Iceland Fly In

[Lawrence Rippon]

A few weeks ago it was suggested that we may be able to get a fly-in together to Iceland which both sides of the Atlantic may be able to attend. It would be useful if those who were interested in this would make their intentions known.

There are three from the UK who were doing the trip separately who may come together, Ken Andrew sounded interested from the other side. I have two more interested from the UK not flying Commanders and one more Commander not in the COG.

This will be an incredible fly-in if we can pull it together and has to be a place not in many log books.

For the sake of the weather it looks like August will offer the best chance of a VFR environment. It's a complex trip to plan so knowing who will be coming sooner rather than later will make life easier.

Post on this thread if you would like to come.

 

[jonguy]

Re: Iceland Fly In

Yikes, I'd love to do that, but not until I can get the engine overhauled. Flying so much overwater at 2200TT doesn't sound very prudent to me...

 

[jclambertjd]

Re: Iceland Fly In

I was hoping to do such a trip as well. However, I am at 1765 on an 1800 hour engine myself. While I plan to go over TBO so long as she is making her numbers and not making any metal, I too am reluctant to go that far over water. Maybe next year!

 

[Plummit]

Re: Iceland Fly In

I find it somewhat ironic that folks are saying they won't make a trip over water because their engine is near TBO, yet (presumably) they are willing to continue to fly the same engine over populated areas with schools, houses, and other "un-landable" terrain.

Perhaps it's the notion that if you fly into a house the end will be quick, as opposed to ditching in the ocean and succumbing to frigid-water hypothermia after a longer (hours?) period of time.......

regards

~Marc

 

[N4843W]

Re: Iceland Fly In

I find it somewhat ironic that folks are saying they won't make a trip over water because their engine is near TBO, yet (presumably) they are willing to continue to fly the same engine over populated areas with schools, houses, and other "un-landable" terrain.

Perhaps it's the notion that if you fly into a house the end will be quick, as opposed to ditching in the ocean and succumbing to frigid-water hypothermia after a longer (hours?) period of time.......

regards

~Marc

Whoa Marc. You can put a Commander down in 600 feet gear down, if you do it right, 1000 feet if you are sloppy as hell. Probably 300 gear up. Give me a football field or a decent flat roof and I will walk away, most of the time. Even flying over downtown LA, you have a lot of options for a good outcome. Dramatically different than flying the North Atlantic and ditching. Not even apples and oranges. More like apples and canon balls. I have a risk-taker personality, and if this trip makes up and business is better, I will serious consider going ... but I will understand that the risks are much greater.

 

[Plummit]

Re: Iceland Fly In

Of course you are correct Scott: going down in the mid-Atlantic is not the same as down-town LA. I'm just musing here, but it seems that you will most likely initially survive a ditching. Not so sure about an off-airport "landing" over a populated area...... But the point was, if you don't trust your engine to get you across the water, would you feel more secure if you knew you wouldn't get wet but had to worry about cars, buildings wires etc?

For me, I ether trust my engine or it gets fixed/replaced. What I'm flying over (water or hard-scape) probably won't figure into the equation. For the record, I don't feel that exceeding TBO is a deal-breaker.

regards

~Marc

 

[FS]

Re: Iceland Fly In

For me, I ether trust my engine or it gets fixed/replaced. What I'm flying over (water or hard-scape) probably won't figure into the equation.

I concur, and would expand on it just a bit. Every time you get in that airplane you make a decision about trusting the equipment to get you from point A to point B. Whether it's over water, at night, over mountains, in IMC, a fresh engine, a tired engine, or any combination, plus some other possibilities, the airplane doesn't know what's happening.

What's different about that airplane when it's flying three hours in IMC at a given altitude over varying terrain .vs. flying three hours VFR over water at the same altitude? (Answer: Nothing. Only the pilot's mental state has changed.)

