Planning a trip Hannover EDDV to Bornholm EKRN (with family, and risk management)

Here is a cool video about water crossing and lots of other fun

MedEwok…

Please take the training you need, fly a few hours until you feel that you have good control of that plane and get your family to that island!

I have read this thread long time now and the best post was from yourself with the risk exposure.

There are so many smartheads (I’m not different either) that if you always talk about taking risks etc then you are not going to make the trip at all….and miss something in your life ( a good holiday)…

Have fun, and post some nice pictures of your trip.

Peter wrote:

They suddenly discover that they need to log 12hrs, which is going to cost them something into 4 figures! At this point they are in the 60-80hr TT region.

But they don’t need to log 12 hours. They could elect to revalidate their licence by flying what would be akin to another skills test with an examiner and all is good. Or has that changed?

MedEwok, having just skimmed the whole thread I cannot help thinking that you already have a better understanding of the risks in flying than most GA pilots. I just want to stress the point made in post #81 by THY. It is really about making your pax understand and accept – well in advance – that this flight can and may well be cancelled (or postponed) by you for a number of reasons, most likely weather, and that your word is final and cannot be questioned or negotiated. And so your plan B is to somehow keep your family happy if that happens. The luckiest – and possibly safest – of all family pilots are those whose partner/kids not only enjoys flying, but also are prepared to accept cancellations and other change of plans in good mood. While I believe the statistics easily support that the risk from pressure on the pilot (usually from himself or from his promise to go) is much, much bigger than the risk of an engine failure, it is also easier to mitigate.
I am myself a family father who have flown dozens of water crossings with my wife and two children for the last 15 years in singles, starting when the kids were 3 months old. I always minimize the time spent out of gliding range of land, and I have pax put on life vests before boarding unless I am fairly confident that the flight will all be within gliding range of land. I would consider flying the long route if I were you.
I enjoy Bornholm and have flown there multiple times. Most often you land on runway 29 with a good crosswind from the left, coming straight in from the Baltic.

MedEwok: I am not one who usually posts or comments but I wanted to share my view of this trip with you. I have close to 800 hours, am instrument rated and I fly a plane with BRS. I also have two young children and fly frequently throughout Europe with my family. I have never flown over water with both of them on board when they were unable to swim and this despite having the chute which should hypothetically allow for at least a safe ditching. The potential downside was too high for me.

Personally, and to answer your question, I would not fly the trip you are planning with my family on board with kids of that age. If you have to ditch in the water the chances of survival are not good. Your stress levels preparing for the flight and during the flight will be very high. You will be flying an aircraft which is “relatively” new to you. As has been mentioned, the wx in that area in May can be stormy and unpredictable as well. W&B will be an additional issue at the back of your mind. I would travel by land, enjoy the trip and the stay on the island and keep on building hours and confidence in the air. You will have many opportunities to fly with your family and put your PPL to use, just because we are able to fly it doesn’t mean it’s always the best option :)

That’s just my two cents. But you seem to be a very reasonable and smart pilot with a good understanding of the risks involved hence your initial post. I am in no way judging you or anyone else who may think differently this is just my two cents as someone who spends a bit of time on the forum.

Cheers
P.

To minimize risk, fly over Denmark and Sweden. 22NM between the island and Sweden.

MedEwok wrote:

how to retrieve the rental plane from EKRN?

Ask a fellow club member to fly you to the plane when weather gets better?

Wow, what a thread. So much moral high ground present, I am truly impressed. Not really.
I’d like to give you a pragmatic way to go. Skip the moralizing… Life doesn’t come without risks, and if bad luck wants to bite you, it will. If it’s not over water, it will be a car smashing into your rear on the motorway instead.

The real important questions are:

• will you be able to do the flight even in weather you aren’t familiar with. Solution: fly and exercise in different weather. You seem to be a blue sky pilot, and as long you aren’t comfortable with lower ceilings, you shouldn’t probably do this kind of trip as a first one.
• are you familiar with flying through foreign control zones, in this case Denmark and Sweden. Solution: exercise that – go there once, with an FI, or another guy who flies a lot, and familiarize yourself with it.
• do you know the plane ? Solution: rent it, and do the trip with that exact plane. Avionics, speed, handling, can be a bitch if you get a bit under stress.
• how flexible are you regarding getting there, and getting back. That’s probably the most important question of them all. Plan for one or two buffer days, each direction, so you won’t suffer the get-home-itis that has killed so many pilots. Having an extra day or two puts your mind at ease. And a mind at ease makes a relaxed pilot.
• A plan B is always a good approach, by the way: Planes can be picked up a day later, too :)

All the other stuff has been amply discussed and enlightened, such as W&B,fuel, baggage, etc. The route via Malmo seems fine.
Just remember, you had a reason why you got the PPL. Now use it.

And, if any, of the above things don’t work out as you want them to: Exercise more, go there by car this time, and plan for going there by plane the next time. It’s all a hobby. No reason to get grey hairs about that