The routeDe AarLemonfontein Beaufort WestDesolate KarooApproaching StellenboschStellenboschKalahari DesertTutwaTutwaDundiBona BonaAugrabies Falls
Feb 2024, rented a Sling 4 ZU-OMG from Panorama Flight Academy near Johanessburg. We were a party of 7 with 3 planes. Summary video.
Mon 19 Feb. Panorama to Bloemfontein. Route via Sousme(?) reserve. Where ?? Finnair relayed a message still no clue where it is. Given vector and found it. Great steak at Bossa. Very dodgey taxi missing headlight and a front seat belt.
Tue 20 Feb Bloemfontein to De Aar for comfort break. No facilties. Medical operation in progress. Nice to see another pilot. Quote of the day. Johannesburg South FIR. Your only at FL 85 we don’t control low level flights below FL10. Arrived Beaufort west. Game lodge. Lemonfontain. Hot. Pool. Idyllic terrace.
Wed 21 Feb Tried to file a flight plan by phone. Told that OMG is grounded, must contact CAA !! RJ flap not working. Beautiful flight over the Karoo then the mountains to decend into Stellenbosh. A challenging mountain flight avoiding cloud and severe mountaing wave turbulence near Worcester. Gusty x wind landing at Stellenbosch. Great to be near sea level and have some aircrafty performance! Met up with James. Tour of Duncans hangar. Supper at Stellenbosch Flying Club
Thu 22 Feb V&A Waterfront tour with 360 cam. Below 500 ft across the bay. We elected to spend a second night in Stellenbosch. Le Pommier. Nice but near main road. Dreadful service. Decision day how to get home. East Coast doesn’t look good, so we head west over the Kalahari Desert instead. Duncan reccomends and books Tutwa lodge for us.
Fri 23 Feb Slowest breakfast ever. Terrible service. Left aircraft keys in my room!!!! Stellenbosch to Lamberts Bay. Gravel strip just outside of town. Taxi driver stuck in the sand. Paid Rand 350 for overnight security at the airstrip. Amazing beach house. Great views. Isabella restaurant for dinner. Quote of the day, “don’t walk it can get a bit stabby”. Elisa was great taxiing us around in a fiat Panda.
Sat 24th Flat battery on KRJ. Quote of the day, “we are going to need another generator”. Tutwa lodge. Night safari. Giraffes and sunset with gin and tonic Sundowner.
Sun 25th Feb Day at the lodge by the pool.
Monday 26 Feb Flew alon the Orange river, Nambian border to Dundi Lodge for coffee and fuel. Duni to Kuruman. Quote of the day, “do you want to invest in Kuruman?” Leach Lodge !!! Swimming pool looks uninviting.
Tue 27th Departing Kuruman. “Lookout there are locals in the undergrowth”. Bona Bona Lodge. Nice to have a tarm,ac runway. Excellent facillities and safari drive. Spa.
Wed 28th – Final leg back to Panorama Flight Center. Inital plan to fly over Joberg city changed due poor visibility and my barking cough – I could barely make the radio calls.
Dad and lad trip 2023 – revisting the Norfolk broads and discovering Beccles. Two bikes in the back of G-PTSI with my newly electrified Brompton.
Route
Popham – Fowlmere – Cromer – Beccles – Little Shelford – Top Farm – Popham
About 350 Nm 3 hrs
Fowlmere loading two bikesCromer microlight site for lunch in a lively dinerBeccles arrival after orbiting whilst waiting for the jumpersEclectic BecclesOur Marmite room accommodationSouthwold Pier – remembering about Tim HunkinDropping off at Little ShelfordTesting some Sling TSi’s at Top Farm
With high pressure and good weather, it seemed like a good idea to catch a few more days of sun before the long winter. La Baule airfield is just a 7 min cycle ride to “the most beautiful beach in Europe” an amazing beach and lots of sea front easily rentable now school holidays are over.
As I was traveling alone French customs at Rennes released me without interview both ways, a first for me. With an OAT reading of 35°C at the hold whilst waiting for military jets to do their thing, the manifold temperature was above 51 C for a while.
La Baule-Escoublac airfield. Bike rentals. But very quiet in early September. French radio calls.Brilliant beachesPlenty of accomodation on the front off season, but many restaurants already closedTime to go cycling French styleA proper French lunchMy AirBnBMont St MichaelWhere to today with bike?
Flew to the Rotax 2023 Flyin at Wels Austria and made then extended into the Alps. A nine day trip about 1500 nautical miles and 13 hrs of flying. With folding Brompton bike, visited lots of lakes and beaches in great weather.
