A Documented Journal of a Journey to Celebrate a Retirement in a Serious Touring Homebuilt Aeroplane

The subject day was August 14th 2004! Originally a Europa Group organised by William Mills was to make a Six Nations trip commencing the first week of May. This had to be suspended due to very bad weather making it likely that we would have made it to the middle of France and sat there for a week.
William agreed to re-activate the tour later in the Summer.
August 14th was the day he happened to choose. Since I had already made commitments to attend the Swiss Interlarken Rally the following weekend I suggested that perhaps we could split the Six Nations trip into two making the Interlarken weekend the central focal point.
William actually took this on board but somehow the plan finished at Interlarken having done the Six Nations bit in the week. This left me with the perception of an unused portion of a trip extending into the next week.
Now obviously I couldn't desert my family on the actual BIG DAY so arrangements were made that Ivor Phillips and I would catch the rest of the gang up somewhere before Czech Republic by the 16th August.
I took my dog to kennels and my non-flying Wife to her Sisters, mowed the lawn, strimmed "the estate" took the aircraft to Wickenby (EGNW) where I gave a friend a 30 minute flight experience then got ready for a very early departure. (some birthday this!)
I departed very early next morning with spare fuel on board to meet Ivor Phillips my regular distance flying friend at Southend (EGMC). The flight was blissfully smooth with dawn breaking over the North Sea making some remarkably long shadows. He had kindly prepaid the landing fee since Southend is a 24 hour field although it has no office facility until about 0800 hours.
We refuelled using can and drum which had travelled "as passenger" and dispatched his ever helpful wife Mona (Irish for Monica) with car and empty cans assuring her that we were on a "training flight"!
With flight plans previously submitted to Saarbrucken (EDDR) we had an uneventful 3 hour flight to find on arrival the advance party still lined up and Mark Burton and partner Helen just arriving after we had refuelled. The main group had spent their previous evening wandering round castles etc. It is worth mention that the reception on this airfield was second to none, we were all greeted with a "follow me" truck and fuel was immediately made available. Landing was in the region of Ł5.00
So we then all continued in loose formation 2hours 45 mins to Sazena (LKRO) having previously secured the Czech CAA permission to fly in their airspace and filed the appropriate flight plan and as a group.
Sazena is something like a 100 acre field quite level but at this time of year very dry and dusty.
David Joyce who "sports" a Kremen Constant Speed Propeller had kindly recruited Mr.Kremen himself and Jiri his English speaking Director and some local Europa builders to meet us and take us to previously Kremen arranged Hotel Sport in Kralupy near Prague. We enjoyed a pleasant evening meal in a riverside restaurant The next day we were treated like "kings" and enjoyed a conducted tour round the Kremen factory inspecting their excellent products.
. Kremen make over 100 different models but the prop used on the Europa is constructed from laminated ash which is naturally air cured for 5 years 'in the garden' (We saw the pallets stacked with wood outside). After the wood is selected to be knot free, it is cut, resin bonded in layers, shaped, then covered with 2 layers of glass and finished with 2 layers of carbon fibre, the final layers being applied in a mould to ensure that they are all exactly the same. They are then hand finished to an outstanding standard. We were shown the prop balancing facility which was demonstrated by sticking a 1/2 inch long piece of masking tape to one blade, the extra weight of this causing it to rotate to the bottom! David's prop was originally only given PFA clearance for three years since the blades have a special bonding system used to hold them in their sockets which was considered to be 'untried'. The test of this socket bond has been proven to something like 13 tonnes! This PFA approval has now been extended to 6 years and we all agreed that if we were building again, the Kremen would be top of our shopping list, particularly as it is around half the price of many other CS props.

We were taken for lunch in a " Bonny and Clyde" style restaurant which turned into a feast.
They then took us to an aircraft museum which was a special treat since it was closed at the time but since they provide the propellers for the exhibits they had the necessary keys! Some of our party were able to have photos taken at the controls of various MIGS. (dream on guys!)
Continuous transport was kindly provided by the Kremen people (flatly refusing our contribution) and we then found ourselves in the beautiful old City of Prague where we visited the historic castle and cathedral along with thousands of other tourists. The Kremen entourage then collected us and returned us to the hotel and we had yet another excellent meal at the same riverside restaurant (the food was so good ...if it's not broke don't fix it!). They even collected us for transfer back to the airfield next morning.
