18th, 2008
Leg 21: Carcassonne (LFMK) – Chateauroux (LFLX)
PIC: Etienne
Flying time: 2h48
Landing fee: EUR 30,86 (highest ever paid by us; fuel was cheap though)
At Carcassonne we discussed for a moment the weather ahead. There was a chance of rain and later in the afternoon even a chance for thunderstorms at our destination Chateauroux. But we would be on the ground 30-60 minutes before the estimated time of this chance would occur. We decided therefore to go.
We were flying at altitudes around 2000-2500ft over the French landscape. We did go to the more flat parts, in order to avoid climbing so we wouldn’t have trouble with the cloud base.
South of Limoges we heard a small plane on the radio leaving for Rotterdam from a field nearby, so flying a good 400 miles. This was fun to hear, and quite a ride too.
Just a interesting field we saw on our way
On our way to Chateauroux we had to zig zag around some rain and pretty gray cumulus clouds. These clouds cause quite some turbulence in the area too and we had our fair share (though not that intensive fortunately).
By continuously changing our course we could avoid all the bad weather and we were pretty happy to see our field in a sunny and dry area. Otherwise we would have to find another field nearby. In France this is not really a problem since there are plenty of airfields. (Though not all of them have the Jet A1 fuel we need every 6.5 hours)
The airfield is also used for testing by Air France
Chateauroux is an airfield in the middle of France (really the heart) and we were surprised a bit why this airfield was kind of busy. There was an Air France Boeing 747 doing some circuits for training and right before us we had an Airbus 320 landing.
Also at the airfield it self there were some old and abandoned aircraft standing (some even without engines and another with its wheels packed)
After landing at Chateauroux we looked at the weather. The chance of rain and thunder up north (around Paris) decided us to stay. We were also a bit tired after being in the air for more than 5 hours today.
Leg 21: Carcassonne (LFMK) – Chateauroux (LFLX)
PIC: Etienne
Flying time: 2h48
Landing fee: EUR 30,86 (highest ever paid by us; fuel was cheap though)
At Carcassonne we discussed for a moment the weather ahead. There was a chance of rain and later in the afternoon even a chance for thunderstorms at our destination Chateauroux. But we would be on the ground 30-60 minutes before the estimated time of this chance would occur. We decided therefore to go.
We were flying at altitudes around 2000-2500ft over the French landscape. We did go to the more flat parts, in order to avoid climbing so we wouldn’t have trouble with the cloud base.
South of Limoges we heard a small plane on the radio leaving for Rotterdam from a field nearby, so flying a good 400 miles. This was fun to hear, and quite a ride too.
Just a interesting field we saw on our wayOn our way to Chateauroux we had to zig zag around some rain and pretty gray cumulus clouds. These clouds cause quite some turbulence in the area too and we had our fair share (though not that intensive fortunately).
By continuously changing our course we could avoid all the bad weather and we were pretty happy to see our field in a sunny and dry area. Otherwise we would have to find another field nearby. In France this is not really a problem since there are plenty of airfields. (Though not all of them have the Jet A1 fuel we need every 6.5 hours)
The airfield is also used for testing by Air FranceChateauroux is an airfield in the middle of France (really the heart) and we were surprised a bit why this airfield was kind of busy. There was an Air France Boeing 747 doing some circuits for training and right before us we had an Airbus 320 landing.
Also at the airfield it self there were some old and abandoned aircraft standing (some even without engines and another with its wheels packed)
After landing at Chateauroux we looked at the weather. The chance of rain and thunder up north (around Paris) decided us to stay. We were also a bit tired after being in the air for more than 5 hours today.
Day 16
May 17th, 2008
Leg 19: Valencia (LEVC) – Reus (LERS)
PIC: Etienne
Flying time: 1h30
Landing fee: EUR 14 (incl. parking fee of around EUR 1.50/day in Spain)
Today we decided to leave Valencia in order to reach Gerona. The Metar’s and TAF’s looked good, though there was some chance that it would rain today (temporarily during the whole day).
The sky looked better today than 2 days ago when we also tried to leave Valencia. Using Servisair to being brought to our plane set us back another EUR 50,= (incl. the ride to the terminal 2 days ago after returning to the field). Not really cheap for a 5 minute ride, but less expensive than others who love to charge you for “full handling”.