 

[rob egph]

Re: Iceland Fly In

Hi Guys,
I'm okay for the first, maybe second week of August but also end of July. Will be ploughing the road to Vagar prior to this to check that out as it's only two and a half hours flying from here. The approach there is fabulous - down a fjiord from the west on the localiser then alter course to land and the vfr approach from the south east starts at a waterfall then curves round a different fjiord. I plan on taking on fuel at Vagar then crossing to Iceland's east coast.

 

[Lawrence Rippon]

Re: Iceland Fly In

Hi Guys,
I'm okay for the first, maybe second week of August but also end of July. Will be ploughing the road to Vagar prior to this to check that out as it's only two and a half hours flying from here. The approach there is fabulous - down a fjiord from the west on the localiser then alter course to land and the vfr approach from the south east starts at a waterfall then curves round a different fjiord. I plan on taking on fuel at Vagar then crossing to Iceland's east coast.

Rob

Good to hear.

I'm meeting with a possible co-pilot tomorrow and we have some support from a couple of the Blackbushe faithful, one in a Commander and one in a 182.

Having made some weather enquiries, it may be prudent to go for late July/Early August.

My plan also includes Vagar.

I'm going commercial to Iceland in April to check out Hofn airport and some other GA fields as possible adventures during the trip. I would expect the final destination to be Reykjavik though.

 

[nruzic]

Re: Iceland Fly In

Wow the approaches both sound scenic. Sigh the July Aug toimes are very hard for me since Oshkosh and its prep takes a 17 day slice of schedule right out of those months.

 

[N4843W]

Re: Iceland Fly In

Just spent some time perusing the web on the Faroes. What a starkly beautiful place. would love to see it.

 

[nruzic]

Re: Iceland Fly In

I would love to see Iceland its a wonderful place and the Faroes islands look starkly beautiful. Flying around Iceland would be fantastic, I suppose the scenery would be like Alaskan coast or Southern Chile.

Flying past the Greenland coast to Iceland would also be illuminating for a history buff like me because there in the Denmark Straits the British Navy patrol cruisers 1st spotted the Bismark in May 1941. So I assume the site of the sunken HMS Hood is somewhere near too.

The flight from Scotland to Iceland would be wonderful too, must pass over the Faroes. Please take some great pictures and perhaps another year I can do it.

Question - do people fly this route end of june too when the days are longest or is it still too cold then?

 

[N4843W]

Re: Iceland Fly In

How far is the flight from the Faroes to Scotland? I mean ... geeeez ... if its only 2.5 hours from Iceland to the Faroes ... how could you NOT go on to Scotland?

 

[Lawrence Rippon]

Re: Iceland Fly In

Question - do people fly this route end of june too when the days are longest or is it still too cold then?

The route is accessible right form late Spring to September but still passable earlier and later to the experienced ferry pilots with the right kit. Not a leisure trip then though.

How far is the flight from the Faroes to Scotland? I mean ... geeeez ... if its only 2.5 hours from Iceland to the Faroes ... how could you NOT go on to Scotland?

The flight to the closest airport in Scotland to Iceland would probably be Hofn to Stornoway, 449 miles but to get to the central belt cities, Glasgow or Edinburgh add another hour. Rob's quote of about 2.5 hours to the Faroes would be from his home base in Edinburgh I expect. That trip is 387 miles direct although you have a bit of military restricted airspace to deal with in the Northern Highlands.

I'll be flying up to to Edinburgh to start the trip, 297 miles form my home base and may stop in Shetland on the way to the Faroes. Vagar, Faroes to Hofn, Iceland is 255 miles and Hofn to Reykjavik is around 220 miles.

That makes the London to Reykjavik trip approx 1159 miles.

 

[idcairns]

Re: Iceland Fly In

See, this is the problem, if we go as far as Iceland, how can I NOT go on to Scotland and see my folks. And then down to London to see my cousins then on to Paris, then on to.........................

Gonna have to wait til I retire so I have the time. I would like to do at least a two-three month tour of Europe in the Commander.

