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Flying to Iran - a good idea?

Now that we have an Iranian pilot here and with boscomantico someone that has been there, I would like to ask for information and recommendation about a flying trip to Iran.

I would very much like to fly from German to Iran in an Avgas (or 95+ Mogas if needed) aircraft. Iran is kind of neglected in the Western world with lots of false ideas about it but everybody who has been there tells me it is absolutely fantastic. I’d like to fly there and then visit two or three places to get a good impression, ideally the capital Teheran, the mountainous part and something close to the sea.

What is required as a German national with an EASA registered airplane? What are the costs going to be? What about fuel? Can you manage with English/French/German/Russian or do people generally only speak Farsi? What about business ethics, reliability, etc.?

Thanks!

Last Edited by achimha at 24 Jan 14:42

AFAIK there is no Avgas… But that would be a cool trip for sure. Bosco told me a little about it.

OK Achim…, I’ll write down some more background and technical information regarding my 2011 trip to the Caucasus region, hoping it is both entertaining and useful for some more of you.

To answer one of your questions straight away, yes, the country is worth visiting. All the people we met and had to do with in Iran were super-friendly, helpful, very curious and open-minded (often cheerful), and never, ever, for a single second, did we feel we were in any danger during that trip. Also, the distance from, say, central Germany, is no greater than the distance to the Canaries – yet every year, several people decide to fly that very beaten path to these islands, whilst giving the wonderful Caucasus region a miss. But yes…, obviously: the trip to Iran is much more costly and less straightforward.

First off, let me tell you how my trip came to be: probably many years ago, my father had heard about Georgia and about how interesting and beautiful it was. I don’t recall exactly when he first mentioned to me that he’d love to fly there (and to its capital, Tbilissi); it probably was in the early 2000s. It wasn’t until the end of 2007 though that we really made plans to do it, in the summer of 2008. At the time, our aircraft was an SR22 (which it still is today). So we checked for 100LL along the route. We never considered the routing via the north shore of the Black Sea, only the southerly one, via Turkey. As it happened, we found out that in Turkey there was probably no 100LL east of Ankara. Even less so in Georgia. However, somehow, we found out that there was a small GA airfield in the vicinity of Samsun, on the shore of the Black Sea, and I managed to contact a person there who told me they have Avgas and would sell it to me. We figured that if we flew there from Istanbul and then loaded a lot of fuel into the cabin, we could make it from there to to Trabzon (customs), then to Tbilissi and then back again.

However, a few weeks before our trip was planned, the Russian-Georgian war started. Bummer! It had been quiet in that region for many years, and now, just weeks before our trip, the war made it impossible to go. So that was 2008.

In 2009, we wanted to have another try; however, in the meantime we had found out that it would be very difficult to get the required permit to fly from Istanbul to that GA airfield near Samsun. Reason is that the Turkish CAA normally does’t seem to issue permits for flights to non-international aerodromes (even on domestic flights) if the aircraft is not TC-registered. So that put another obstacle to the Georgia trip. Somehow, in the end, we were a little tired of dealing with problems, so the entire idea was put away for some time.

In the end of 2010, the topic was on the agenda again. However, we had admitted to ourselves that the flight would be a bit too much of a hassle with an Avgas burner like our SR22. The idea was now to look around in the german GA scene and see if by any chance we could find an owner of a kerosene-burner who would be equally interested in a trip like this. At the time, we thought of a DA42, a Silver Eagle or a Jetprop (we didn’t really want to look much further “upmarket” in order to keep costs under control). Ads were filed in the german aviation magazines.

And as it happened, we got to know the german member of a syndicate running a Silver Eagle. We met and there was a good vibe between us straight away so we made plans to do the trip together. It was only at that time that Iran came into play. The rationale was quite simple: we thought that if we did go through all the hassles of “organizing” everything that’s entailed by a GA trip to Tbilissi, then it might as well make sense to extend the trip just a little further to take full advantage of that unique opportunity.
Looking at the map, we found out that, from Tbilissi, it would only be a little more than one hour (at Silver Eagle speeds) to fly to Tabriz, a major city in the northwest of Iran. Now that sounded tempting. And wait… from Tabriz, it would only be yet another hour of flight to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on the Caspian Sea. That sounded fantastic as well and it all began to take shape. And: on our way back home, we wanted to fly the “northerly” route via Russia and thus fly “all the way around” the Black Sea (I think we were the first “hobby pilot” group to make it). Therefore, Sochi came in as the perfect half-way stop on our way back home.

And that’s how it all unfolded. Oh, but there was one more problem: unlike us, the other members of that Silver Eagle syndicate were not thrilled at all by the idea of their aircraft flying to places like Iran and Azerbaijan…and that almost killed the trip again. In the end, our friend who flew with us had to imdemnify the other members in relation to any troubles and unforeseen cost that the trip might incur.

Now a few notes regarding specifically Iran:

-believe it or not, obtaining the necessary overflight permit for Iran was straightforward and easy – much easier than for Azerbaijan (which is a story all for itself). For the permits, we had hired one of the german overflight permit agencies. Unless one has indefinite time and patience, this is the only way to go in these regions. However, the cost for these agencies is minimal in relation to the overall cost of a trip like this, about 100 Euros per permit.