At the security the Guardia Civil wanted to see our flight plan (plan de vol). Well, if you use the flight information office in Amsterdam by phone, you don’t have that :), so we had to ask the local FIO to print our flightplan and show it to him in order to let us pass. (he didn't even know how to read it!)
Finally after take off at 10:04am from runway 30 we headed northwest towards reporting point N. However, we could only fly at an altitude of 1000ft due to poor visibility. At the coastline visibility first got a little worse, though we could still see just enough. After a couple of minutes the weather got a bit better and we continued to fly over the sea with the coastline within our vision while being at 1500ft.
But after more than an hour of flying, we ran into rain and our plan to fly over the sea to pass Barcelona wasn’t really appealing anymore. So we headed back for the coastline and decided to divert to Reus, just south of Barcelona. At Barcelona, VFR traffic is not allowed and there are strict rules how to pass. Our sea route was in our view a no go today and the land route was a big doubt since it is through a valley around the city and the visibility was pretty poor.
After landing in the rain on Reus we discussed what to do with a very enthousiastic guy at the Meteo’s office. Unfortunately he had no positive news (the rain would continue and even tomorrow too). We made new plans in the cantine, and looked at new forecasts a couple of hours later. To our disappointment, we saw that Perpignan (just north of Gerona) was expecting thunderstorms and winds gusting to 35kts (variable direction). We spoke to some English blokes that just arrived from France to Reus and they also told us it was pretty bad around Barcelona and even in Carcassone (France). This all meant we stayed in Reus, also known as Salou :) for the night.
Leg 19: Valencia (LEVC) – Reus (LERS)
PIC: Etienne
Flying time: 1h30
Landing fee: EUR 14 (incl. parking fee of around EUR 1.50/day in Spain)
Today we decided to leave Valencia in order to reach Gerona. The Metar’s and TAF’s looked good, though there was some chance that it would rain today (temporarily during the whole day).
The sky looked better today than 2 days ago when we also tried to leave Valencia. Using Servisair to being brought to our plane set us back another EUR 50,= (incl. the ride to the terminal 2 days ago after returning to the field). Not really cheap for a 5 minute ride, but less expensive than others who love to charge you for “full handling”.
At the security the Guardia Civil wanted to see our flight plan (plan de vol). Well, if you use the flight information office in Amsterdam by phone, you don’t have that :), so we had to ask the local FIO to print our flightplan and show it to him in order to let us pass. (he didn't even know how to read it!)
Finally after take off at 10:04am from runway 30 we headed northwest towards reporting point N. However, we could only fly at an altitude of 1000ft due to poor visibility. At the coastline visibility first got a little worse, though we could still see just enough. After a couple of minutes the weather got a bit better and we continued to fly over the sea with the coastline within our vision while being at 1500ft.
But after more than an hour of flying, we ran into rain and our plan to fly over the sea to pass Barcelona wasn’t really appealing anymore. So we headed back for the coastline and decided to divert to Reus, just south of Barcelona. At Barcelona, VFR traffic is not allowed and there are strict rules how to pass. Our sea route was in our view a no go today and the land route was a big doubt since it is through a valley around the city and the visibility was pretty poor.
After landing in the rain on Reus we discussed what to do with a very enthousiastic guy at the Meteo’s office. Unfortunately he had no positive news (the rain would continue and even tomorrow too). We made new plans in the cantine, and looked at new forecasts a couple of hours later. To our disappointment, we saw that Perpignan (just north of Gerona) was expecting thunderstorms and winds gusting to 35kts (variable direction). We spoke to some English blokes that just arrived from France to Reus and they also told us it was pretty bad around Barcelona and even in Carcassone (France). This all meant we stayed in Reus, also known as Salou :) for the night.
Day 15
May 16th, 2008
We stayed today at Valencia. We looked at the forecasts and decided to visit the city. It was okay to see, not as nice as Sevilla though. On our way from Holland to Tanger we only needed 2 days, now we are already stuck in Spain for five days.
We stayed today at Valencia. We looked at the forecasts and decided to visit the city. It was okay to see, not as nice as Sevilla though. On our way from Holland to Tanger we only needed 2 days, now we are already stuck in Spain for five days.
