Hi,

Hope if your reading this you can help, Im currently hour building for my CPL out of Swansea. I went to the Scilly Isles on Friday and it has to be the most fantastic VFR flight I have ever done, talking to my friend (whilst routing to Dunkeswell for fuel and thus making the trip over 300 miles & 2 full stops for CPL) we wondered how we could beat this flight for a destination. So here I am to ask you your opinions of great airfields like Scilly worth visiting. We talked of maybe going to Ireland, France or Scotland.
I have about 43 hours left to burn and I will probably never get the chance of doing flights like these again so I plan to make the most of them.
All suggestions will be gladly received.

Cheers

Oban, Mull, Colonsay, Coll, Tiree, Plockton - and Barra if you don't mind sand in the undercarriage.

Beats Scillies any day (but don't count on the weather!)

NS

A trip down to northern Spain would be my way to go (dont forget the duty free fuel in the Channel Islands)

I have about 43 hours left to burn

Well, at the risk of stating the obvious: Pick any direction, preferrably between E and SSW, fly for 21.5 hours, then turn back. You will not regret it :ok:

Thanks for the tips, 21.5 hours in one direction would be interesting, although I think Id end up in Russia!
Barra looks nuts and that’s got to be done!
Just wondering A and C would you recommend any particular airfields in Northern Spain? think If I got that far Id have to carry on over to Gibraltar to land on the Rock!

Thanks again guys, really appreciate it.

On route Jersey for fuel, then one of the French customs airfields LaRochelle is OK then any of the small airfields on the west coast, Biarritz is OK but a bit more expensive than most. The lobster in chez albert on sea front is to die for!

I did Bibao was a good stop & cheap as are all Spanish airports, having a BP fuel card helps in Spain but not essential. But note that all flights in Spain require a flight plan, the up side of this is that once you are given a squak code you keep it for the whole flight.

Just a few ideas but just go south, as for hotels most of the big budget chains don;t charge if you cancel the booking before 1800L.

Oh ! I forgot Quiberon LFEQ is a very good nite stop

I did Granada, Cordaba & Seville in Spain but please note for political reasons you cant fly to Gibraltar to and from Spain so you are most likely to have to go to Tangier for that.

Biarritz is OK but a bit more expensive than most.

Yep. For GA purposes, one lands in LESO rather than LFBZ.

note that all flights in Spain require a flight plan

Actually they don't, unless you are entering controlled airspace (which most of the time you do; in particular, most airports are controlled). However, it's still a good idea for the usual reasons.

note for political reasons you cant fly to Gibraltar to and from Spain

How recent is your info? That used to be the case three years ago, nowadays as far as I'm aware the only restriction is that Gib is PPR. Not that popping into Tangier is necessarily a bad idea. The ARO office at Jerez will give you all the gen you need.

21.5 hours in one direction would be interesting, although I think Id end up in Russia!

And so? :E

Actually, I've just made a quick calculation and worked out that 50 hours could take you, assuming for the sake of argument that you depart from Cardiff, all the way to Southern Spain, onwards to France, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, onto the Croatian beaches, then up through Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland to the Baltic, and you'd still have time left for a quick dash into Scandinavia before making your way through Germany and the low countries back into the UK.

Of course, you would need to take between two and three weeks for this, to do it properly, but it's perfectly feasible.

Matter of fact, if you want some company in the cockpit (and after the first couple days you will :E) I'd quite fancy joining in for something like that :ok:

I take it you have already paid for the hours?

If not I'd go to the USA, rent a DA40, 180HP Lyco, G1000 for $99 per hour dry and fly around the USA ;)

Id go to the channel Islands on to Toulouse, on to Perpingnan skirt around the Pyranees into Barcelona then back up the coast to Nice then route up to Paris and then across to the UK on a late summer evening channel flight back home. I did this a few years ago over 5 days was fantastic.

A very easy and interesting trip, French ATC are very helpful and welcoming.