-regarding the visa, the experience was quite the same: very painless in Iran (again, the opposite was true for Azerbaijan, a country with a strange attitude to tourism). For visas, there are specialized “visa agencies” that will do most of the work for you. We did not even once have to go to any embassy or so ourselves; it was all done by shifting paper and sending the passports by mail. Cost for one visa was about 150€ I think.

-as I said above, the overall experience with Iran was great, mainly as an effect of the friendliness of the people there.

-however: if you want to spend a few days in Iran as a tourist, it is necessary to have a local “guide”. Without one, you wouldn’t be able to complete even the most elementary tasks like reading street signs or change some money. We had previously organized this through a german travel agency. Our guide turned out to be a nice gentlemen who had lived several years in Heidelberg. He spoke very good German, yet with a funny accent.

-Tabriz is certainly not the most beautiful city of Iran. However, we just didn’t want to fly any further southeast on this trip (‘t was far enough!). We just wanted to be able to say “we have been to Iran”. I have heard that Isfahan is a very beautiful and oriental city, but again, for us, this was out of the question.

-the only bitter note regarding Iran was that we did get shafted very badly by the handling company there. The company was “selected” by our german permit agent, but I don’t know if there was any “choice”. All in all, including three days of parking (and lots of other “funny” fees) the costs were slightly north of 1000 Euros. We tried to fight this, but they probably knew we were on a very fixed schedule, so they didn’t back up. Note: in hindsight, we could have (and probably should have) been more “clever” with this aspect of the planning. We could have sorted our options more carefully before setting off, making “contacts” with local people, etc. However, please consider that the “work” I had to do during the weeks preceeding the trip (visa, permits, flight plans, hotels, guides, etc.) was already totally daunting. I was doing this all the while I was working full time in Italy. So I just didn’t have any more time for this additional, very time consuming task. Everybody who even only considers going to Iran by GA should try to find a way to make sure they won’t get shafted like this. But I honestly don’t know if that is at all possible. And, just to put it into context… the fees at Baku and especially at Sochi were even worse…

-as we flew on kerosene, at the time I did not specifically verify the situation regarding 100LL in Iran (they have JET-A1 everywhere, at very cheap prices down there). However, once we landed at Tabriz, we learned that they did indeed have Avgas 100LL and would sell it to us at 4€ per litre, if I remember correctly.

Now, regarding getting to Iran (note: this deals only with flying IFR; VFR would be yet another huge can of worms…):

As I mentioned above, starting from Germany (or UK, for that matter), there are basically two possible routings to Iran: via north of the Black Sea and via south of it.

Obviously, the southerly route (via Turkey) is much more straightforward. Ideally, in an Avgas airplane, one would make a stop in Belgrade for cheap fuel and than fly to Burgas for fuel or, if one can stretch it, all the way to Istanbul. Burgas is roughly 100 Euros for fees and the Avgas is expensive, about 4 Euros per litre. No permits required for Bulgaria any longer. Turkey does generally require permits for every flight, but in the past, there was a very simplified procedure if the aircraft was registered in an ECAC state and I guess it is still in place. However, if the aircraft is on the N-register, you need specific permits for every flight. Again, figure about one hundred Euros for that. And only international aerodromes! In Istanbul, the choice is between Atatürk and Gökcen airports. Atatürk was about 400 Euros in 2008, Gökcen somewhere between 200 and 300. They both have Avgas and I would think it is about 4 Euros a litre. East of Istanbul, I only know that Avgas is available at Ankara (local Aeroclub), but that’s only about one and a half hours from Istanbul. There might be Avgas at some airport in the southeast of Turkey, but I didn’t look into this for quite some time now.

The “other alternative” is the northerly routing, via Ukraine and Russia. Now, there is very little that speaks for this one, except the “adventure” factor. But if somebody ever did a flight to Iran, he might want to do just what I did, i.e. do the one routing on the way to Iran and do the other one on the way back. For Avgas flyers, a good stop on this route is Rheszow (EPRZ), near the Ukrainian border. Now regarding Ukraine: I expect the current troubles in Ukraine won’t last too long, so it should definitely be an option. Getting the overflight permit for Ukraine is easy and can be done by yourself (recently did this myself for my trip to Lviv). Again, international airports only, but Ukraine has a lot of them. However, 100LL is officially not available anywhere in Ukraine. In some places (also in Russia) they have an Avgas brew called B-91 (they use it for their fleet of AN-2s) but I don’t know its specification. No visa required in Ukraine. And: the airports – while nowhere cheap – are usually somewhere between 200 and 400 Euros per stop.

Between Ukraine and Georgia, there is a rather big stretch of Russia. Russia, flying-wise, is not a big problem. The R/T quality is sometimes not too good, but OK. They still fly flight levels in metres mostly, but again, no big deal. The big problem in Russia (apart from the fact that they also have no 100LL on sale at the major airports) is that the handling fees are totally outrageous for any small GA airplane. Therefore, I dearly recommend to avoid a stop in Russia if anyhow possible.