Day 14
Thursday May 15th, 2008
Leg 17: Sevilla (LEZL) – Valencia (LEVC)
PIC: Etienne
Flying time: 3h30
Landing fee: EUR 14 (handling Servisair: EUR 25)
After being stuck at Sevilla and stuffing ourselves with tapas we decided the weather was looking good enough to leave. Unfortunately we couldn’t go through the middle of Spain towards Pamplona or Bilbao due to rain and thunderstorms in the mountains up north. So we decided to head for the coast, destination Valencia.
At takeoff we could enter the runway halfway, to be in front of a MD11. Since there was no wind at all, his wake turbulence would mean long waiting and we were ready to go.
We initially climbed to 3000ft heading west. Just after leaving the CTR and on our way to the TMA border we started to zigzagging around the clouds. After 45 minutes we climbed a bit more, changed course continuously left and right to avoid clouds and then decided to go to FL075, being "VFR on top".
At first the cloud cover quite dense but we could see the ground now and then. We marked the spot where we went through the “roof” :).
At the radar images we saw some clouds on our way, but none at the last few miles towards the coastline. And METAR’s and TAF’s said SCT at most.
At this altitude the winds were pretty good for us and we sometimes had airspeed of 120kts, with a power setting of only 65%.
About 20miles from the coastline we could descent to 3000ft and fly below the clouds again. We saw at the ocean that the weather was not that great. No clouds but a lot of smog, due to the lack of wind here (variable, 1kts). Visibility was therefore not excellent.
Valencia is a very busy airfield with strict entry routes. We had to hold at the last reporting point before joining downwind due to landing aircrafts.
First entry point is visible from far away, no idea why :-)
We were directed to the General Aviation on the South Apron, on the other side of the runway where the Flight Information Office is. Fortunately there was a handling agent picking up 2 pilots from a PH-registration Iberia plane and we could catch a ride.
On the way back to the plane we had to use Servisair (not compulsory) since walking would take you 45 minutes at least. Costs of a ride is EUR 25,=.
Leg 17: Sevilla (LEZL) – Valencia (LEVC)
PIC: Etienne
Flying time: 3h30
Landing fee: EUR 14 (handling Servisair: EUR 25)
After being stuck at Sevilla and stuffing ourselves with tapas we decided the weather was looking good enough to leave. Unfortunately we couldn’t go through the middle of Spain towards Pamplona or Bilbao due to rain and thunderstorms in the mountains up north. So we decided to head for the coast, destination Valencia.
At takeoff we could enter the runway halfway, to be in front of a MD11. Since there was no wind at all, his wake turbulence would mean long waiting and we were ready to go.
We initially climbed to 3000ft heading west. Just after leaving the CTR and on our way to the TMA border we started to zigzagging around the clouds. After 45 minutes we climbed a bit more, changed course continuously left and right to avoid clouds and then decided to go to FL075, being "VFR on top".
At first the cloud cover quite dense but we could see the ground now and then. We marked the spot where we went through the “roof” :).
At the radar images we saw some clouds on our way, but none at the last few miles towards the coastline. And METAR’s and TAF’s said SCT at most.
At this altitude the winds were pretty good for us and we sometimes had airspeed of 120kts, with a power setting of only 65%.
About 20miles from the coastline we could descent to 3000ft and fly below the clouds again. We saw at the ocean that the weather was not that great. No clouds but a lot of smog, due to the lack of wind here (variable, 1kts). Visibility was therefore not excellent.
Valencia is a very busy airfield with strict entry routes. We had to hold at the last reporting point before joining downwind due to landing aircrafts.
First entry point is visible from far away, no idea why :-)
We were directed to the General Aviation on the South Apron, on the other side of the runway where the Flight Information Office is. Fortunately there was a handling agent picking up 2 pilots from a PH-registration Iberia plane and we could catch a ride.
On the way back to the plane we had to use Servisair (not compulsory) since walking would take you 45 minutes at least. Costs of a ride is EUR 25,=.
Day 12-13
May 13th and 14th, 2008
The weather in Spain was again too bad to make long distances. Especially going through the middle of the country which is quite mountainous and doesn’t have many airfields you can land at. We decided to stay in Sevilla and enjoy some tapas and made some planning for the next couple of days.
Either flying through the middle of Spain or diverting to a coastline and then climb up. The weather will decide for us what we will do to get home and when :).
The weather in Spain was again too bad to make long distances. Especially going through the middle of the country which is quite mountainous and doesn’t have many airfields you can land at. We decided to stay in Sevilla and enjoy some tapas and made some planning for the next couple of days.