There was no fuel available for us but we simply flew 10 minutes to a very local field (LKRO) where we shared refuel facilities with cars at a garage. The enterprising proprietor had avgas from pumps as well as unleaded autogas and it was a delight to see the general public drawing fuel at the same facility. Such a shame we don't get these chances to make life more simple here.
Then without more ado we set off 2 hours 45 minutes to Voslau (LOAV) in Austria near Vienna.
We were met quite by chance by an ex. pat whose office was in the airfield reception buildings. He was most helpful in recommending us a suitable hotel, Hotel Stephanie, and even fixed us with an airport people carrier and a charming young female skydiver as driver.
We checked in and quickly brushed up and caught a train into Vienna and took a brisk walk through Belvedere Palace grounds into down town and met up with Andreas Doblhoff-Dier the Austrian Europa flyer with "excocet" like farings on his monowheel outriggers.
He had driven some 150-KM to meet us and spend the evening. Needless to say we all enjoyed yet more excellent food and wine at a restaurant off the main thoroughfare. There we had an encounter with a lady who could only be described as the mother of "Margarita from Bogata" of the Clive James TV Show. She soon knocked us all into shape and had an air of extreme efficiency about her, chasing up the table service etc. After the meal William happened to meet with her on the pavement outside and tried to get her to dance to no avail!
With all the speedy walking by the time we arrived back at the hotel we were well ready to crash out.
Next day instead of spending the day sight seeing in Vienna we elected to take a flight 2 hours to St Johann (LOIJ) over spectacular mountainous scenery. St Johann typifies the perception of a countryside Austrian scene and on the day we were treated to blissful weather to go with it. We enjoyed some of the local cuisine, for instance marinated raw venison and appropriate drinks.
That evening we attended what turned out to be a buffet restaurant with tables set in a beer garden type compound but since we had dined mid day it was quite adequate for a change.
Next day we had to make a critical decision to " go for Italy" or not.
Personally I wanted to simply to say I'd been and fortunately the group agreed although now after suffering a Ł30 Handling charge per aircraft I'm not so sure there would be a consensus now!
It was said that we had to pay for attendance of police, customs, marshals, fuel attendants, the fire services, the janitor and window cleaner, all in spite of the fact that the Tower was told on approach that we didn't require any handling! Those still sore on this point read on I can more than double that.
Still, I haven't mentioned where in Italy, it was Padova (LIPU) We left Voslau expecting difficult weather approaching from the SW and flight planned to over-fly a portion of Slovenia which proved acceptable as far as the authorities were concerned. However weather in this region was quite difficult with a cloudbase not normally a concern at 4,000 ft but in and around peaks it called for some intuitive decisions on which side of what to fly!
Ultimately the low level coastal route facilitated a fly-by Venice putting a whole new aspect on why it is sinking. From the air it is quite obvious, there not seeming to be a square inch without buildings the whole sat in the middle of the biggest "bog like" expanse of water one has ever witnessed. If it had to endure Atlantic swells of sea it would be long gone!
Padova is a jewel of old cities with the St.Antonio Cathedral and ancient market place. We were a little late getting ourselves organised and it took us a while walking to establish that we had better take an Italian Chinese meal! Which turned out to be very satisfying. Before retiring to our small hotel Mignon ...yes that was the name not that we had steak! .... We walked through into the Market Place.
There to behold was a unique example of Italian Family Bonding. It seemed that most of the Padova families congregated in the central area with floodlit fountains a surrounding moat and ornate bridges to the centre, grassed area's outside the moat with dogs being played catching ball. Immediately round all this the traffic was fenced off leaving room for "blade" skaters, skate boarders, and the likes of joggers with "if you've got it flaunt it" motives. No hoodlums or vandalism, a real positive example of how family values should be. All not unlike Rio where half of the dual carriageway past the Copacabana beach and more is shut off on Sundays to the benefit of personal exercisers.... and flaunting in abundance!
In the morning we checked out and returned to the airport to find that the fuel facility had been repaired'o! but we were in trouble for not advance requesting the police and customs to meet us to authorise departure. When they eventually arrived complete with guns we all had to be subjected to individual scrutiny prior to being allowed airside and paying the "necessary " service charges.
We had agreed that we would take Mark Burtons suggested route to Interlarken but he and Helen had decided that they must be back in Britain for the Saturday without fail and due to unpredictable forecasts they must "cut and run". We had filed their preferred plan and set off this time with David with Mike Gregory as co-pilot undertaking to "bring up the rear" (for a change!) and Richard Iddon and Son were to be leaders of the loose formation. Due to low rolling clouds and difficult visibility the exit from Padova soon split up the already loose formation.