Learnt about SVFR departure from a French Class D airport. (600′ and 5km vis).
Rented a hangar when heavy hail and gusting 50 knots was forecast.
Landed at one of the the most picturesque airfields in the world.
The route
Popham – Albert (Customs) – Wels – Zell am Zee – Konstanz – Speyer – Le Touquet (Customs) – Popham
Lots of great information and contacts made at the Rotax Flyin 2023, over 2 days with free beer . Thanks to Bose for that part.
Wels – Austria
Rotax factory tour – no cameras170 planes over 3 days from far and wideAmazing weatherWelsAirfield restaurant at WelsBreakfast on the street in Wels
Zell Am Zee – Austria
Arrival and depature with tail cameraComparing folding bnikes. A chat with an Itallian pilot with his folding bike parked next to me at Zell.Zell am ZeeView from my balcony Hotel Latini – Zell am ZeeZell am Zee restaurantInteresting circuit pattern at Zell am Zee
I was invited for lunch in Jersey, but carried on south to Dinard (customs) and back to Amboise for a few days in the Loire since the weather was looking very nice 🙂 With my Brompton folding bike did some cycling along the river cycle paths.
Back via Le Mans for customs – good service. Six officers just for me !!
About 600 nm and 5.5 hrs.
Refueling in Jersey £1.21 / ltrLunch viewApproaching DinardAmboise idyllic airfieldParked up at AmboiseThe beach at BleréChenenceauxAirBnb 20 min from airfield by bike at GrandlayLe MansCycling to the airfield
June 2023 9 days 6 planes (Three Sling TSi’s a PA28-161 two Pipistrels) 12 people over 24 hrs of flying more than 2500 nm. (FTWTWIG 20023 – Fly To Where The Weather Is Good)
The Route
With high pressure over Scandanavia we decided a day or two before departure that the trip would be to Scandanavia.
Route: Popham – North Weald – Calais – Soest- Itzehoe-Höganas- Kjeller – Hamar – Ålesund – Stavanger – Varde – Borkum – Midden Zealand – Stow Maries – Popham.
Actual track log from SkyDemon – Zoomable map
An amazing trip with huge logistics thanks to Hitesh and Dean.
A collection of some of the photographs and videos made by the team.
Overall trip summary video by Ashok –
Full 38 min unedited flight through the mountains and Geiranger Fjord
Filips video
Full unedited video Kjeller – HamarRefuelling at SoestThe first supper in SoestHogan’s Sweden, made us very welcome.Just arrived in Soest time for a beer and chipsHamar ‘Beach’FL65 over GoteborgStavanger Our hotel in a hospital at StavangerInside Geiranger FjordThe last lunch at Midden Zealand Filips shot of Geiranger FjordAshok. Raj. Torsten. Hitesh. Dean. Trevor. Paul. Gra. Peter. Z.Junior. Trevor. Graham. Paul. Hitesh. Dean. Torsten. Raj. Peter. Z.Olaf hosted us for a BBQ Party at Itsehoe North GermanyWaiting for the cloud to lift at BorkumSunset and Mojito BorkumStavanger Alesund Island NowayBeach next to lake near Hamar NorwayStavanger old town on the hillZipping around Oslo on a scooter.Even to the top of the opera houseRoyal Palace OsloPalace Gardens OsloOslo waterfrontCleared to land StavangerStavanger Inside Geiranger Fjord at 1200′ AMSL near GeirangerCycling on Borkum Island N GermanyReady to depart at StavangerIn the clubhouse at Hoganas Sweden
Hitesh organised an April family trip as a warm-up for the June trip.
The weather had been terrible for weeks and it was not clear where we were going to go until the last minute. Head for the best weather was the plan. Original idea was to pick up Hitesh and Caroline at Top Farm but was too waterlogged. So I flew to North Weald to pick them up.
Outbound over the channelLe MansTake off from Le MansNot Merci Beu coul in the FromagerieTorsten
The Route
1080 nm 9.0 hrs flying.
Popham – NorthWeald – Le Mans – Bergerac
Bergerac – Amboise Dierre – Le Touquet – North Weald – Popham
Interactive map zoom in :-
Performance
Power set to 75% in cruise. Fuel burn 242 litres = average of 26.9 litres/hr.
23.3 imperial MPG
Cheese and wineStrange object mid channel – Oil rig in tow ?
On the apron at BergeracAeroClub at Amboise-DierreWine tasting Bergerac
