LFQB DCT ATN DCT VNE DCT MTL DCT CM DCT LFMD
So off to the airfield in unpromising weather. Low cloud and occasional light rain, but it looked to me like there was a brighter and higher overcast, maybe the low stuff was scattered and I could get 'on top'. First thing was to check with the Meteo guy on the airfield. He showed me the radar and TAFS and METARS en-route and they didn't look too bad and seemed to confirm that there was some low stuff but the solid overcast was quite high. So I decided to go for it and see how far we got, hoping of course for really good weather down south so we could cut across the low foothills of the Alps to Cannes.
Packed up and careful A-Check as the plane had been out in the rain all night. There was some water contamination in the first two samples from the port tank, so I wobbled the plane a lot to shake any more water out, but nothing more. mental note to take off drawing from the starboard tank!
The weather and rain at Troyes airfield in the morning
I carried out the power checks with only to controller in the tower for company at the airfield and on the airwaves. Lined up and off on runway 17. I climbed to 1500' and saw that the low grey stuff was indeed well scattered and carried right on up to an easy 4500' sort of 'between layers' but with plenty of view of the ground.
That's not so bad! Getting between layers at Troyes
Contacts Seine Information on 120.32 who handed me over to Paris Information on 126.10. Paris warned me about some military area if I continued up to 5000' (it certainly wasn't there on my map), so I climbed to FL55 abnd everyone was happy.
The airspeed and groundspeed readout on the GPS was telling me something pretty scary. I was getting my usual economy cruise 125kts indicated, but only 85kts groundspeed - holy high winds Batman, we got ourselves a real headwind here!
About 30 miles NNW of Lyon is a range of hills, with peaks at 3000'. They didn't look too scary from FL55, but they sure were kicking up some turbulence which knocked us about for 20 minutes or so as we battled away with the headwinds and now turbulence.
Lyon Information were very happy for me to transit on a direct track to VNE at FL55.
Lyon from the air at FL55
We ploughed on past Lyon on direct track for MTL and past Valence. I was starting to get worried about making it to Cannes in one long hop with the wind and the time it was taking (and of course the impact on fuel). A few calculations and I figured if the weather for Cannes was fine and if the weather was good enough to get over the lowe bits of the hills between Avignon and St Tropez, that I would still go for it.
I called Marseille information and got the actuals for Cannes. They gave me 4000m visibility and winds of 140 / 25 - AAAHHH! Plan C, divert to Avignon, one of the alternates I had already planned for.
I called orange Tower for a zone transit of their military class D airspace as they sit astride the whole damn valley. They were most certainly active. I had trouble making out the accent of the French controller who first told me to report at Valreas, then I was sure he said report '3 miles West of Caritat' (Caritat being the name for Orange airbase). So I complied only to be ticked off with a 'Why have you gone to the west, I told you three mile EAST'. I was given two orbits west abeam the airfield as he got a flight of what looked like Mirages off then authorised me to continue to the Avignon NW VRP and call Avignon.
Avignon Tower were fantastic, although I was alarmed when they gave me the airfield information. Runway in use, 17 with winds 140 / 17G37kts - yikes! That is some crosswind component in this little twitchy taildragger!
I decided to give it a couple ot tries anyway. the tower were great and routed me over the runway at 2000' while traffic behind lined up for a practice instrument approach. I went around left downwind for my first attempt at a landing. I vowed to be instantly ready for a go around and rehearsed the crosswind landing in my head then turned base and final. he did offer me 17 grass (me being a taildragger and all), but I decided on the hard runway as I didn't know how smooth the grass was.
The approach was OK and I could certainly feel the gusts. I eased her down and carefully felt for the ground as I chopped the power, held off and kicked her straight at the same time applying into wind aileron, then kept on holding off and off. Stall warner pretty constant and we touched but didn't stay down for long as a gust caught and put us back into the air for what was in effect a high bounce, I applied a squirt of power to stabalise things and though about a go around for an instant, but decided to try again, I wasn't going to run out of runway anytime soon! It seemed like a good decision because the second attempt was much better and managed to stay put as I danced on the peddles to control the plane while we rolled to a taxi pace. PHEW! That was without doubt the worst set of conditions I have landed the RV in. I wasn't smug yet though coz it ain't over until it is successfully tied down!
I even got a compliment from the tower, perhaps he was just relieved not to have to clear wreckage away!
We taxied in and I fuelled up and tied the plane down very securely facing into wind.
Avignon airport tower, too busy with approach and landing for any airborne photos!
We got a taxi into town at the terminal and he took us to the Best Western Bristol hotel in the town centre. Pricey and basic, but clean and fine for me. What a really nice tyown Avignon is by the way. A very old walled town with the walls still 100% intact and it was the seat of the Catholic Papacy before the Vatican (I didn't know that).
Yep, that's a walled city alright!
So we had a very good explore and a very good meal. It would be well worth visiting Avignon and environs properly for a few days some time.
The famous 'Pont sur Avignon' - I wouldn't mind, but it doesn't even go across the river!
