A Very Long Cross Country Flight, Enjoy
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Join Date: May 2006
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A Very Long Cross Country Flight, Enjoy
Well I did it, The trip started out the morning of 31 July at RAF Wyton were the 1977 182 was based, the trip will end with the plane back home after two years in San Antonio, Texas. A British Citizen and fellow flying club member flew with me as we departed for the 3.5 hour flight to Stornoway, after a couple hours on the ground and flight plan filed, we suited up in the immersion suit and set out for the 5 hour flight to Keflavik,Iceland, 4 hours was IMC conditions (got to love forecasters) to an unevenful ILS approach and a stay in a very nice B&B.
1 Aug dawned sunny with no clouds in sight to the West,after we took off on the 5.5 hour flight after we took a 15 minute tour of Iceland and snapped a couple pics, then headed out towards Southern Greenland, at a FL100 we comensed a climp to FL130 after two hours, and started sucking on O2, well we reach Greenland, and the forecast and phone call said broken at 8,500 overcast at 12,500, yea right, this started an hour of in very cold clouds, then to a descent of at first 1,000 FPM to 10 miles then 1500 FPM only to slow down the rate to 800 on the procedure turn, we had some rime on the wings and that came off quickly and halfway through the procedure turn to final a loud bang under the cowl, followed by a #3 Cylinder showing max EGT indication made an uneventful landing in a down pour runway 07, Narsarsuaq, Greenland, and a rough running engine on the ground. (stuck valve was the first thought).
After a little investigation found the injector hole plug came out and was sitting next to the spark plug, reinstalled and engine OP checked good, after no lunch opportunity (airport cafe not open), we checked weather,new we would be in clouds first hour to hour and a half then layered, and icing reported at 8,000 (yea right) after approx 45 minutes out, hard rain and freezing, carb ice, we turned around and called it a day and returned back to Narsarsuaq, very upset at weather forecasters, or lack of forecasting, let me say the turn was not with any excitment, but lasted approx 10 - 15 seconds, all weather induced, anyhow a landing back in the 30 knot wind and we spent the night in the only hotel there.
2 Aug dawned overcast at 6,000 and over 10 miles vis, a check with the computer and weather two phone calls to Sondre, and a phone call to Canada for the route weather, with conditions of solid overcast clouds to 6,000, and layered from there, and an icing level reported at 6,500 and raising to 7,500 for the remainder of the trip. after a little talking we filed for 6,000 and pressed to Goosebay, the trip along the way was rainy, snowy, and no ice (tip when traveling outside the US and Canada, check more than one or two weather sources and tabulated from there) 5.7 hours we did an PAR approach into Goosebay and spent the night.
3 Aug We departed Goosebay IFR again due to waether heading to Montreal to Let David off since he didn't have time to get his Visa before we left, after about 2.5 hours IMC, we got in the clear and enjoyed the rest of the trip, a quick stop in Montreal, fuel, and file and off to Burlington and Customs and night stop.
4 Aug, Filed to North Central (SFZ) forecast was calling for min. and no ILS ans main runway was being resurfaced, so I shot the VOR-B and at MDA I had the runway, turned downwind and los the runway, climbed heding to inbound track and called mised, and went to my alternate over at Providence (PVD) and took the liferaft and Immersion suit back via taxi,departed PVD at 1430 local and stopped at Greensboro for the night.
5 Aug A nice VFR trip to Falcon Field to visit Aircraft Spruce and spend money, and then down to Dothan for the night.
6 Aug Filed IFR due to weather and proced to KBVD for fuel stop, and thank god for Nexrad, that stuff is great. got a reroute further North, shot the GPS13 at BVD, filled up after 5.7 hours in the air, took off and delivered the plane to 1TE4 Zuehl airfield.
Synopsys of the trip: I do not like Europe forecasters they were so way off on this trip we both wondered what the problem was,
I think some folks would have just tried to press on with the weather condidions we encountered leaving Greenland on the 1st, the decision was made without haste and we made the trip with no loss to machine or people.
onboard weather was great, I am now looking for a prtable unit that has this.
I planned this trip for over 6 weeks, handling agents were easy to arrange with an e-mail, and the two I used for the trip were SouthAir in Keflavik, and Woodward at Goosebay, the tower will ask who your handling agent is, and just let them know, as for customs, ATC was good at letting them know of any delays at your request. Fuel and airport fees that I know of and payed for was $4,500 for the whole trip, and room and food totalled another 900. This was a great trip and may get to do it again next year. but next year i will take the more Northern route. I did have a Iridium Sat phone, which was OK'd to use for position reports, but what a joke, they could not here you on the other end and the signal was not constant.