Either flying through the middle of Spain or diverting to a coastline and then climb up. The weather will decide for us what we will do to get home and when :).
Day 9
May 10th, 2008
Leg 14: Agadir (GMAD) – Casablanca (GMMN)
PIC: Etienne
Flying time: 3h12
Landing fee: EUR 4.50
We left the hotel quite early this morning to see if we could fly somewhere. Marrakech was out of question yesterday, so we wanted to try it again today, since it is on the route to Fes and then Oran (Algeria). Security at this airport is quite efficient for General Aviation so no problems here.
Everyone comes here, tourists.....
and princes....
We arrived at the Meteo’s office to find out again that the clouds and forecast wasn’t really comforting for flying more inland. So, not wanting to lose another day, we decided to fly to Casablanca. From there it was even a bit shorter to Marrakech. So after arrival we could still decide to go to Marrakech if the weather improved in the mean time.
After taking off from Agadir we requested to turn directly towards the coastline due to visibility. At the coast line we turned north flying towards Casablanca, but stayed over the ocean to avoid some prohibited areas at the coast. At the coast line we noticed that the winds were pretty strong and causing quite some turbulence. The strong wind reduced our ground speed to a mere 65kts. This looked to become a very long flight this way!
When arriving at Casablanca there were some few clouds, though they were towering cumulus (so clouds which are tall) causing quite some turbulence again.
At the airfield there was not much going on and our transponder worked, so we didn’t disrupt traffic this time :).
After landing we found out that the weather had not improved at all at Marrakech. We decided to go to a hotel downtown and walk around at the souks. We were a bit worried though to get back on the apron the next morning, since the last time it took 3 hours and almost being forced to use handling………
Leg 14: Agadir (GMAD) – Casablanca (GMMN)
PIC: Etienne
Flying time: 3h12
Landing fee: EUR 4.50
We left the hotel quite early this morning to see if we could fly somewhere. Marrakech was out of question yesterday, so we wanted to try it again today, since it is on the route to Fes and then Oran (Algeria). Security at this airport is quite efficient for General Aviation so no problems here.
Everyone comes here, tourists.....
and princes....We arrived at the Meteo’s office to find out again that the clouds and forecast wasn’t really comforting for flying more inland. So, not wanting to lose another day, we decided to fly to Casablanca. From there it was even a bit shorter to Marrakech. So after arrival we could still decide to go to Marrakech if the weather improved in the mean time.
After taking off from Agadir we requested to turn directly towards the coastline due to visibility. At the coast line we turned north flying towards Casablanca, but stayed over the ocean to avoid some prohibited areas at the coast. At the coast line we noticed that the winds were pretty strong and causing quite some turbulence. The strong wind reduced our ground speed to a mere 65kts. This looked to become a very long flight this way!
When arriving at Casablanca there were some few clouds, though they were towering cumulus (so clouds which are tall) causing quite some turbulence again.
At the airfield there was not much going on and our transponder worked, so we didn’t disrupt traffic this time :).
After landing we found out that the weather had not improved at all at Marrakech. We decided to go to a hotel downtown and walk around at the souks. We were a bit worried though to get back on the apron the next morning, since the last time it took 3 hours and almost being forced to use handling………
Day 8
May 9th, 2008
We planned to go from Agadir to Marrakesh. Unfortunately, the cloud level was quite low and included CB’s (clouds that can cause thunderstorms and quite some turbulence). Since Marrakesh airfield is situated at 1500ft in a mountainous area inside Morocco, we didn’t fancy going there today and decided to stay at our hotel. Since we asked if we could stay for a second night, we got a “discount” of 20% and also a nice purple bracelet, so we were “all inclusive” :).
We planned to go from Agadir to Marrakesh. Unfortunately, the cloud level was quite low and included CB’s (clouds that can cause thunderstorms and quite some turbulence). Since Marrakesh airfield is situated at 1500ft in a mountainous area inside Morocco, we didn’t fancy going there today and decided to stay at our hotel. Since we asked if we could stay for a second night, we got a “discount” of 20% and also a nice purple bracelet, so we were “all inclusive” :).
Day 7
May 8th, 2008
Leg 13: Laayoune (GMML) – Agadir (GMAD)
PIC: Etienne
Flying time: 3h24
This time the turnaround at Laayoune was even quicker than the day before. This time because we didn’t need to put our stickers that “we were here” :).
