We four are up early, a little the worse for wear after a long day and a late night, but at 8am we're on the road back to Biberach. The weather, which has been horrible for two days, is now lovely. It would have been wonderful to fly back. If only we'd flown here Wednesday evening. Of course, that was the day we got locked in at Nancy, I had a headache anyway, we'd have been very late and tired, and anyway, the forecast for Thursday had been good. We weren't clairvoyant. It's a shame, but that's aviation for you.
We console ourselves by remembering that we'd got further than we ever expected, had a wonderful time, and that almost no-one else had managed to fly to Salzburg.
We get back in record time, on a Sunday morning with little traffic. We check the weather, trying to work out where the front is. B and I decide to go to Saarbrucken, north and on the border. We'd rather head north, and get out of the hills, and we don't want to go back the same way we came. We'd considered smaller places, but it the weather gets worse we'd rather be near somewhere that can help us get in, and if we're going to be stranded for a day or so, at least large towns have shops and restaurants and things to do. The trouble is, no-one seems to know anything about Saarbrucken, either the town or the airfield. I'd even asked around at Salzburg, but no-one seemed to have been there. But we phone them, and they sound very friendly.
We also found out about this noise abatement thing at German airfields. It's in the German Trip Kit, section 6.6 I think, but I've left it with B, so I'm not certain. Some airfields have restrictions on take-offs and landings for aircraft without a noise certificate. It's only early morning and late at night usually (and possibly lunchtimes, can't remember for certain), but on Sundays and holidays it's any time after 1pm local. It doesn't include the big airports, or the tiny airfields; they have to have more than a certain number of movements a year. It doesn't include Biberach, but does include most of the smaller airfields we'd been considering. Biberach's airfield manager says landing should be OK; it's taking off they worry about. But several airfield plates say to look at this section, so we're not that sure. After all, this is Germany, where they stick to the rules! But Saarbrucken is big, so we're OK.
We have a lovely flight, over more mountains and rivers and forests; southern Germany really is beautiful. But it's very bumpy and thermic; I give up attempting to keep straight and level, and let KF do her own thing. A roller coaster sort of trip really. Again, radio use is straightforward, with no problems. I really like flying in this country. And it's nice to be in the air again, after a few days off. We get to Saarbrucken mid-afternoon, and consider going on. However, we're not sure where the front is, and decide we're probably safer on the ground; it's due to hit us tonight, but could be a bit early. And it still sounds nasty. The people at Saarbrucken Airport are all action; they find us a hotel, help us tie down KF, and order us a taxi. It arrives before we're even ready!!! We feel a bit as though Germany is too organised maybe, but it's certainly rather nice, and we pretty much have to go along with it. Are all German airfields like this, we wonder? The hotel is luxurious and amazingly cheap; they also have internet access. I intend to start this thread, but find I'm running out of coins; hence the rather pointless first post here. Anyway, we go for a walk into the town, and find it's a very pleasant place, with a river, riverside cafes, a large square with restaurants all round it, and interesting old buildings. How come nobody had heard of this place? It's definitely a good stopping off point. We sit by the river eating apfel strudel, then wander round the town, then have a meal out of doors in the square. But it's now beginning to cloud over, so we head back to the hotel, expecting the deluge at any moment.
Will we still be here tomorrow, waiting out the weather? Wait and see....