Thunderstorms and decisions

6th June 2019, day one

80 questions. That’s how many I had to answer to pass the Aircraft General Knowledge exam which I sat in the Polish CAA. After submitting my final answers (I passed, of course) I set off to Modlin Airport.

We gathered at 3pm and went to our TB10 aircraft which was already waiting for us, having gone through an engine overhaul.

My passengers – Monica and Michael – were exploring a wide range of aircraft parked up in the hangar. Meanwhile, I took my co-pilot to complete the pre-flight inspection. The plan for today is to reach Znojmo (LKZN) and make one technical stop on the way in Czestochowa (EPRU). The PFI caused a slight delay as I had to drain about 0.5 litre of water from the fuel tanks.

Pre-flight inspection in progress

We were all boiling in the 30 degrees Celsius which was not beneficial for the aircraft performance either, so I taxied all the way to the runway end to use the full length for takeoff. The first flight was uneventful and we even had some time to have a meal in the local restaurant and to chat with other people.

Following Ryanair all the way to the end as we need the full runway length too

A quick meal and weather review before we set off again…

We were coming back to the aircraft when I noticed a group of people surrounding it. One of them was sitting on the leading edge. I yelled at them to get off my aircraft not knowing who they were or what they were doing there. It turned out that all of them were pilots of another German-registered TB10 and they just wanted to see what our plane is equipped with.

Our next takeoff was in the late afternoon. The blueness of the sky gave way to frequent thunderstorms and lined up over Silesia creating an east-west border. Soon we saw frequent bolts of lightning which left us with only one option – fly along the front.

And the mother Earth is preparing a surprise for us. At this time I was still only considering a course deviation but not a diversion.

It’s time to make a tough decision. One that is safe, economical and convenient.

I chose to go upwind (eastbound). We had to carry on deviating from our original route until reaching the west end of the Krakow CTR, where we managed to steer south safely again. It all happened within controlled airspace so my every movement had to be cleared by the ATC.

It was obvious that now we can’t make it to the Czech Republic before the sunset. I could either divert and land at one of the local airstrips on the Polish side (EPNT or EPKP) or jump across the border and hit one of the Slovakian ones.

And we’re making it just before the sunset.

The weather in Slovakia was looking promising, thus I decided to land at Ruzomberok (LZRU). The surroundings were somewhat challenging for the approach but the landing itself was straight-forward. Nice soft landing, a quick taxi to the grass apron and a few moments later we were on the ground enjoying the views and breathing fresh air.

Finally, we had to take care of overnight accommodation. One can never tell where we are eventually going to end up, so it’s good to leave arranging hotels ’till the end.

With the help of a local Slovakian tourist (who clearly struggled to spell the name of the nearest town), we found a place to stay just 20 minutes away from the airfield.

We went out in the late evening to get some food but only bars were open so our only catering were chips and chocolate bars for that night.
The weather forecast was showing thunderstorms through the night and ending in the early afternoon, so we didn’t rush with planning the next day…

To be continued…

Exploring Poland

June 2016. A warm morning with showers of rain across the country. The expedition we have been planning for the last few months is about to begin just in three days. Flight planning is done, accommodation booked and all airports approved our PPR requests. Now the only thing left is to pick up the plane from maintenance, give the plane’s owner a lift back home, and collect a pair of brand new headsets from the other side of the country.

Afternoon. Raining cats and dogs. At least in the capital. I get to Babice Airfield, looking for the plane and its owner. I see neither of them, so I ring him up. The owner tells me to meet up near the control tower which is on the other side of the runway. Great. Now I have to walk a few more miles around the airport through some woods while it’s still raining. After an hour of walking, wet yet happy, I’m getting on the plane. Once I  got familiarised with the cockpit layout of the white-green Socata Rallye, we taxied to the runway and took off. The next station: Wroclaw-Szymanow.

This footpath going around the airport was the only way to get to the aeroplane from where I had arrived. Warsaw, Poland.

It took us unbelievable long 2 hours 18 minutes to get to Wroclaw because of a strong south-western wind. Once we landed, I refueled the aircraft and made some flight planning to Zator, from where I was supposed to collect my brand new headsets. I looked up at the sunset, then at my watch. It was already 8pm. “Someone’s going to sleep in the plane tonight”, I thought to myself.