On entering the Alps up Lake Como it soon became advisable to take the St Gothard Pass route instead of sticking to the filed plan and since Ivor and I had "been and seen before" (read intimidated here!) we assumed the radio lead and eventually made an approach to Interlarken (LSMI), except the final valley was a sheet of rain with no way to go but through it.
Para gliders at the start of the circuit were a new experience to be negotiated here. I guess we were all for once pleased to be on the ground. (2hours 20 mins)
We had however been encouraged by 'phoned weather communications from Mike Parkin and Alan Hemmings from Sandtoft (EG CF) who were early at Interlarken for the Swiss Rally.
Having checked in and cleared the Swiss Customs (a facility kindly arranged by the organisers) we accepted a lift from Dave Buckley and partner to a Hotel Baren (Bear) Wilderswil. Some of our party were later billeted at Hotel Kreuz in close proximity.
The Rally organisers had as usual arranged transport to a nearby restaurant for the evening meal. One of the items on the menu was HORSE and being always a culinary explorer I chose to try it. Not bad for the first time at 65! My family is disgusted with me and I must admit to often thinking of those beautiful animals being farmed for meat export to Europe running wild in fields in Canada. However the dirty deed had long since been done so I have to report that the meat was very palatable and not unlike beefsteak. I guess since our digestive systems needs protean if " needs must soonest mended "!
Not sure if I should say " the end justifies the means" though!
The morning brought some dubious looking weather but it soon started to break with lots of other aircraft arriving from all over Europe Including Bob Gibbs and Dave Bossomworth in their Europas and indeed Andreas from Austria, Gert Dalgaard Sorenson from Denmark amongst others, I'm sure to have missed some out for which I apologise.
The weather soon began to get us all itching to go mountain flying and with such Mountains as the Eiger so local it was like a magnet. Plans were soon made and differing parties went high! The peaks were inclined to have passing cloud which made for difficult timing to be suitably positioned to take dramatic photos of peaks and glaciers alike, reaching 13,000ft.
Prizes were presented in the hangar that evening for various competitions, the distance prize going to an Irish guy. With different rules some of our group would have "cleaned the board".
Most of the UK group was to depart home on Sunday in the face of worsening weather predictions.
However Ivor and I were determined to use up our initial second weeks "training pass" so we had decided that it was better to go South round the incoming fronts and fly back to Blighty from the West.
Not before we had taken a rail trip offered at by Max Bhand who was one of the rally organisers whose wife is a mountain guide for the area getting concessionary rates. Lets face it to be so local to such a mountain range and not take such an opportunity would have been a sin.
So a 6am get up and book out was essential to facilitate us leaving the airfield in time to get to Perpignan (LFMP) (Southern France via Cannes) by nightfall. The Jungfrau train ride was awesome enabling many photos to record the pleasure unfolding. There is even an Ice Palace at the top complete with permanent ice carvings. The air was crystal clear with breathtaking views. The temperature was minus 5 deg. and walking up steps at 13,000ft was stressful on the lungs. Over-flying aircraft seemed so close.
I believe that Mike Parkin and Alan Hemmings took advantage of their exit back home to have a further pass by these huge mountains.
On return to the airfield I gave one of the Rally organisers a Europa flight experience and we soon fuelled up for our flight to Cannes (LFMD) back over the St Gothard Pass (When we found it!) and over the top to Lake Maggiore, skirting over Italy again keeping well clear of Milan controlled airspace and taking the "not above 500ft level route off the coast past Monaco and the Riviera's. (2 hours 50 mins)
Landing at Cannes the customs and immigration clearances were a quick formality and refuelling took only a small time. Since it was 18.55 local our expected cup of coffee was a definite "NON FERME".
I was particularly put out about this lady but unwittingly she helped us later.
We quickly departed and elected to fly across the huge bay of Montpellier some 100 miles across instead of following the coastline, yet another factor which helped us! Doesn't the sun go down quickly in these climes? The" miles to go" on the GPS were agonisingly slow to reduce even at 120 kts. We eventually coasted in by Perpignan then after a few wisps of mist made an uneventful landing about 5 minutes after official VFR finish, (1 hour 50 mins) whilst the full runway lights weren't on, the edge markers were useful! It was positively dark by the time we had tied down for the night.