 

[ksandrew]

Re: Iceland Fly In

I am like you Ian, to go that far and turn back is pointless. Just another 440 nm to Scotland. Then a short hop down to England

If I retire first then it could not be a business trip.

Ian, we could set up a charity to save the earth.

The recycling of whiskers from electric razors, or some other worthwhile cause.

A transatlatic crossing to make the world aware of our project.

 

[rob egph]

Re: Iceland Fly In

When to fly the route? When the weather allows! I did a two hour trip to Cranfield yesterday afternoon and picked up about half an inch of ice along the leading edges that shaved about twenty knots off the IAS. Did not really want to know about the stuff I couldn't see on the tail. It'll be like that around here for a couple of months or so.
I reckon we'll do a long week-end in the Faroes in early May (and take lots and lots of pics Sid) depending on the weather. For those that have looked at my gallery, except for short water crossings we go with full immersion suits on, enclosed raft with survival gear and handheld radio and ELT. My philosophy is that I don't want to spend my last few minutes here bobbing about in a simple rubber ring raft wishing I'd spend a little more cash getting something that was actually capable of keeping me alive. Ditto the immersion suit. It takes the helicopters at least a couple of hours to get there and then they have to find you.
The route I plan is EGPH Stornoway BIRD . Interesting place the Faroes. The people used to be renowned for their thigh development! It is so mountainous that, before cars and stuff, everywhere they went involved trekking up an down steep slopes with their goods and children on their backs. Good for the muscles.
Anyone thinking of coming from North America may have to talk with their insurers and the Canadians. Depending on your circumstances, you may not be allowed to fly without a safety pilot who has flown the route up to three times already...

 

[Lawrence Rippon]

Re: Iceland Fly In

When to fly the route? When the weather allows! I did a two hour trip to Cranfield yesterday afternoon and picked up about half an inch of ice along the leading edges that shaved about twenty knots off the IAS. Did not really want to know about the stuff I couldn't see on the tail. It'll be like that around here for a couple of months or so.
I reckon we'll do a long week-end in the Faroes in early May (and take lots and lots of pics Sid) depending on the weather. For those that have looked at my gallery, except for short water crossings we go with full immersion suits on, enclosed raft with survival gear and handheld radio and ELT. My philosophy is that I don't want to spend my last few minutes here bobbing about in a simple rubber ring raft wishing I'd spend a little more cash getting something that was actually capable of keeping me alive. Ditto the immersion suit. It takes the helicopters at least a couple of hours to get there and then they have to find you.
The route I plan is EGPH Stornoway BIRD . Interesting place the Faroes. The people used to be renowned for their thigh development! It is so mountainous that, before cars and stuff, everywhere they went involved trekking up an down steep slopes with their goods and children on their backs. Good for the muscles.
Anyone thinking of coming from North America may have to talk with their insurers and the Canadians. Depending on your circumstances, you may not be allowed to fly without a safety pilot who has flown the route up to three times already...

Rob,

Couple of things; I'm thinking of ditching my old emersion suit and hiring a Gortex one, for the trip, ever used one? Apparently they are better for wearing for long periods. I'm hiring a better raft also this time.

I cant find BIRD in my database which airfield is this?

It looks like we will be taking the trip to Iceland in the last week of July due to my co-pilot's work commitments. How does that shape up with you?

 

[rob egph]

Re: Iceland Fly In

Hi Lawrence,
Last week of July sounds perfect. BIRD is the reporting point on the FIR boundary at N 61when you leave the Scottish FIR to enter the Reykjavik FIR.

Definitely go with the Goretex as it wicks away the sweat! Otherwise we won't come (too) near you afterwards !

 

[Lawrence Rippon]

Re: Iceland Fly In

Hi Lawrence,
Last week of July sounds perfect. BIRD is the reporting point on the FIR boundary at N 61when you leave the Scottish FIR to enter the Reykjavik FIR.

That would be why I can't find it in an airfield database then. Doh! So where are you intending on making your first port of call in Iceland? I don't think I have the bladder for more than 4 hours at a time. So Hofn for me.