Has this whole mobile internet business not moved on, in Germany too?
Roaming is still expensive, in all countries and the prices are set by the providers in their home countries not the place where he is roaming in. Luckily the EU plans to abolish roaming fees by the end of 2015. This will be just wonderful and possible the 3rd good reason to have the EU.
Yes, I did ought to look into setting up the GSM as a modem. One day, really soon now, I’ll find the time.
… 500MB/month of data,
That’s the biggest problem when you travel a lot and use your mobile as your main internet “modem”. You can consume 500MB in a one hour without even watching a single YouTube movie… Updating JeppView on our two on-board iPads alone takes 300MB sometimes, so I am still happy when I can find free WiFi at some handlng agents office or hotel.
You can consume 500MB in a one hour without even watching a single YouTube movie… Updating JeppView on our two on-board iPads alone takes 300MB sometimes
Sure… you can’t do that. You can do it non-roaming easily enough, out of the allowance which some networks give you. But hey I thought you were a happily married man What Next, so why watch movies? 
Do you really update Jepp databases while out on the move?
There is another solution which might amuse you. See here, 3rd pic down. I actually have that thing, and it actually works. There is always somebody in range with an unsecured wifi router. And now for the true anoraks: IP over DNS
the EU plans to abolish roaming fees by the end of 2015.
That would have massive implications – more than most people realise. Currently, in the UK for sure, each network has its own equipment on each tower. They don’t share it. This allows them to make wild claims like “covering 95% of the population”. If roaming charges are abolished, “I” (in the UK) will be able to get say a German SIM card and just use it, in the UK… the end result is that the networks will have no way to differentiate their service, because every network whose gear is up on that tower will have to roam with my SIM. That will probably force them to share the hardware and find some other way to make money out of people.
Of course if the EU mandates zero roaming charges but doesn’t mandate universal roaming, it will all be a bit stupid…
This will be just wonderful and possible the 3rd good reason to have the EU.
I can’t think of the other two 
the EU plans to abolish roaming fees by the end of 2015.
They have said that they plan to abolish roaming charges. What I haven’t heard is that the data and calls would come out of your contract package. Since nobody has said this, I am assuming it’s not the case.
So while you could buy a package in Germany intending to use it in the UK, but while in the UK all calls & data would be charged at the out of bundle rate. It wouldn’t be a roaming rate, but still an out of bundle rate. So a UK package would probably be much better value.
So perhaps this might not be the huge news that the EU is making it out to be.
But hey I thought you were a happily married man What Next, so why watch movies?
I am and therefore I don’t watch movies But really, I only enjoy watching movies on a large screen. Before flat screen TVs became affordable, I had a video projector at home for movies only. I can’t understand how someone can actually enjoy seeing a movie on a mobile phone with plugs in his ears…
Do you really update Jepp databases while out on the move?
We have to. As soon as there is an update, it is supposed to be installed. The normal procedure is that you check in the morning before the flight, to see if everything is up to date. If that “morning” happens to be at home base no problem: Just load the update via hangar WiFi while walking around the aircraft and refueling. But away from home, there is either free WiFi at the hotel (our company dosen’t normally refund fees for internet usage, so we don’t book them) or I use my company iPhone in tethered mode and consume my monthly 500MB allowance. Our contract (luckily) includes 500MB roaming data volume as well per month.
There is another solution which might amuse you. See here, 3rd pic down. I actually have that thing, and it actually works.
That’s really cool, I have never seen one of those. In Germany however, you won’t find many unsecured WiFis. The legal situation is such that the owner of the WiFi is held responsible for everything that is uploaded or downloaded through his network. So if someone uses your unsecured WiFi to distribute child pornography, you will go to jail because of that. People have been made aware of that and act accordingly. This is also why you have to register with you name (or room number) at most free WiFis. But legislation may change in the near future.
you won’t find many unsecured WiFis
Same everywhere, these days, but you need just one
I am sure this device is illegal in some way (to freeload from somebody’s wifi) but it is very effective. It weighs about 0.3kg and is about 30cm long. It is also very handy at home, to connect a PC to one’s wifi router which is too many walls away. It is/was sold on Amazon, very cheaply.
