Faroe Islands

[H Ferguson]

hello,

has anyone ever flown to the Faroe Islands, VFR nav trip, ?

i was thinking of flying there next summer in a SEP C172 departing from Sumburgh.

it's about 180 nm from Sumburgh to the nearest land fall in the Faroes and about 220 nm in total to EKVG Vagar.

what is the availability of 100LL like ?

how much does it cost ?

how much are Landing and handling fee's ?

if you can add any relevant information please do.

thanks in advance !

[Flap40]

I don't know about fees etc (ring them on +298-332228 or check www.slv.dk/vagar ) but Westray overhead to Vagar is 12nm lwss than Sumburgh to Vagar. At 120kts still air is 1:53. Why not depart from Kirkwall and save the trek to the Shetlands.

Edit to say that the link is down. It does not even work from the slv website. e-mail address appears to be [email protected]

[Droopystop]

Not been in myself, but know a few who have (albeiti in large helicotpers).

The one comment made by all is the turbulence and various comments about the proximity of the ILS to the side of a hill (although that won't be worrying you). Definitely worth getting some advice from those who have been in/locals

[H Ferguson]

[quote:Flap40]...........Westray overhead to Vagar is 12nm lwss than Sumburgh to Vagar. At 120kts still air is 1:53. Why not depart from Kirkwall and save the trek to the Shetlands.

thanks Flap40,

i should have metioned the idea is to do some flying in the Shetlands and the Orkney Islands and then the next day try for the Faroes.

Kirwall is 184 nm to the AB NDB in the Faroes and from Westray makes it 165 nm over water.

Sumburgh is 182.8 nm from the same NDB ,enroute is the island of Foula, probably to small to land on but if you had to ditch you could try and get as close to it as you can which is 153.5 nm from the AB NDB in the Faroes, the nearest landfall.

so at 110 kts thats roughly 1 hr 25 mins over to the Faroes.

if the engine quits between Sumburgh and Foula or a few miles past it and your at say FL 75 at least you have dry land to aim for or get as close too.

[shetlander]

If the engine quits between Sumburgh and Foula or a few miles past it and your at say FL 75 at least you have dry land to aim for or get as close too.

You should try Tingwall / Lerwick EGET - its a nice and challenging little airstip.

It is my local airstip and they get allot of people like you flying into it.

Its NDB is 376.0 and "Tingwall Information" is on 122.600Mhz
I should also mention there are 3 Search and Rescue Helicopters based at Sumburgh so at least if you do have to ditch between Sumburgh and Foula, you will be picked up pretty fast

Cheers,
Shetlander:cool:

[Brooklands]

The person who you probably ought to talk to is 2Donkeys (although he went IFR), but I'm not sure if he frequents PPrune anymore. You may be able to contact him via The flyer forums (http://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=1).

He's been to Vagar, and considered routing via there when he flew accross the Atlantic last year in his TB20. In the end he decided not to as the weather there tends to be bad and very changable. These extracts from his blog illustrate the point
The scary bit about Vagar is the weather. Vagar has one of the worst fog records for the whole of Europe. Visibility is frequently down below approach minima, and in a further twist, the low visibility is often combined with terrific wind shear during the last 1000 feet of the approach, sufficiently so, that an 850 foot wind report is always included in the METAR.
and
TAFs from Vagar almost invariably offer PROB40 TEMPO (unlandable)
This is for an IFR arrival, VFR is going to be even harder.

One more point, I believe that most (or perhaps all) of the North Atlantic is covered by class A controlled airspace starting at FL50, so you may not be able to do the crossing at FL75.

I don't think that its impossible to do, but I doubt it would be very easy. I think you'd need to plan on having enough fuel to go there and back without landing, just in case.

Sorry to be so pessimistic
Brooklands

[wrecker]

Many years ago during one of the "Cod Wars" I remember routing via Vagar to BIKF and running into an unforecast 200kt Headwind at our operational level. Never got to BIKF but got back to base very quickly.
It couldn't happen now forecasting is so much better! Isn't it?

[H Ferguson]

:Brooklands ]The person who you probably ought to talk to is 2Donkeys (although he went IFR), but I'm not sure if he frequents PPrune anymore. You may be able to contact him via The flyer forums (http://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=1).

thanks i'll try and get contact with him.

:Brooklands]One more point, I believe that most (or perhaps all) of the North Atlantic is covered by class A controlled airspace starting at FL50, so you may not be able to do the crossing at FL75.

from Sumburgh to Sider is 133.1 nm which is in the Scottish FIR and is Class G airspace ,Class C is from FL 245 up to Fl 460.

from Sider to Akraberg(AB) NDB ,51 nm, is in the Vagar TIZ which is Class G airspace (when active).

the Vagar TIZ is in the Reykjavik FIR ,Class A is from Fl 55 / UNL. You could i suppose fly at FL 55 when you get to Sider on to Vagar or if possible fly Special VFR as people do flying to the Channel Islands.

so lets say i start at Sumburgh with Five hours endurance, possibly Six hours, and try and make contact with Vagar AFIS as soon as possible to get a weather report. It should be possible to make contact from FL 75 or FL 95 at about half way or about an hour out from Sumburgh and then make the decision to go on or not.

[S-Works]

Its not Class A terminal airspace so no SVFR, IFR only.


=H Ferguson;2971545]The person who you probably ought to talk to is 2Donkeys (although he went IFR), but I'm not sure if he frequents PPrune anymore. You may be able to contact him via The flyer forums (http://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=1).

thanks i'll try and get contact with him.