I got off the ground, this time on my own. I’m passing Opole, Gliwice, trying to squeeze through two prohibited areas near Tychy and Auschwitz (Oswiecim). The sun is about to fall below the horizon. It’s getting dark now. I can see the lights of the Zator Theme Park in the distance. I descended a little bit and started looking out for the Zator airfield, with no result though. Meanwhile, somewhere in Krakow, a Flight Information Service Officer was watching a wandering blip on his radar screen.

– Sierra Oscar November, Krakow Information, have you got Zator Airfield in sight? – officer asked. – Krakow, Sierra Oscar November, negative contact, still looking for the airfield – I answered.

I tried once again to approach the area where I was expecting to spot the airstrip. But it was already so dark, it was no point in trying to land, even If I finally found the airfield.

– Krakow, S-O-N, I would like to file a flight plan to Pobiednik.
– S-O-N, Krakow, You can choose either Pobiednik or Kaniov, Kaniov is closer to your position. Unless you are more familiar with Pobiednik Airfield? – he asked.

I’ve never been to Kaniov, nor have I known anything about that airfield. The last time when I went to Pobiednik was when my Dad bought me a trial flight in a glider; I was 14.

– Krakow, S-O-N, I am more familiar with Pobiednik – I honestly answered.
– S-O-N, Krakow, roger. I need your full reg, souls onboard and fuel, please.
“Hell.. he’s asking me about such things he would ask If I declared an emergency”, I thought.
– S-O-N, Krakow Information, I will also need the name of Pilot In Command and your telephone number – he added.
“Well, great, now he’s gonna file a report and tell me off after landing.”

I answered all his questions and after a while, he called me again.

– S-O-N, Krakow Information, please remain clear and south of the Krakow-Balice controlled airspace. Once you land, there’s going to be a Chief Flying Instructor waiting for you.

Anyway, I rate the night panorama of Krakow 9/10. For obvious reasons, I didn’t even try to take a pic of it. Maybe next time when I have less workload or a passenger to take a photo for me.

9.30pm, Pobiednik. The silent night gets disturbed by a lit spot, hovering 1000 feet above the ground. Grass runway gets lit up by tens of white runway lights. I joined the pattern on “left downwind” and established communications on the local frequency, after saying “bye bye” to the FIS Krakow Officer.

Mixture – rich – set. Carb heat – on. I’m decreasing my airspeed a bit and setting 10 degrees flaps down. Suddenly, slots extend rapidly and the runway lights go out. I’m using Push-To-Talk button to reactive them but then CFI tells me on the radio that I have to do it on another frequency – 122,4 MHz. I read back, told him I’m going around and hit the gas while trying to turn the lights back on. I approached the field from the other side (the wind has already calmed down) and, after a long flare, touched down.

My mobile phone wasn’t the best one to capture such amount of dark. Pobiednik Airfield, Poland.

Once I landed and parked up next to a post-soviet An-2, I called the officer to confirm I got back to the ground safely, then we chatted for a while. He said everything is fine and I shouldn’t worry much about it, just to be careful next time.

– Alright, so you landed at 19:35, correct? – he asked me.
– Nooo, no, I do have my night rating! You can make it 21:35 – I answered.
– But I have to make it a UTC time so can I write 19:35 UTC? – officer laughed.

– High time to go to bed – I thought. I confirmed the landing at 19:35 UTC, thanked him once again and wished him a good night. Then I started answering back 24 missed calls on my mobile phone, telling people that yes, I’m still alive and I’m doing well.

An-2 “Wiedeńczyk” and my Socata parked up next to it. Behind them there is a G-reg Piper. Pobiednik Airfield, Poland.

So, that’s how I completed my first solo on this aircraft type. At night, far away from home, a bit tired. Luckily I have family living in nearby Kraków so I spent a night at their place and returned to the airfield next morning. Having had enough fuel onboard, I only did the pre-flight checks and departed to my next stop – Rudniki (EPRU).

Coming up next: exploring Poland part 2. How does it feel to fly to a middle of nowhere with no fuel left for a return flight and no accommodation arranged?