Therefore, for those who use JET-A (or those who need petrol but manage to either fill up with B-91 or with petrol station autofuel in Ukraine), I recommend to make one last stop as far east as possible in Ukraine. This might be either Simferopol (I was there in 2003) or at Mariupol for example. After that, fly all the way direct to the west of Georgia (Batumi or Kutaissi). But beware, even they don’t have Avgas.

After that (either way you went around the Black Sea), I really recommend a couple of days in Georgia, preferably in Tbilissi (even though they don’t officially have any type of Avgas there). It’s a beautiful country. Basically one very wide and long, fertile, green valley, flanked (both north and south) by mountains more than 5000 metres high. A glider pilots’ paradise it must be, by the way. And Tbilissi is a very interesting city. Unfortunately, wars and decades of war and communist neglect have taken their toll on its substance (and only the main streets have been refurbished so far), but we were still totally in love with it. If any of you ever comes to visit Tbilissi (either by GA or by airline), give me a shout and I will put you in contact with one of the very few GA pilots of Georgia, a very educated and friendly man (best wishes Revaz, my friend!). Georgia does not require a visa, but they do obviously require an overflight permit.

Unfortunately, Tbilissi airport is also rather expensive. Including three nights of parking, we paid something like 600 Euros. But at the very least the handling was very good and the process was painless.

Alternatively (or additionally), one might, before heading into Iran, make a stop in Armenia (I would have loved to do that in 2011, but just couldn’t have squeezed that in any more). After that, Tabriz in Iran, as mentioned above, does have Avgas 100LL. And from there, many aircraft would probably have enough range to go almost anywhere in Iran. Anyway you slice it, the fuel planning will heavily depend on the range of the aircraft. As an example, if one doesn’t care to go to Georgia on the way, the (direct) distance between Ankara (has Avgas) and Tabriz (has Avgas) is “only” about 630 nautical miles (maybe 800 along the airways). So the trip can definitely be done with many Avgas burners…

One last note (and that should be it for now…): before planning anything, one should verify the minimum altitudes of the lower Airways in that Region. In some parts of Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia and Iran, the lowest ones are at FL200. So one would definitely want to fly a turbocharged airplane (preferably a pressurized one) in that area.

Got a bit longer than I anticipated… :-)

Last Edited by boscomantico at 24 Jan 19:00
Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

Thanks a lot Philipp! Great information. Too bad you didn’t go in your SR22. I’d like to avoid both Turkey and Russia but Ukraine should be fine. Maybe Tbilisi would be worth a trip of its own. I’ll start researching the avgas situation as that seems to be the most difficult aspect.

I really should start looking at a jet fuel aircraft. Best would probably be to setup my own business, license the SMA engine and create an STC for the 182 RG. Sounds like a promising package to me. Of course for that money I could buy two turbine aircraft but I don’t want a turbine

Long, but cool :-) You are a real flyer, really.
Although I’ve flown to Greece, Sweden, Morocco and Spain – I feel like I have never left the traffic pattern when I read you stuff. And it motivates me to open Google Earth and start dreaming …

Yes, an SR22 with the SMA engine …. if that was affordable I’d do it. But it should have 300 hp …

Too bad you didn’t go in your SR22

Well, I am not sure. Not only is the SE a fine aircraft (especially with MEAs at FL200), but it’s also the fuel price differential (60 cents vs. 4 Euros) which plays a very big role…

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

Yes, an SR22 with the SMA engine …. if that was affordable I’d do it. But it should have 300 hp …

That’s why I suggested the 182 RG airframe with 235 avgas hp which is in line with the SME 230. Unfortunately the SMA loses its power quickly at altitude where as the TR182 can keep 76% power up to FL200 so it performs much better than an SMA version would. That might be similar to the NA 182RG which is also a good aircraft. The Cirrus is too heavy for the SMA engine, it’d be similar to a SR20 which — as the sales figures show — is not that great of an airplane. The Thielert V8 is a better candidate for the Cirrus.

If I ever have to sink a few hundred thousand Euros in a project, I’ll do that SMA 182 RG conversion. After that, I’ll do a TB20 STC but that will be a bit more difficult as the cowling is smaller and the airplane heavier with originally 250hp. Might be a dog taking off but probably perform rather well at altitude.

Last Edited by achimha at 24 Jan 18:58

Better do a V8 Diesel STC for the Cirrus, that’s a real market… you can use mine as the prototype. I’ll become a partner in that company :-)

Last Edited by Flyer59 at 24 Jan 19:04

There are several SR22 with the Thielert V8 flying. The work is being done somewhere in Berlin. I am sure Conti will bring that product to market. The Thielert V8 with 345hp was type certified in 2004 but they never had the money to do STCs or bring it to production. The Mercedes-Benz 4.2l V8 turbo diesel is a very good engine. Here’s the type certificate

But this is getting off topic, just hate how Avgas more and more limits one to fly the treaded paths in Europe. Boring

Last Edited by achimha at 24 Jan 19:10
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