As soon as there is an update, it is supposed to be installed
I am amazed. Do e.g. airlines do that? I used to know a woman whose entire day job was at some UK airline OPS dept, stuffing the Aerad paper updates into the airline pilots’ ring binders. Given that the stuff used to come by mail (I used Aerad too) it wasn’t all that current. She finally escaped, by marrying a pilot… Your AFMS ought to allow a flight with out of date data provided nothing has changed. I know that’s usually not practical to check…
Hi
New to this forum, but Peter invited me over from “another site” to post this trip report. (I go by M609 other places)
Well, after visiting Aero in 2010 via lo-co airline, I´ve always wanted to fly down there myself, and last fall (September) I decided: I´m going.
After enlisting a fellow club member to join me, as it would get a tad pricy otherwise, I got down to planning the thing early on.
First: Apply for time off from work
Second: Reserve the club G1000 Cessna for almost one week, req. approval from the club president.
Third: Reserve rooms in a hotel in Friedrichshafen town centre. (Pricy….ouch….)
In early 2014 I got into getting maps, VFR AIP Germany for the iPad and other bits and bobs in a row.
Then in march “disaster”, the co-pilot ejected from the project, could not get time off from work the poor sod.
Que email to all club members: “….anyone fancy a trip to Germany in April…”. Luckily Kjell jumped at the offer in less than one hour, and project back on track.
We planned for departure on the 8th or 9th depending on the Wx, our home base at Hokksund/ENHS being a wee distance of approx. 900nm from Friedrichshafen, some time slack needed to be taken into account. We had VFR arrival slot at 14:40 on the 10th.
Flight planning for the entire trip was done with Rocketroute.
Bits and bobs packed
Wx in Norway was complete solid IMC on the 8th, but slightly better on the 9th, so we planned for å midday departure.
We set off under a solid overcast, with marginal conditions and a plan to cross the sea to Denmark due to low clouds on the Swedish coast. (Forcast spot on as it turned out)
Not nice coastwise on the Nor/Swe border…..
As soon as we got abeam Skagen on the Danish side, we hooked a right, and crossed the sea, staying at about 1200ft MSL all the way over, with the Wx lifting when we got to the coast.
Better Wx over the sea
Down Denmark the Wx cleared up quite a bit, and strong tailwind pushed us to an before time arrival at our planned stop at Lübeck/EDHL after 03:40 block to block. Lübeck was very quiet, but friendly ATC and staff. Cessna parked and chocked for the night, and we where off to a affordable hotel in the old town centre.
Kjell unpacks at Lübeck
I did some sightseeing in Lübeck, before dinner and a few ahem beers….
The next morning we arrived early at the airport, to avoid having to rush. The wx was forcasted a bit iffy in the west and better in the east of Germany, so we wanted to depart a bit earlier than needed for the slot, should we have to re-route. A good call as it turned out. Staff again very helpful, and fueling and paperwork done, we where on our way again.
BP staff hard at work in Lübeck
Airborne we made good time, and got to know the poor visibility we had been warned about. (Mist really not much of a problem in Norway 99% of the time :) )
Nice wx over the north German plains, after that flying soon took priority over picture taking….
When we got abeam Braunschweig, terrain and clouds got a bit close for our comfort level, and we routed to the east to better ceiling. (We did not fancy crossing the hills south of Braunschweig in the wx) Once clear of that hill, back on course only to have Munich Info advise that a/c ahead of us had not been able to cross the western part of Thüringer Wald, and was routing east via Hof/EDQM. …..and we followed them, so back on SE track. We eventually crossed Türinger Walds eastern slopes and flew into better and better ceilings, arriving at Friedrichshafens main runway on slot, to CAVOK and a very quiet airfield (!) Perhaps a few more had Wx issues that day. 03:50 in the logbook.
LN-DFM parked in generally more posh company on the south side
Buchorner Hof Hotel was nice, and some beef and beer was just the ticked that evening.
The next day was pilot-nerd mode full on.
Drool….
Enjoy the sun….
Drool…
Some of this…
Some blimp spotting….
…and soon the day was over. Full of impressions, and some info we can put into good use at the club back home. (Ex: Start getting some of the old timers to accept that there really are radios and mode S transponders that take less space than the stuff we have in our L-18C)
On Saturday we got an early start, catching the train to the airport, and was through fee payment and security screening by 08:30.