We passed the officials quickly (they take pilots licence details here)then took a waiting taxi to the hotel of the drivers choice Hotel Mondial.
Quickly brushed up and shot out to find a meal where I managed to find my usual Moules for starters but I skipped the garlic!.
Next morning after a substantial breakfast but not including any fry up we had a quick walking exploration of Perpignan. It's quite a nice city with a tourist outlook. Last time I was here it was raining so I had a different impression.
On arrival back at the field Ivor busied himself with flight planning for Palma (LEPA) Mallorca whilst I checked out the gascolator since my previous experiences were telling on my conscience! (General Aviation is not allowed into Palma during the weekend.)
Then we realised that we hadn't paid the landing fee so it meant a long walk back to the terminal. ATC were kind to allow us to taxi and park closer after refuelling on the GA Park.
The fee was only a small amount but it meant negotiating the police again into the normal passenger terminal. This was no problem but getting past the same cop to go out after he caught me washing my hands in a so called staff only facility was a major item. After he gave me my ticking off he just went back to his lair full well knowing that I needed to have him open the damn door, eventually the Information Desk rousted him out to let me out dirty hands and all! People like this should learn that without aircraft and travellers they wouldn't have a job.
No more ado we took off for an uneventful flight into Spanish Airspace following the coast towards
Barcelona then flying out to Mallorca.
All was uneventful until nearing the coast when we encountered a serious squall at the spawning of a CB. Throttling back and going round it was the solution. Then we entered Palma Controlled airspace and followed the designated waypoints and were directed to "06 left" being the left of three parallel runways all with final from the Palma Bay.
Unfortunately this meant a taxi round the entire airfield and use of about a millimetre of main gear rubber to get to the G A ramp where I spent quite some time trying to get "Norman Collier" to understand that I wanted avgas, the radio for ground crew combined with mine to make it almost impossible to communicate. SO the inevitable Handling Guy (who no doubt had a deal set up with the "collier talker"!) At least he was effective and got "all the ducks in a row" including fuel and taxi to a local Hotel Tropical supposedly without his commission (do you believe that?) almost on the beach.
After the 13,000ft shortage of air for lungs at the Eiger and minus 5 deg. the 37 deg. encountered here some 24 hours later was somewhat similar!
I was pleased that the runway was now 06 because I seem to remember that I once landed or took off from there in a big jet which over flew biggest of fuel tank farms, and I see now that the tank farm is right away from the runway line otherwise it was a disaster waiting to happen.
We filed a flight plan from the Hotel by eventually faxing it to our friend Handler Guy, to Vitoria NW Spain some 3hours 30 minutes flight, departure to be two hours prior to that originally advised.
We enjoyed a trip into Palma and walked into the city down town area and back through the old part of the city with streets overhung with protruding windows not unlike the "Shambles" in York before catching a taxi back to the Hotel. Both of us knew the Hotel name but could we think of the locality?
Unwittingly I'd hailed a female taxi driver and she was about as useful as chocolate fireguard.
So we got somewhere near and dispensed with her. We walked down to the beach along the front listening those who'd been drinking convince themselves they could sing and happened on a pleasant beach-side restaurant to eat our fill.
Then the search for the Hotel resumed, as it happened we walked quite a distance along the front with the airliners on final approaching from the sea and were just beginning to think we should ask (or take AN INTELLEGENT taxi) when I noticed the Hotel just to our left!
The air conditioning was top notch and we enjoyed a fantastic breakfast buffet help yourself to as much and as many as you like proportions.
The Hotel had its own pool facility and was an example of first class efficiency. A taxi request got one there by the time you got from reception and down the concourse steps.
Surprisingly our "gofer" /handler had the plan filed the previous evening so apart from a 20 minute wait for him to get to work we were ready to leave, all weather reports needed flew off his computer like we were regular clients. You get my hidden message yet? NOW THE ACCOUNT, SIR. ...110 Euros of which landing were 11.86 Euros and "Handling" was 76 Euros. But pleased to see there was no charge for the cups of coffee, transport three times for 200 yards, cleaning and phone calls. However unlike the Italians he did make it appear that he was "earning his corn". I do wish I'd investigated the advice of a guy at the Swiss Rally who recommended landing at a private strip just north of Palma TMA though, but would it have been likely we could flight plan to there?
