Had to inspect the lakes and mountains in the nice weather yesterday, when bringing up some fuel. Everything seems to be in order 
Went to Portoroz Sat-Mon to explore the northern parts of Istria a bit. Great weather. Too many great photos to share here, but this one never gets old:
We flew the RNP approach to 15 at Portoroz, which is good fun. It takes you almost on top of Piran (where I took this shot) at 1500 feet MSL, and shortly after that you start the final descent to 590 feet MSL (LPV minima).
After a Saturday filled with Spring hangar cleaning in Yverdon (with illustrious EuroGA’s @eurogaguest1980) and a nice lunch in the local restaurant, I found some time on Monday to fly to my favourite airfield in Switzerland: Zweisimmen (LSTZ), followed by a nice walk along the Simme river.
Return leg along the Stockhorn and some beautiful views of the “Three lakes” region straddling the French and German speaking regions of the country.
BOD wrote:
… my favourite airfield in Switzerland: Zweisimmen (LSTZ), followed by a nice walk along the Simme river.
…
@BOD, I’m going to have to check that place out – looks nice! I’ve seen it from the air, but never landed there. I was trying to draw Homer on Monday. Didn’t turn out too well!
eurogaguest1980 wrote:
was trying to draw Homer
Don’t be so unostentatious, there’s a very vague and very distant resemblance 🤣
BOD wrote:
After a Saturday filled with Spring hangar cleaning in Yverdon (with illustrious EuroGA’s @eurogaguest1980) and a nice lunch in the local restaurant, I found some time on Monday to fly to my favourite airfield in Switzerland: Zweisimmen (LSTZ), followed by a nice walk along the Simme river.
Besides the well-known military air bases, Zweisimmen is the very last airfield, which I didn’t visit in the Swiss Alps yet.
Was PPR by phone easy to obtain?
Last Monday, I did a less spectacular, yet short trip to Hausen and Buttwil from Buochs:
The taxiway gate to get out of the Pilatus tarmac is currently defect, so I had to open and close it by hand. One side is pretty heavy, so I had to do some sports before getting a well-deserved flight. Some further issues with the EMU display caused another delay, but that was sorted out quickly, after a phone call with our mechanic.
The most scenic city of Switzerland is also nice to watch from a bird’s perspective.
Landed in Hausen am Albis (LSZN). This is a so-called “restricted” aerodrome, for which one needs an written exemption permit to land. The Swiss call it PPR(R). The airfield has a nice paved runway and a well-maintained clubhouse, but unfortunately no restaurant. You have to walk 15-20 min to get to the next town, and the trail is not signposted or marked, which is untypical for Switzerland. The airfield is home to 3 clubs for powered airplanes, including the official Swiss Flying Club, and 3 sailplane clubs.
Approach Buttwil (LSZU), which is only a short 5-10 min hop from Hausen. This is a very scenic gras airfield, with no PPR obligation in summer time at all and an interesting approach!
The aerodrome manager was very welcoming and the airfield allows a nice view over the surroundings, as it is located on a hill. The airfield even allows to clear customs, when coming from abroad (Intra-Schengen only) and offers a good restaurant. The runway is good, but partly damaged, as also the unpaved part of the taxiway.
A lovely view over the Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Lucerne), before landing back in Buochs. While the surroundings feel typical Swiss, it also has a bit of Norwegian fjord flair.
By the way: Lightwing obtained EASA CS-LSA certification for their 915iS Version of the AC4 just a few days ago, which will be a glider-tow plane. Their next goal is to bring a hydrogen powered version to the market, co-developed with the ETH Zurich.
Frans wrote:
Their next goal is to bring a hydrogen powered version to the market, co-developed with the ETH Zurich
AFAIK this fuel cells project has been changed from the Lightwing in favour of the Sling High Wing…
Dan wrote:
AFAIK this fuel cells project has been changed from the Lightwing in favour of the Sling High Wing…The development with Lightwing is still going on with the Cellsius Project H2.
We had our open house at my club, so I flew some introduction flights and otherwise kept visitors informed, fed and hydrated.
When that was done, I went for a forest fire watch flight. Didn’t find any.
eurogaguest1980 wrote:
I was trying to draw Homer on Monday.
Not too bad ! My kids loved it and are looking forward to a hi-res Homer 2.0 later in the year
Frans wrote:
Besides the well-known military air bases, Zweisimmen is the very last airfield, which I didn’t visit in the Swiss Alps yet.
Was PPR by phone easy to obtain?
Yes, I called the “Chef d’aérodrome” on the morning of the flight to get the green light, all details are here: Zweisimmen PPR
Another favourite is Münster (LSPU), there is an excellent B&B within a 5-min walk from the airfield and multiple “Wanderwegs” nearby for hiking. We just need to wait for a little more before it opens…
