Airfield in Ragusa, anyone?

[PPL152]

I am planning a flight to Eremo della Giubiliana Airfield located in Ragusa, South Sicily. I have logged onto their website www.eremodellagiubiliana.it (http://www.eremodellagiubiliana.it) and have gathered all info I need.

I am asking if someone has ever been there or if anyone of you knows of any experiences encountered at this airfield.

[Mad Girl]

Thanks for the link.

I haven't been there but was planning to hire an airplane from there in 2 years time to whizz my other half's family around the island (after I've got my license).

If you've got any further information after you've done the trip - please PM me. :ok:

MG

PS Watch the cakes in Sicily or you may have problems with your W&B calcs. :O

I am planning a flight to Eremo della Giubiliana Airfield located in Ragusa, South Sicily. I have logged onto their website www.eremodellagiubiliana.it (http://www.eremodellagiubiliana.it) and have gathered all info I need.

I am asking if someone has ever been there or if anyone of you knows of any experiences encountered at this airfield.

[PPL152]

Don't worry 'bout the cakes, been going around Sicily and South Italy for the past 2 years or so, so got used to them now!

It looks like a challenging place to land and/or takeoff since it's elevation is 1401ft, in addition to the narowness of the runway and also its length of about 700m.

Not quite encouraging when I hear stories such as the fatal accident of the Mooney and also heard that a Tecnam aircraft stalled and crashed there... I wonder what my C172 will do!

[Wrong Stuff]

I've flown in to the Eremo della Giubiliana Airfield. It's a fantastic destination and I can thoroughly recommend it. The hotel is lovely, the food is excellent and everyone is very welcoming too. I just followed your link to their website and the pictures brought back very happy memories of my visit there.

I flew a Mooney in and out again. It's absolutely fine provided you're confident of your skills, but I wouldn't recommend it for the faint-hearted as although on paper it looks quite reasonable, it's not very forgiving of any mistakes.

The runway is 680m long and has a significant slope which runs uphill when landing on 07. Other interesting features worth noting are the sturdy dry stone 6' wall immediately at the approach end of runway 25, the 15 foot sheer drop at the approach end of runway 07, the surprisingly narrow runway which makes it look a lot longer than it really is and finally the high voltage electricity pylons which run parallel to the runway just to the west.

Local advice is to land uphill on 07 and take off downhill on 25. Unfortunately, the prevailing wind is a brisk tailwind on landing during the day, so it's also recommended to either land early in the morning or close to dusk when the wind has died down. Landing on 25 you would lose quite a bit of the runway because you have to clear the wall at the approach end. If you're carrying any excess speed you won't be able to touch down because of the downslope and if you do over run at all there is nothing between the end of the runway and the 15 foot drop.

The drop at the approach end of 07 also makes it a bit like a carrier landing, as you get no peripheral cues that you're getting close to the ground. Even at dusk, you're also likely to have a bit of a quartering tailwind, which makes everything happen much quicker. Fortunately the surprise of the runway suddenly appearing under you is short lived because it's quickly overwhelmed by the shock of how narrow the runway really is!

The uphill slope on 07 is a bit of a mixed blessing. Although it makes stopping easier, you MUST make any decision to go around an early one. Once you get below about 50 feet above the threshold, you're going to have to land, because you won't be able to out-climb the runway on a go-around. I watched a lightly loaded twin go around from about 50 feet and even with his excess power they just flew parallel to the runway for almost all its length. Of course, that makes going around from a bounce impossible too.

Although it's an airfield which must be approached with a little caution (apologies for the pun there) it's certainly worth the effort as the hotel really is idyllic. It's also a fantastic feeling when you wake up the next morning and the aircraft is parked right there just outside the window.

One of the great destinations in Europe, in my opinion.

[high-hopes]

Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

[PPL152]

Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

Didn't understand you - Sorry.


Wrong Stuff

Many thanks for your valid post. Very interesting, in fact I saved it!

Please check your PM!


MORE EXPERIENCES??

[Snakecharmer]

When I visited the Eremo some years ago, I think the only British-registered aeroplane to have landed there previously was a Moth en-route to Africa to film 'The English Patient'! Quite appropriate, as I'd found out about the Eremo by taking its owner, Salvatore Mancini, flying in a Tiger Moth in the UK.

Top place - go there... and say hello to Salvatore for me!

[IFollowRoads]

Went there in 2002, arriving late afternoon. Someone had tried to arrive before me nearer midday, and went somewhere else, as they were worried about a/c performance with the heat. At Salvatore's request, we did a low approach & go-around, the go-around was quite scary with the stone wall and inclince already mentioned.

Absolutely worth it though - without a doubt one of the best hotels I have been too, I *soo* want to go back sometime. As already stated before, check you capabilty, particuularly short take off/landing, don't forget the ISA correction (35C and 1500' is *not* ISA!)