1 Aug dawned sunny with no clouds in sight to the West,after we took off on the 5.5 hour flight after we took a 15 minute tour of Iceland and snapped a couple pics, then headed out towards Southern Greenland, at a FL100 we comensed a climp to FL130 after two hours, and started sucking on O2, well we reach Greenland, and the forecast and phone call said broken at 8,500 overcast at 12,500, yea right, this started an hour of in very cold clouds, then to a descent of at first 1,000 FPM to 10 miles then 1500 FPM only to slow down the rate to 800 on the procedure turn, we had some rime on the wings and that came off quickly and halfway through the procedure turn to final a loud bang under the cowl, followed by a #3 Cylinder showing max EGT indication made an uneventful landing in a down pour runway 07, Narsarsuaq, Greenland, and a rough running engine on the ground. (stuck valve was the first thought).
After a little investigation found the injector hole plug came out and was sitting next to the spark plug, reinstalled and engine OP checked good, after no lunch opportunity (airport cafe not open), we checked weather,new we would be in clouds first hour to hour and a half then layered, and icing reported at 8,000 (yea right) after approx 45 minutes out, hard rain and freezing, carb ice, we turned around and called it a day and returned back to Narsarsuaq, very upset at weather forecasters, or lack of forecasting, let me say the turn was not with any excitment, but lasted approx 10 - 15 seconds, all weather induced, anyhow a landing back in the 30 knot wind and we spent the night in the only hotel there.
2 Aug dawned overcast at 6,000 and over 10 miles vis, a check with the computer and weather two phone calls to Sondre, and a phone call to Canada for the route weather, with conditions of solid overcast clouds to 6,000, and layered from there, and an icing level reported at 6,500 and raising to 7,500 for the remainder of the trip. after a little talking we filed for 6,000 and pressed to Goosebay, the trip along the way was rainy, snowy, and no ice (tip when traveling outside the US and Canada, check more than one or two weather sources and tabulated from there) 5.7 hours we did an PAR approach into Goosebay and spent the night.
3 Aug We departed Goosebay IFR again due to waether heading to Montreal to Let David off since he didn't have time to get his Visa before we left, after about 2.5 hours IMC, we got in the clear and enjoyed the rest of the trip, a quick stop in Montreal, fuel, and file and off to Burlington and Customs and night stop.
4 Aug, Filed to North Central (SFZ) forecast was calling for min. and no ILS ans main runway was being resurfaced, so I shot the VOR-B and at MDA I had the runway, turned downwind and los the runway, climbed heding to inbound track and called mised, and went to my alternate over at Providence (PVD) and took the liferaft and Immersion suit back via taxi,departed PVD at 1430 local and stopped at Greensboro for the night.
5 Aug A nice VFR trip to Falcon Field to visit Aircraft Spruce and spend money, and then down to Dothan for the night.
6 Aug Filed IFR due to weather and proced to KBVD for fuel stop, and thank god for Nexrad, that stuff is great. got a reroute further North, shot the GPS13 at BVD, filled up after 5.7 hours in the air, took off and delivered the plane to 1TE4 Zuehl airfield.
Synopsys of the trip: I do not like Europe forecasters they were so way off on this trip we both wondered what the problem was,
I think some folks would have just tried to press on with the weather condidions we encountered leaving Greenland on the 1st, the decision was made without haste and we made the trip with no loss to machine or people.
onboard weather was great, I am now looking for a prtable unit that has this.
I planned this trip for over 6 weeks, handling agents were easy to arrange with an e-mail, and the two I used for the trip were SouthAir in Keflavik, and Woodward at Goosebay, the tower will ask who your handling agent is, and just let them know, as for customs, ATC was good at letting them know of any delays at your request. Fuel and airport fees that I know of and payed for was $4,500 for the whole trip, and room and food totalled another 900. This was a great trip and may get to do it again next year. but next year i will take the more Northern route. I did have a Iridium Sat phone, which was OK'd to use for position reports, but what a joke, they could not here you on the other end and the signal was not constant.
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Hey Longbow, congrats, sounds like an awsome trip ! 
And, although I normally prefer warmer climes, justy might be tempted to jostle with FFF for the co-pilot slot next year.... 
One word on the wx - have you tried/considered the various offerings of the USAF ? You can get them on the web and I find them pretty reliable - usually my first stop when planning any longer X-country.
And, although I normally prefer warmer climes, justy might be tempted to jostle with FFF for the co-pilot slot next year.... One word on the wx - have you tried/considered the various offerings of the USAF ? You can get them on the web and I find them pretty reliable - usually my first stop when planning any longer X-country.
You've obviously got your licence now, well done! Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2006
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172Driver, The Airforce sights were what I used for all my planning, and the one I looked at the morning before we left Greenland for the second time, it and the Canadians agreed.
