Following the Danube?

[QDMQDMQDM]

I'm going a bit crazy from lack of flying over the winter. Is this fantasy possible:

In the Cub, up the Rhine and then down the Danube through Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Romania to the Black Sea and then to Istanbul, stopping at small grass fields along the way.

It would be a hell of a trip.

QDM

[Windy Militant]

QDMQDMQDM
One of our group did a Grand Tour around a fair chunk of europe last year in the Auster. The story of the trip's in here, scroll down past the crashes etc

Side Slip (http://www.kingscott1.freeserve.co.uk/sideslipjan04.doc)

If you get that far you'll notice that she went in the company of a Super Cub. :ok:

[AfricanEagle]

Last year together with other 5 single engine planes I flew from Italy to the Black Sea via Greece and Turkey. Return was through Romania, Bulgary, Hungary and Croatia.

Hungary was very easy and hassle free: we landed at Budapest International but I saw lots of grass airfields along the way.

In Bulgary we stopped at Sofia International and things were quite straight forward. You need to request prior entrance/overflight permit a few days before.

Romania was a bit of a burocratic nightmare: prior entrance/overflight permit a 3 days before each flight in the country. We stopped at Arad, Bucharest and Costantia, all big airports. This last airport does not have readliy available avgas (which is expensive in the whole country at 2 US$ per litre). VFR is not common and we were continually requested to report over IFR rps. Didn't notice any grass strips.

At Istanbul we landed at Sabiha Gorcka International which was just great.

The Danube was beautiful.

Ciao,
AE

[QDMQDMQDM]

Thanks, both. WM, I can't get that link to work. Any suggestions?

QDM

[Windy Militant]

Hmm It worked OK from my work PC but it doesn't here at home
As far as I can make out you'll have to download the file to open it strange. I'm off to Scotland for a couple of days if you drop me your e-mail address I'll zip the relavant pages and whiz them over to you when I get back. Whilst I'm at it did you ever get a copy of the Jack Parham Video?

[FireFoxDown]

Windy Militant - the file's passworded unfortunately! :{

and African Eagle - what was Croatia like? i visited there(by train) last year and really enjoyed it, beautiful country, nice people, cheap etc. What was it like to fly in?

[Ripline]

FireFoxDown
Windy Militant - the file's passworded unfortunately!

Just click the Read-Only button.

Flown balloons in Croatia (Zagreb/Motovun/Varazdin) for last two years. The local airport towers seem to regard themselves as the sole authority for free flight in their area (I mean extending many miles from themselves) regardless of traffic, but plenty of evidence of GA (especially at Varazdin) where the local airfield hosted us and turned it into a festival!

The people are warm and friendly and I'm looking forward to returning in May, flying in the south part of Istria and finishing up in Zagreb. The countryside is beautiful at that time of year. Slovenia is also another country you should try.

Ripline

[AfricanEagle]

Ciao FFD,

My experience of Croatia is that it very easy and straight forward, ATC is very professional, fuel is cheap and people at the airports are friendly and helpful

Last year, after Zadar, I went for a weekend to the island of Brac with the C172. It has an international airport with customs and avgas and costs less than Split. And if you go three times in a year with the same aeroplane registration you get a free landing.

Ciao,
AE

[LowNSlow]

Windy great story. I'd have to have a bladder expansion before undertaking a trek like that :ooh:

[Windy Militant]

Howdy Folks Glad you managed to open Part One of the story! Personally I break into a cold sweat just thinking about going to Compton Abbas or Shobdon ;)

[Bernd Podhradsky]

Hey!

This trip seems to be wonderful, but it won't be possible to follow danube in one way down.

Vienna, for example, is a restricted area and you're not allowed to follow the danube anymore, so you would have to fly off the way a bit.

Anyway, it's a beautiful thing flying around the danube in Austria, since our landscape is - in my opinion - just wonderful for VFR trips.

Bernd

[BlueRobin]

One of our group did a Grand Tour around a fair chunk of europe last year in the Auster. The story of the trip's in here, scroll down past the crashes etc

Duncan Couchman? Know him. Small world!