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A rather eventful trip concluded Sunday night. After several delays, diversions and hold-ups in Denmark and Germany due to the thunderstorms and headwinds which plagued our southbound return home, four rather travel-weary pilots got home in the 40kt headwind from Norfolk.
Previous to this we had the most wonderful weather for our trip along the Fresian Islands off the Dutch & German coast, up to Denmark and Norway.
Fresian Islands
With a couple of days in the city of Bergen…
Bergen from the top of the funiculaire
…and bimbling along the spectacular fjords around Sogndal, Florø and Sandane…
The wires across the fjords were quite daunting. Even knowing where most of them are, and even with dayglo balls, they are very difficult to spot against the background, so we left a healthy margin to clear them.
From the boat, I promise!
We enjoyed the fast ferry service to Flåm and the train up the mountain to Myrdal. This train gains 2800 feet in 12 miles, with half its length in tunnels and is not a cog railway…a marvel of 1929 engineering.
Aurland Fjorden
Aurland Fjorden
Incidentally, the airport at Sogndal is in severe construction mode, and we found our aircraft covered in rock dust. Some friends decided to fly over in a TB20 from Leicester and brought some most welcome supplies of tinnies to supplement what had become a rather meagre alcohol diet at £6 a pint! A quick re-shuffle of baggage found some space in the Tcraft and 150. We were close approaching our 1200lb MAUW (but I won’t say from which side!)
Sogndal airport
Leaving Sandane on Wednesday, we headed south and refuelled at Stord. Then the headwinds really started...three hours it took us to Kristiansand, making almost 8 hours that day, so we decided to stay the night.
Final for Sandane airport
Sandane airport
After several hours delay in the morning for the weather to improve, we crossed the 60-mile strait from Kristiansand to northern Denmark at very low level to maintain a horizon. We had originally filed for Randers but diverted to a very deserted Aars. Big black ominous storm clouds and bolts of lightning blocked our way south. We pitched canvas under the wings and went to the town, where we humoured ourselves with finding shops with names that tickled our toilet humour.
Aars (or Års if you prefer)
The next day saw us again make another unplanned stop for the same reason at a wonderful airstrip at Westerstede in Germany. I don't like flying in the same airspace as embedded CB's. Impeccably maintained with grand entrance gates, iron railings, box-hedge gardens and wonderful café by very generous hosts, the strip was unfortunately a bit short for our accompanying C150 to get out safely two-up, so the trusty A-65 powered Taylorcraft did a little shuttle service to the longer Papenburg to deliver passenger & goods.
Not very nice company
Nice company - Westerstede airfield
We crossed direct from the ever-welcoming Texel to Norwich (great service there too, by the way) on Saturday and thence to a private function at a strip in Norfolk.
We were very fortunate to have excellent weather when we needed it, and willingly put up with the minor inconveniences of our return. 20 stops in 35 flying hours saw the newly rebuilt Taylorcraft well and truly bedded in. What a very favourite playground.
Previous to this we had the most wonderful weather for our trip along the Fresian Islands off the Dutch & German coast, up to Denmark and Norway.
Fresian Islands
With a couple of days in the city of Bergen…
Bergen from the top of the funiculaire
…and bimbling along the spectacular fjords around Sogndal, Florø and Sandane…
The wires across the fjords were quite daunting. Even knowing where most of them are, and even with dayglo balls, they are very difficult to spot against the background, so we left a healthy margin to clear them.
From the boat, I promise!
We enjoyed the fast ferry service to Flåm and the train up the mountain to Myrdal. This train gains 2800 feet in 12 miles, with half its length in tunnels and is not a cog railway…a marvel of 1929 engineering.
Aurland Fjorden
Aurland Fjorden
Incidentally, the airport at Sogndal is in severe construction mode, and we found our aircraft covered in rock dust. Some friends decided to fly over in a TB20 from Leicester and brought some most welcome supplies of tinnies to supplement what had become a rather meagre alcohol diet at £6 a pint! A quick re-shuffle of baggage found some space in the Tcraft and 150. We were close approaching our 1200lb MAUW (but I won’t say from which side!)
Sogndal airport
Leaving Sandane on Wednesday, we headed south and refuelled at Stord. Then the headwinds really started...three hours it took us to Kristiansand, making almost 8 hours that day, so we decided to stay the night.
Final for Sandane airport
Sandane airport
After several hours delay in the morning for the weather to improve, we crossed the 60-mile strait from Kristiansand to northern Denmark at very low level to maintain a horizon. We had originally filed for Randers but diverted to a very deserted Aars. Big black ominous storm clouds and bolts of lightning blocked our way south. We pitched canvas under the wings and went to the town, where we humoured ourselves with finding shops with names that tickled our toilet humour.
Aars (or Års if you prefer)
The next day saw us again make another unplanned stop for the same reason at a wonderful airstrip at Westerstede in Germany. I don't like flying in the same airspace as embedded CB's. Impeccably maintained with grand entrance gates, iron railings, box-hedge gardens and wonderful café by very generous hosts, the strip was unfortunately a bit short for our accompanying C150 to get out safely two-up, so the trusty A-65 powered Taylorcraft did a little shuttle service to the longer Papenburg to deliver passenger & goods.
Not very nice company
Nice company - Westerstede airfield
We crossed direct from the ever-welcoming Texel to Norwich (great service there too, by the way) on Saturday and thence to a private function at a strip in Norfolk.
We were very fortunate to have excellent weather when we needed it, and willingly put up with the minor inconveniences of our return. 20 stops in 35 flying hours saw the newly rebuilt Taylorcraft well and truly bedded in. What a very favourite playground.
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