On departure I was thrilled to be able to fly within photo-shoot of the Massive Palma Cathedral and over the west end of Magaluf and the Sister Hotels of The Barbados and Antillas were, having previously stayed with my young family many years ago.
It was necessary to do a left hand wing-over to reposition to take the hotel photo a fact we were reminded of some 3 hours later.
The flight over the Mediterranean to the mainland was uneventful but there was no horizon whatever making it almost IFR and quite tiring but good experience (training!) We crossed right over Spain routed via Zaragoza (LEZG) almost to the western coast. From height whole areas looked like parched desert with many circular irrigation schemes with lush green vegetation/crops to be seen, likely being paid for from the European Community Funds! Our destination was Vitoria (LEVT) (not the Brazilian one 500 miles north of Rio de Janeiro, I've been there.) But remember the "wing over "to do the photo? Suddenly 30 minutes to go there was silence from up front. A quick flick of the reserve switch and the windmilling prop got an immediate restart without so much as a splutter, we probably only lost about 100 ft maximum. Now, there's only 20 minutes in the reserve tank which meant that the long range tank siphon had stopped, so Ivor spent the next 15 minutes using the siphon pump to urge fuel forwards to replenish the main tank to enable the reserve to be used for the final landing.
All was well ultimately and the flight had only used 83 litres out of a possible 110 so we had still at least one hour of flight left had it been necessary. However it's a wake up call to keep checks on the siphon in unstable flight conditions.
Vitoria was a massive airfield with next to nil activity, excellent service and friendly, only about Ł5 landing charge more my kind of airfield.
The place seemed to be on holiday so we were quickly served fuel and took off for LaRochelle (LFBH) on the French Western Coast over-flying miles of beach as far as the eye could see. Military activity caused us to request over-fly their danger areas, which was granted subject to height restrictions and keeping close the coastline.
Upon landing we received a customs delegation of four that chose to ignore the passengers of a Buzz plane having just landed and make a "bee line " for us instead.
Having thoroughly searched our baggage, the plane inspected all the aircraft documents and recorded all the recent flights from my logbook (First time I ever filled it in daily during a long flight away!) They eventually gave up the search as a bad job. Three of the older guys were quite civil but the jerk of a younger one was rooting for a "fight." Yet another example of arrogance this time also from a FRENCH MAN what do you know! Of course every one knows a Europa has a massive pay load over fuel needed, a passenger, luggage and full camping gear so they expected to find a further hundredweight of what?
I then tried to get fuel, only to be told it was closed from 16.00 hours to 18.00 hours when at 18.00 hours, the same man served the avgas and he'd never left the office. Oh! How I wish ........!?
This caused us to delay our flight to Deauville St. Gatien (LFRG) but after negotiating a huge CB we landed as per flight plan (1 hour 48Mins) in good daylight and was let out of the closed field by the doll of an Air Traffic Controller who kindly also fixed us a taxi to Honfleur and Hotel Deaufin.
Having checked in we scooted out for a meal having difficulty in choice of many restaurants.
Honfleur is a beautiful little fishing /marina town and well worth a visit in its own right irrespective of flying.
Next morning back at the airfield we walked into some very long faces and got the third degree in pigeon English as to when we landed and why when the airfield was closed. Not realising the problem we had just landed as per the controllers (charming lady) instructions without mention that the field was closed almost as if we were expected due to the flight plan. More arrogant French Officials eh!
I doubt they had even seen the sign on the Plane referring to Brussels ...NO WAY UK. I must ask do we really want to be shacked up to them?
Anyway I refuelled they took my money and we took off direct for Seaford (SFD) and due to low cloud and squalls had to coast in east of the cliffs over lower ground. We made it to Biggin Hill (EGKB) with a standard approach for a downwind right hand 21 approach in 1 hour 22 minutes leaving me enough fuel to make it back to home base Wickenby some 1 hour 40 minutes later nearly having violated Stansteads air space due to a curtain of CB's across my path a tiny gap opening only at the last minute. Then further up country Cottesmore tried to hand me to Cranwell into the teeth of another CB system. This necessitated a request of Conningsby to transit their eastern stub flying out nearly to Boston and being asked to orbit allowing some emergency military traffic into their eastern approach. I was allowed to continue to Wickenby only to do the first crappy landing with right hand squall from another approaching CB. I left the 'plane to return later with it's trailer and still got wet derigging it.... The first time since leaving ten days earlier when Britain had suffered the wettest August on record.