After the strong headwinds on the way to Laayoune, the next leg to Agadir was a bit better, it is around 30 miles longer so any help with wind was wanted.
Everything went very well, visibility was pretty okay. Due to the heat you can see some “smog” and inland you saw the clouds. But the VFR routes (compulsory) are at the coastline so no problems whatsoever.
Arriving at Agadir was a bit of a challenge. First we had to descent a bit to ca. 1000ft since we had to go more inland (field is ca 10 miles out of the coast) and the clouds were there. Going inland we felt quite some turbulence making it quite intensive flying to watch where the plane is going and to stabilize it also. We then saw some blowing sand rolling on the ground (first time to see that). This didn’t really help our visibility, so to say. Fortunately the cloud level let us climb a couple of hundred feet so we could be “VFR on top” of the blowing sand. You can see the ground between the rolling sand clouds below you and the visibility is much better at a bit higher level than being too low here. Also we did not want to put our air filter through all that sand and dust. At the airfield there is hardly any loose sand so landing was quite easy. We had to clean our windshield though, since it had collected some very fine sand.
Leg 13: Laayoune (GMML) – Agadir (GMAD)
PIC: Etienne
Flying time: 3h24
This time the turnaround at Laayoune was even quicker than the day before. This time because we didn’t need to put our stickers that “we were here” :).
After the strong headwinds on the way to Laayoune, the next leg to Agadir was a bit better, it is around 30 miles longer so any help with wind was wanted.
Everything went very well, visibility was pretty okay. Due to the heat you can see some “smog” and inland you saw the clouds. But the VFR routes (compulsory) are at the coastline so no problems whatsoever.
Arriving at Agadir was a bit of a challenge. First we had to descent a bit to ca. 1000ft since we had to go more inland (field is ca 10 miles out of the coast) and the clouds were there. Going inland we felt quite some turbulence making it quite intensive flying to watch where the plane is going and to stabilize it also. We then saw some blowing sand rolling on the ground (first time to see that). This didn’t really help our visibility, so to say. Fortunately the cloud level let us climb a couple of hundred feet so we could be “VFR on top” of the blowing sand. You can see the ground between the rolling sand clouds below you and the visibility is much better at a bit higher level than being too low here. Also we did not want to put our air filter through all that sand and dust. At the airfield there is hardly any loose sand so landing was quite easy. We had to clean our windshield though, since it had collected some very fine sand.
Day 6
Wednesday May 7th, 2008
Leg 10: Tan Tan (GMAT) – Laayoune (GMML)
PIC: Marco
Flying time: 1h48
Landing fee: EUR
This day the delay started at a road block of the police. We had to wait about 15 minutes before the police was ready with checking our passports. After we had reached the airbase everything went very smoothly. We took off and headed directly to the coast line. Upon reaching the coast line, we turned south towards the Western Sahara. The flight went very smoothly. When we were abeam the Layoune airfield, we turned in land. It was a bumpy ride to the airfield. The TAF predicted some wind on the nose but this time the tower reported correctly a significant cross wind. Marco had asked for the wind, well before reaching the field. On final Marco had to struggle with to cross wind, but the landing went very smoothly. The turn around went very quickly; 1 hour between touch down and start up (military efficiency). The only delay we had was caused by the customs office.
The PH-VZV at Tan Tan airbase
Enroute to Laayoune
Marco
Final runway 04 (right runway). Nose towards the wind
Placing a sticker on the door of the ATS reporting office.
Leg 11: Laayoune (GMML) - Dakhla (GMMH)
PIC: Etienne
Flying time: 2h24
The turnaround at Laayoune was one our quickest. Within 70minutes after touchdown we were airborne again. We had too, in order to reach Dakhla before the end of day period. In the last moments before reaching Laayoune we reached a ground speed of 110 kts due to favorable wind direction. So quick calculation taught us that we would have 45-60 minutes left after landing at Dakhla. One thing you do know, with the end of daylight approaching and being at least 2 hours from the nearest alternate airfield there is not much choice where to put down an aircraft.
Etienne took care of refuelling and Marco took on the soldiers:). This made the quick turnover possible, also because the military is very helpful and friendly.
Laayoune is a sort of military field just inside the Western Sahara. It was a bit weird to see Antonov aircrafts with UN markings at Laayoune though.