Fees not cheap, but I feared worse. 82€ for landing and 2 nights parking.
Kjell does the daily inspection.
We did a VFR no FPL departure, and went up to Mengen/EDTM to upload some fuel. 00:30 block to block.
Mengen turned out to be a very nice airfield, with nice staff. Self service pumps, just pay in the FISO tower after.
DFM parked at the pumps.
Kjell went into “pap” mode, and made sure I did not escape.
With all admin taken care of, we departed on a FPL to Laage/ETNL. Wx was nice, with some low fog and mist.
Remember our old fried Thüringer Wald? Well, guess what same story, but this time we routed to the west, but was one slim c***hair away from turning back. The valley to the west of the “mountains” proved clear enough, even if the thick mist was still a bit foreign to us northerners.
North of the hills it was plain sailing, ad we made good time northbound. Our plan was to crack on back home, if forecasts allowed.
We arrived at Laage on time after another 03:50 in the Logbook, joining downwind behind an A319 doing patterns, fuelled and got on to Aeroweather: Bad news. Solid IMC at home base, with the stuff moving south along Denmark and Sweden. We decided that we would use our backup plan to Roskilde/EKRK outside Copenhagen, which was already stored in Rocketroute for that eventuality.
LN-DFM looks a bit lost at the vast ramp at Laage. (Way at the back on the right :) )
While waiting for the FPL lead time to pass, we got some lunch on the roof terrace in the terminal, watching a Lufthansa A319 doing touch and goes, you know the 6 TGL, then taxi in, change type rating candidate in the right seat, and off they go for another 6.
A straight shot over the sea to Denmark had us at Roskilde after 01:05, parking at the main apron, and getting a taxi into town. We checked in at the hostel down at the harbour, and when we walked back from dinner in the high street, the Wx front rolled in from the north with rain and strong winds.
Sunday morning broke with lighter weather, but METARS just across the sound in Sweden showed low ceilings, but forecasted to improve. We waited until we had at least ceiling above 1500, and departed for the airfield after filing the FPL.
Roskilde is a almost pure GA airfield, with lots of schools and executive traffic. Staff was nice and helpful, and with landing fees payed, we arranged a visit to the tower, having a nice chat with my Danish colleagues. It was a bit windy, so combined with the still low-ish ceilings, the local aircraft where not up and about much.
Roskilde TWR, a TMB and a Cessna 421 had parked on the apron with us the night before as well
Leaving Roskilde into a strong NW wind from their RWY29, we made a easy passage up the Swedish coast, skirting under a 1600ft ceiling until passing Gothenburg, where it cleared up a lot, making it possible to climb above the choppy air. Quite bumpy with approx. 35kts from NW, with a bit lazy groundspeed as well. :)
In the end we landed at Hokksund/ENHS after 03:05, and hangared the Cessna.
The flight was a great experience, as well as challenging at times, which is to be expected going VFR in April.
Cessna back at home
In the end we did more than 1800nm, which is a bit in a 172! 16 hours total time, as we made good time on the way south.
Rocket Route worked very well, and when we could stick to the route and not mill around looking for better Wx, the time estimates in the flight log where never more than 2 minutes off even for long 50+ nm nav legs. I was quite impressed by that.
We filed via IFR waypoints to make it easy to input into the G1000, using autopilot NAV mode quite a bit. The plans where loaded onto a yoke mounted G695 as well for backup, and the laminated VFR charts for Germany where used for check NAV all the way. (Nice product, several sheets laminated together to create large sheets)
VFR approach plates and airfield maps sourced on Rocketroute Aeroplates for the iPad.
Track log from the Garmin 695
This was my first proper [u]long[/u] trip, but it was fun. Great to have a experienced guy like Kjell along, being a CFI with thousands of hours. I might have R/T and skills with modern planning tools, but you cannot replace experience :)
Nice report :-) And it interests me because although I have a UK IMCr, a lot of my flights are done VFR so it was interesting to see how you combined using all the kit of you have, with staying VFR, and doing it successfully.
For those who can read German, some interesting reading about the lightest of all at www.ultraleicht120.de
I like the no-nonsense mentality of the writing, the basic point being “how much flying can be had for how little money”.