:Brooklands]One more point, I believe that most (or perhaps all) of the North Atlantic is covered by class A controlled airspace starting at FL50, so you may not be able to do the crossing at FL75.

from Sumburgh to Sider is 133.1 nm which is in the Scottish FIR and is Class G airspace ,Class C is from FL 245 up to Fl 460.

from Sider to Akraberg(AB) NDB ,51 nm, is in the Vagar TIZ which is Class G airspace (when active).

the Vagar TIZ is in the Reykjavik FIR ,Class A is from Fl 55 / UNL. You could i suppose fly at FL 55 when you get to Sider on to Vagar or if possible fly Special VFR as people do flying to the Channel Islands.

so lets say i start at Sumburgh with Five hours endurance, possibly Six hours, and try and make contact with Vagar AFIS as soon as possible to get a weather report. It should be possible to make contact from FL 75 or FL 95 at about half way or about an hour out from Sumburgh and then make the decision to go on or not.

[H Ferguson]

:bose-x]Its not Class A terminal airspace so no SVFR, IFR only.

well the Vagar TIZ is Class G up to 7500 ft and the Scottish FIR is Class G up to FL 245 so i could fly at say 10,000 ft in the Scottish FIR and then drop down to 7500 ft when i get to SIDER (FIR Boundary)

[Warped Factor]

Was one of a small group who did it a few years ago, read the write up here. (http://www.flyingpirates.co.uk/faeroes.html)

[DFC]

from Sider to Akraberg(AB) NDB ,51 nm, is in the Vagar TIZ which is Class G airspace (when active).


As far as I am aware, the TIZ is 60nm radius centred on the 'NL' NDB and from NL to SIDER is 70 odd miles so there is a 10nm or so GAP which is Class A down to FL55.

At SIDER, being at FL55 or at FL75 will make little significant difference if the engine quits......you are going to spend quite a bit of time on the water and +/-3 to 4 minutes will not make much difference!

Make sure you calculate a point of no return and critical point for all the possible alternates including places such as Stornoway etc and be able to update these as the flight progresses.

Which fuel tanks has the C172 got...........or more to the point, how much fuel can you carry with the crew and all the safety equipment etc.

Definitely very doable however, read the advice available from the FAA and Transport Canada for pilots flying across the Atlantic. The Faroes may not be that far away but most of the advice is sound for such a trip.

Regards,

DFC

[pistongone]

Just a suggestion, if you head off from Cape Wrath and head to the Island of Rona, appx 320' true- 39nm, that leaves you 139nm on a track of 350 deg-true from AB NDB. Knock off your gliding range and your going to be at risk of getting wet for a substantialy shorter period of time. Has anyone used this route? Mr H Ferguson i would be interested in doing this trip, when are you thinking of going? Presumably next summer?

[Gargleblaster]

Here's the AIP for the Faroe Islands: http://www.slv.dk/Dokumenter/dscgi/ds.py/View/Collection-31

[H Ferguson]

Gargleblaster, i already found that but thanks anyway!:ok:

[Odi]

This is a trip that we on Sumburgh Radar see fairly often - although usually it is ferry flights passing over us in the other direction en route to landfall in Norway somewhere.
The most recent one I worked was a Norwegian AS32 helicopter transiting at 2,000ft from Norway to Vagar.
Air Traffic wise we would provide you with a "flight watch" as long as we could which would be dependant, obviously, on your level. At FL65 (correct quadrantal outbound) we would be able to maintain a listening watch with you all the way to Sider by which time you should be well within range of Vagar AFIS or Reykjavik Centre.
If you flew low level (say around 2,000ft) we would suggest you transferred your "flight watch" to one of the oil rigs that are out to the west of Shetland on the Atlantic Rim. It would then be a matter of "hopping" from frequency to frequency just so you had an Alerting Service from someone who could shout for help should the unthinkable happen.
Any ATC questions regarding this trip, or for any flying around the Shetlands, then feel free to ask.
___
Odi

[H Ferguson]

Odi ,thanks.

i would plan to fly as high as i can so it will be either FL 65 , FL 85 or FL 105 depending on the freezing level. it's good to know i'll be able to be in contact with you for the best part of the flight.

just out of interest how many ol rigs are along or near the route i would be flying i.e. Sumburgh to Sider. the more the better as it gives me more options in the event of ditching.

i wonder would it be possible for you in sumburgh radar to pass on the latest metar/weather reports for Vagar , as it is a good two hour flight it would be helpful in making the decision to go on or turn back.

thanks again Odi i'll be in contact closer to the date of the flight .

[Odi]

TAFS and METARS are no problem - we can obtain them and pass them as required.

There are two "clumps" of oil rigs on track Sumburgh - Sider, the Clair field which is, very approx, 70 miles NW of Sumburgh and the Foinhaven/Schiehallion field which is, again very approx, 90 miles west of Sumburgh.

If you were flying above FL65 then we would pass you to Scottish as they have the comms to cope with the higher level stuff and would be aware of any conflicting traffic at those levels.

Where abouts in the UK would you be starting your trip from?

[DFC]

If this is a VFR trip then simply ignore the recomendation to cruise at a quadrantal. Fly at the level that best suits the trip and to maintain VMC.

The freezing level makes little difference to VFR flights - if you remain in VMC you will not pick up and airframe ice unless you fly in freezing rain which would be very unlikely.

Regards,

DFC

[H Ferguson]

Odi,

i plan on starting the trip to the Faroes from Sumburgh Airport. i would be flying from Dublin Airport initially up to the north of Scotland do some touring of the Orkneys and the Shetland Islands and then if weather permits head for the Faroes.