After taking off from runway 04 we turned left to fly along the coast heading south to Dakhla at an altitude of around 1500ft for sightseeing reasons.
The Western Sahara
And the Ocean under the other wing
And once to look at a stranded ship we went down to 700ft. It is funny to see that some stranded ships are even marked on the TPC maps which are 10-20 years old!
The wind was really helping us with a tailwind of around 20kts and sometimes we reached ground speeds of up to 124 kts. From take off to landing and 265 miles took us 2h24, over 1 hour left to end of day light. We made the daylight period by a huge margin :)
A lonely plane in the desert....
Dakhla is a very nicely situated airfield on a peninsula. When we approached it, we could see some kite-surfing in a bay and of course a lot of beaches since everything around is sand. Though it is a small town (40.000 inhabitants) it is clear that the Moroccans put a lot of effort in it to make it a comforting and nice place to go to. The base commander and airport commander where again very helpful and friendly and spoke good English and German. We told them we needed clearance to fly to Mauretania and Senegal but that we haven’t heard anything from these authorities yet. They did there best to get it for us for the next day. The hotel was right next to the airport (like the whole town in fact), which saved us at least 30-45min of travelling back and forth like in the other cities.
Everyone is very relaxed and friendly in this town when we were walking around.
Leg 10: Tan Tan (GMAT) – Laayoune (GMML)
PIC: Marco
Flying time: 1h48
Landing fee: EUR
This day the delay started at a road block of the police. We had to wait about 15 minutes before the police was ready with checking our passports. After we had reached the airbase everything went very smoothly. We took off and headed directly to the coast line. Upon reaching the coast line, we turned south towards the Western Sahara. The flight went very smoothly. When we were abeam the Layoune airfield, we turned in land. It was a bumpy ride to the airfield. The TAF predicted some wind on the nose but this time the tower reported correctly a significant cross wind. Marco had asked for the wind, well before reaching the field. On final Marco had to struggle with to cross wind, but the landing went very smoothly. The turn around went very quickly; 1 hour between touch down and start up (military efficiency). The only delay we had was caused by the customs office.
The PH-VZV at Tan Tan airbase
Enroute to Laayoune
Marco
Final runway 04 (right runway). Nose towards the wind
Placing a sticker on the door of the ATS reporting office.Leg 11: Laayoune (GMML) - Dakhla (GMMH)
PIC: Etienne
Flying time: 2h24
The turnaround at Laayoune was one our quickest. Within 70minutes after touchdown we were airborne again. We had too, in order to reach Dakhla before the end of day period. In the last moments before reaching Laayoune we reached a ground speed of 110 kts due to favorable wind direction. So quick calculation taught us that we would have 45-60 minutes left after landing at Dakhla. One thing you do know, with the end of daylight approaching and being at least 2 hours from the nearest alternate airfield there is not much choice where to put down an aircraft.
Etienne took care of refuelling and Marco took on the soldiers:). This made the quick turnover possible, also because the military is very helpful and friendly.
Laayoune is a sort of military field just inside the Western Sahara. It was a bit weird to see Antonov aircrafts with UN markings at Laayoune though.
After taking off from runway 04 we turned left to fly along the coast heading south to Dakhla at an altitude of around 1500ft for sightseeing reasons.
The Western Sahara
And the Ocean under the other wingAnd once to look at a stranded ship we went down to 700ft. It is funny to see that some stranded ships are even marked on the TPC maps which are 10-20 years old!
The wind was really helping us with a tailwind of around 20kts and sometimes we reached ground speeds of up to 124 kts. From take off to landing and 265 miles took us 2h24, over 1 hour left to end of day light. We made the daylight period by a huge margin :)
A lonely plane in the desert....Dakhla is a very nicely situated airfield on a peninsula. When we approached it, we could see some kite-surfing in a bay and of course a lot of beaches since everything around is sand. Though it is a small town (40.000 inhabitants) it is clear that the Moroccans put a lot of effort in it to make it a comforting and nice place to go to. The base commander and airport commander where again very helpful and friendly and spoke good English and German. We told them we needed clearance to fly to Mauretania and Senegal but that we haven’t heard anything from these authorities yet. They did there best to get it for us for the next day. The hotel was right next to the airport (like the whole town in fact), which saved us at least 30-45min of travelling back and forth like in the other cities.
Everyone is very relaxed and friendly in this town when we were walking around.
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