EGBJ DCT BNN DCT LAM DCT DVR DCT MK DCT HUL DCT SPI DCT EDRK
So, this was the start of the ‘big trip’ for 2007. My buddy, Dan had arrived from Canada the previous week and seen a number of friends around the local area of Gloucester (yes, during the floods)! So we were both a bit relieved to be leaving the Gloucester area on a flying holiday – at least we could have more than a facecloth wash every night!
We rocked up at Gloucester airport on Saturday 29th July at about 10:30. I filed the flight plan with the reception desk (having filed the GAR the previous day). We unloaded and Dan carried the two 15l collapsible plastic camping containers full of precious water to act as ballast in the baggage compartment to counter-balance us two hefty guys in the front and keep us within the balance graph.
We loaded up and I taxied out to the pumps. As I was filling up, a rather nice looking Piper Meridien pulled up behind us and it was a fellow ‘Flyer Forumite’ Steven in his flashy mini-airliner – very nice too! We filled up and pulled forward so Steven could pull in behind and fill up while we faffed around.
We were soon airborne. Dan was busy taking pictures of all the flooding in the local area, while I did a left turnout from runway 27 to set course direct to the BNN VOR and through Brize airspace.
I requested and got transit through Brize with a controller who was very interested that we were heading for Koblenz. He said he was posted there for a few years and were we going for the ‘Rhine on fire’ festival? I confess I had never heard of this and said no. He said it was on about now, so we may have struck it lucky.
I levelled out at 2700’ – no point in going any higher as we would only have to descend again to below 2500’ to stay under the London TMA. My attention wandered and I climbed a further 200’. Just as I was about to correct, a PA28 passed diagonally underneath us about 200’ below! No, probably neither of us saw each other.
We watched carefully to the north east for the NOTAM’d glider competition at Bicester. We spotted on which was no conflict. Clear of Brize zone, I changed to London Information on 126.40. They were very quiet indeed for a Saturday. Got FIS and ran the low level ‘corridor’ to the north of London under the TMA at 2400’. I stayed with London Info for the short channel crossing from Dover to Calais, but climbed to 4000’ for the crossing. The weather was good with few clouds and good visibility over the channel.
At the FIR, I changed to Lille Info on 120.27 and stayed with them until near the Belgian border. Around the coast at Calais, I had to descend to 2200’ to remain VMC, but as is common, once further inland, this lifted and I was able to climb to 3000’.
Changed to Brussels Info on 126.90. I heard him, but he said I was unreadable, so I should remain clear of controlled airspace. I wasn’t due to go near any for a while yet, so stayed on listening watch for now. I tried again later and was reported as strength 3, but still no FIS. I finally got through to him near the town of Kortrijk at 3700’ with category C airspace 15 nm ahead starting at 3500’. I asked for transit and he replied ‘you remain clear of controlled airspace unless you have approval for transit’ in his best petulant ‘I am a controller - what does this idiot think he is doing’ tone of voice!
I said that I knew that and that is why I was requesting transit! He responded with a terse ‘you call Brussels Approach on XXX.XX’. I don’t often come across unhelpful ground stations, but this guy was a real pl*nker! I was not sorry to switch.
In contrast, Brussels Approach were relaxed and very helpful. I got transit approval at 3900’ and was also advised that Beauvechain was closed, so no transit was required for them.
Once clear of their airspace, I switched to Liege Approach on 119.27 and got immediate transit approval through their airspace to the south on a direct track from HUL to SPI VOR’s.
The landscape changed from carefully tended fields to large forested areas – so we were in the Belgian Ardennes – scene of the famous ‘Battle of the Bulge’ from WW2. I knew this was rugged terrain from the road-trip we took last year. I spotted the Spa airfield easily and decided to follow the road to the infamous town of Malmedy.
I changed to Langen Info on 123.52 and crossed into German airspace for the first time. They were great and warned me about an active danger area and gave me vectors to avoid – ooops! That’ll teach me to take unscheduled detours!
Then, it was a straight and easy run into Koblenz. It took a while for either of us to spot the airfield as we were approaching it from ‘the back’. I got it at 5 miles.
Joined downwind for runway 24 with right hand circuits. I was a bit close in. I turned base and saw the amazing sight of Koblenz in the valley that dropped sharply away from the airfield – so this is the ‘aircraft carrier’ airfield I had read so much about – a good analogy, except of course, there was plenty of tarmac!
I was so carried away by the view and misjudged the strong crosswind, that by the time I checked again, I had badly over-cooked the base leg and cranked the plane around hard to regain a sensible final approach track. I really should have gone around, but thought it might be fun to rescue it instead. The crosswind was something, it must have been a full 20 kts – given that, it was a reasonable crosswind landing.
I taxied in and parked up on the grass. We unloaded, locked up and put the cover on the plane. Dan and I then walked past some onlookers outside the tower who stared in disbelief at our ‘team t-shirts’ complete with Bavarian green hunting hats festooned with badges (yes, we really did wear these during the trip and out on the streets – more of this later). Have these people no sense of style or taste?
I went up to report to the tower and the guy up there was fantastic and very helpful indeed and suggested I pay on departure. He closed the flight plan and called a taxi.
As this is a flying blog and not a travelog, I won’t say much about Koblenz, except that we stayed in the Accor Ibis in the centre of Koblenz. The Accor hotels are a pilots dream as you can book on-line and cancel the same day either on-line or by phone, making them ideal for pilots who get weathered in (as I was to find out later).
Koblenz itself was great and it is a bustling, working town. The ‘Rhine on fire’ wasn’t for two weeks yet, so we would miss that. We saw pretty much all the sights you could see on foot and enjoyed the fine food and especially the local wine and beer!
So, my first trip in a small plane to Germany and it was pretty easy. Belgian airspace can look intimidating, but once past the tw*t on Brussels Info, transits were easy to get. German airspace was very easy and Langen Info very professional and helpful.
Koblenz is a very scenic airfield and has a spectacular approach that make it very well worth visiting – just watch out for that crosswind!
The costs at Koblenz? Landing fee EUR 24.00, 3 days parking EUR 17.55 – while not ‘dirt cheap’ French prices, certainly pretty reasonable. Fuel was a bit more expensive than in the UK though.
