Cirrus SR22 UK to Istanbul - Advice Please

[007helicopter]

Advise sought on a possible scenario.

I am a recent new owner of an SR22 and only have about 15 hours to date on type, total fixed wing time 250 hours PPL with no IMC or IFR, some european flying experience, mainly France & Holland.

Anyway the situation is friends in Istanbul have decided they want an SR22 and will learn to fly in Turkey, They / We have found a very low hours late model which fits perfectly for what they want but no deal finalised yet.

Now the problem is, they have asked if i would fly it to Turkey which with my present experience would be reluctant to do so advice needed is...

A) Which would be safest & easiest route? (I am prepared to fly reasonable water crossings)
B) How difficult might it be in terms of actually getting any permission in any en route countries and entering Turkey.
C) What problems might there be with communicating with ATC
D) Are there any legal implications.

This is totally non commercial, they would pay for fuel & landing fees only.

I have allready said to them the second option is I would find a suitably qualified safety pilot or Ferry pilot but feel that it would be a good challenge to plan & accomplish it myself.

Any thoughts ?

[IO540]

A few random thoughts:

The obvious route is a direct flight over the Alps to somewhere in Croatia. Losinj LDLO is a nice little island with a fully international airport (a wooden hut) and 60p/litre avgas.

From there you could do Turkey (the near bit) in one more leg.

The Belgium - Germany - Austria route crosses the Alps at a lower level than the route from Switzerland, but a portable oxygen kit is still desirable for VMC on top.

Not much avgas in Greece. Corfu LGKR has avgas, then Mykonos LGMK. Corfu would thus make a good final stop on the way to Turkey.

Alternatively Sitia LGST has avgas and is also a port of entry, at times of the year anyway.

Once over the Alps, the weather tends to be a lot better, which is why crossing the Alps in one leg from the UK is a good idea. Far better to be sitting here at home waiting for wx to improve than doing the same in a £200/night hotel in Switzerland eating £20 Swiss sandwiches.

Another way is to fly down to Dubrovnik LDDU, avgas is there, and fly direct to Turkey from there. This may be tricky - Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia are not entirely casual about routings and I recall having some fun there when I used to go VFR.

Last I heard, N-reg planes are 24hr PPR in Turkey.

The plane will need transfer to a Turkish reg if it is to be used for training, and they really ought to get their ducks in a row for this before buying one!

It will be a great trip - bring a camera!

You will need VFR charts and past the end of Italy there are just the very old U.S. ONC/TPC charts which show out of date airspace etc.

I've sent you an email with some more details.

[Kyprianos Biris]

IO540: Not much avgas in Greece. Corfu LGKR has avgas, then Mykonos LGMK. Corfu would thus make a good final stop on the way to Turkey.

Alternatively Sitia LGST has avgas and is also a port of entry, at times of the year anyway.

The route to avoid the Alps and eastern block countries for a UK-Turkey trip I recommend is to fly via Southern France (i.e. Cannes LFMD) then via West and Southeast Italy to Kerkira LGKR in Greece. Then from Kekrira eastwards to Istanbul the route takes you via Thessaloniki LGTS which is also an international airport with AVGAS, so you have two options for stopover in Greece.

So you could easily do S. Italy - Northern Greece (Kerkira or Thesssaloniki) and then enter Turkey via GOLDO intersection.

If you go to Istanbul plan to land at Sabiha Gokcen LTFJ but most likely this is where your friends will ask you to come.

Yes, for N'reg and/or VFR, Turkey need 24hrs prior notification for entry clearance.

[IO540]

Thessaloniki was also 24hr PPR, last time I looked (September 07).

For a Cirrus I would recommend the Alps crossing - it's the highlight of the trip.

[stickandrudderman]

My CV is similar to yours, but with an IMC.
Want some company on this trip?

[172driver]

For a Cirrus I would recommend the Alps crossing - it's the highlight of the trip.

Yes - BUT at this time of year this can be tricky (the OP doesn't say when he's going to fly the ferry).

You could also route through southern France and if the wx is good do a detour along the French Alps. Spectacular and gives you a bit more options.

[IO540]

I would disagree re "this time of the year".

We do have regular crap weather in the UK in the autumn, but you only have to fly 200nm out of the UK, to the SE, and it's a whole different ballgame.

In the summer, you get a lot of convective weather because the sun heats everything up. And unless you are flying right after a thunderstorm has passed through, it's usually so hazy you can hardly get a decent clear picture. In the winter, you get clear crisp days with unlimited perfect viz.

[172driver]

IO you are absolutely right about winter. I was referring to now. Have you checked the wx in Austria in the last few days..... ?

[B2N2]

Sometimes I thank the man upstairs that I fly somewhere were I can fly a 1000 miles North and 3000 miles East without having to worry about anything except weather........the US :)

******Disclaimer******


I have just woken up
The coffee is not ready yet
I have never done a long flight in Europe


However, I have done some long flights, the longest one was 4600 NM.
If I were to take this trip to Turkey I would be very tempted to make it a trip of a lifetime.
There fore:
Southern France..Cannes
Northern Italy,
Fly south along the "boot"
Cross over to Greece
Cross over to Turkey.

I would avoid the alps and everything with it.
This is not the time to teach yourself mountain flying.

Two choices:

Take the missus (if there is one) and make it a nice calm VFR flight to all the romantic places in Europe
Take a FAA certified Instrument Instructor ( a good one) and train for your FAA IR

[007helicopter]

Thanks so far guys, if the deal does not come off with my friends purchase I think I might just do it in mine now my taste buds are wetted and make it more leisurely and able to divert etc without the pressure of having to get there.

10540 - some good advice and thanks for pm

B2N2 - Good idea

SR Man - Thanks for offer

Still feel if the Alps route would need some hands on training & guidance or go with an experienced person.

Still would like to know what permission at Greek, Turkish airport's is required in advance?

[IO540]

I would avoid the alps and everything with it.
This is not the time to teach yourself mountain flying.

He's not flying a Tiger Moth!

"Mountain flying" is nothing to do with this. A Cirrus can just zoom straight over the top, in well under an hour.

[Kyprianos Biris]

Still would like to know what permission at Greek, Turkish airport's is required in advance?

For Kerkira LGKR or Thessaloniki LGTS just as a precaution send them a day's prior notice. Except of the summer months this is not a requirement but a good practice.

For Sabiha Gokcen LTFJ contact the handling agent of the airport for more info. but again a 24hrs prior notice is the most common.
http://www.sgairport.com/