“Let’s VFR Europe” encourages other pilots to fly long-distance routes, rather than spending the same amount of money on local flying. To make our adventures even more interesting, we fly to places that for some reasons are difficult to be reached. For instance, we have visited Niederöblarn surrounded by hostile 8000ft high mountains or have flown into Slovenia in just 3 hours after deciding to enter the country. After completing each expedition, we share our experiences, how we had prepared for the trip, what we’ve discovered and learnt from it.
So, what does a typical expedition look like? The first part takes months – lots of planning, calculating, phone calls, e-mails… and saving up money – we will need plenty of cash to fly, eat, drink and sleep. Surprise, surprise – we’re going to find an aeroplane to fly. Depending on our mission requirements, we may decide to rent a cheap Socata Rallye, a long-range C-182 or a well-equipped DA-42.
The next step is to review our knowledge and capabilities. Am I familiar with the aircraft chosen? Will I be able to overfly that mountain range? Do I know how to avoid icing conditions? Do I have Instrument Rating? Can I and my passengers sit in the aircraft for 6 hours without going to the loo?
Once we know we’re capable of flying the route we had roughly planned aircraft, we can go into some details of the actual flight planning. This part is very time-consuming, since we usually have to call airports and hotels to gain more information or arrange fuel deliveries (it can take up to 2 months for remote areas!). The last thing is to file a flight plan – some states require 72 hours notice – and to check weather forecast. Last but not least, get off the ground; preferably within 3 hours after sunrise so you can have better takeoff performance and a smoother climbout.
There are many factors to be considered when it comes to planning a serious expedition. Some of them I’ve already mentioned, some others you might have learnt from your own experience, and hopefully you will learn another new things from my experience too.
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Below you can find some photos from the previous trips.
Let's VFR Europe 