Singapore to Egypt

The route we had been taking to Singapore on our way down to Oz had been dictated by the availability of Avgas and therefore we had to take almost exactly the same route on the way home. Except for the two airports we didn’t visit on the way down (and Bangkok, see below), we only spent one nite at each stop. Fortunately this time everything worked out fine, we didn’t suffer from any delay, neither for technical nor for operational reasons. However, we had to fight a terrible headwind on almost each single leg.

Singapore to Egypt

We did the last oil change of our journey in Singapore Seletar, WSSL. We had arranged to use the hangar of the same shop we had used on the way down. This time there was nobody there except for the owner, who’s not a mechanic – it was Chinese New Year’s Eve. All went well without problems directly after our arrival.

Approaching WSSL: overflying Singapore’s port, downtown is to the right

Final 03 at WSSL

Maintenance almost complete

Singapore Seletar, WSSL to Bangkok, VTBD

Singapore is still heavily affected by the monsoon rains in February while in Bangkok it’s supposed to be dry season. We left early and flew at FL180 as this was the last leg where we could hope for a little tailwind till we reached the Mediterranean.

To our surprise CB and TSRA was forecast in VTBD’s TAF. We later learned that this in fact quite uncommon in February but anyway, when we arrived in the area after an uneventful flight, there was a sizable CB sitting south of the airport. Our arrival almost led us around it and we only had to ask for a short deviation to avoid stuff we considered dangerous. There was only a harmless cloud to cross, so I thought when we told ATC that we were able to turn back on course. We were already in the descent and well below freezing level while the top of the cloud was still below us. I figured its vertical extent maybe 3000ft, so really nothing to worry about. However, the turbulence we experienced was the most severe we had so far in the Mooney. We banged our heads against the ceiling several times and everything that could move was thrown around the cabin violently.

Even though ground handling is quite professional at VTBD and it was very good when visited in November, this time the electric pump of the fueler broke and they didn’t have a manual backup. Therefore our pump which we had been flying around for months by that time, saw its first use.

Early morning departure at WSSL

Climb out

The sun comes out over Malaysia

Clouds near VTBD (the one we hit looked much more benign)

Baggage compartment after we hit the cloud

Final 21R at VTBD

Refueling with our pump for the first time

Actually we considered this phase of the journey rather as series of ferry flights, as we had visited all the places on the way down. However, our Thai pilot friend had offered to take us for a spin in his Columbia – an opportunity we couldn’t waste, of course.

It was very interesting to see how GA works in Thailand. Our friend’s aircraft is based in a hanger owned by the Thai Air Force on the – military only – eastern side of VTBD. A handful of other small GA planes, amongst them a Mooney, are based in this hangar. The owners have to pay a relatively high rent (extremely high for Thailand) but the service is excellent. Military personnel pulls the plane in and out of the hangar, we didn’t have to get our hands dirty. The soldiers saluted when when we taxied away – I felt a bit like Maverick 🤣

Our friend took us down to the seaside town of Huahin, where we had an excellent Thai seafood lunch. The flight was short, only half an hour. The weather was nice and we had filed VFR but that doesn’t mean much. At least the departure and arrival at VTBD was de facto IFR. ATC vectored us and we had to fly the ILS procedure. Our friend told us that this is completely normal.

With our friend in front of his beloved Columbia

After takeoff we could see a little Mooney parked on the civil apron

Seafood lunch in Huahin

Departing Huahin

Bangkok, VTBD to Chattogram, VGEG

Terrible headwind was forecast for this flight, the higher the worse. We had to file FL160 to get the flight plan acknowledged and were quite happy that we could negotiate FL100 as cruising level in flight. Except for the headwind and quite hazy conditions the weather was nice.

Shortly after crossing into Myanmar our GTN750 reported a GPS failure. The status page showed only three satellites and only a few moments later they vanished as well, one after the other. We had a brief GPS outage in this area on the way down as well, so we weren’t too worried. However, this time it lasted really long. Moreover, our tablets were working fine. We flew all over Myanmar and the GPS only came back shortly before reaching the border to Bangladesh. As the satellites disappeared one after the other and Galileo and/or GLONASS apparently kept working I guess it wasn’t jamming but a deliberate removal of service.

Refueling at VGEG was prompt, like on the way down, but once again there was a problem with the local fuel pump. This time it leaked badly but no problem, ours was now proven to work fine.

After departure from VTBD

Crossing the mountains into Myanmar

The GTN750 shows a GPS failure

Mountainous terrain close to the border to Bangladesh

The GPS back online, terrible headwind visible again

Short final 23 at VGEG

Refueling with our pump once again

Chattogram, VGEG to Nagpur, VANP

Except for the headwind the leg to Nagpur was completely uneventful. Of course we can achieve a better TAS when we fly higher, at least up to FL200 (higher we don’t gain much with normal power settings). However, on all the legs from Thailand to Egypt the headwind increased much more with altitude than our TAS, so we tried to stay as low as possible. On this flight ATC let us fly at FL100 but still it took us 6:15 to reach our destination. We had to fly very economically once again to get along with the single drum we had arranged in VANP. It was a very hazy day, probably due to air pollution and at FL100 we weren’t out of the murk. All leading edges looked quite interesting after landing.

Departing VGEG

A long flight

Pilot feeds on junk food

Short final 14 at VANP

Leading edges after flying through Indian smog for many hours

Nagpur, VANP to Ahmedabad, VAAH

For reasons only known to them, Pakistan doesn’t allow GA traffic from India to land in the country – overflight is acceptable, though. Therefore we landed at the westernmost airport in India where we could get Avgas and leave the country: Ahmedabad. It was very hazy again, even more than the day before, so there was almost nothing to see during the flight.

Departing VANP

Nothing to see…

A selfie of the crew instead…

And Mrs. terbang’s notes (Indore apparently requested to report when crossing radial 180 🤣)

Short final 05 at VAAH

Parked, waiting for fuel

This fuel came a long way!

To the last drop

Ahmedabad

We hadn’t been to Ahmedabad before, so stayed two nites to have a day to see the city. We checked in at what is supposed to be the best hotel in town and after getting rid of our funny shirts, we explored the premises. There wasn’t much to be found, so we asked at the reception where the hotel’s bar would be, to have our ALB. There was no bar, we were told, Gujarat, where Ahmedabad is located, was a dry state! However, we learned that there was a liquor store in the hotel. OK we thought, we’ll buy a beer there but it wasn’t that easy. The receptionist had to print out a document certifying that we were hotel guests. With this document we entered the bottle shop and asked for our beer. We still couldn’t get it though as the certificate was only the first step. It had to registered with the Gujarati government via an online process! Getting our ALB took almost as long as the flight 🤣

The next day we explored the city. It turned out to be a typical Indian metropolis, one of the more interesting examples, though. It was noisy and chaotic, but we found quite a few nice markets, temples and mosques to visit.

A hearty Indian breakfast makes a good start

A market

In a Hindu temple

A mosque

Another Hindu temple

Another mosque

Another market – India is incredibly colorful

Ahmedabad, VAAH to Al Ain, OMAL

At 1033 planned miles this was the longest leg of the journey and due to the headwind the longest flight we ever had with our Mooney: seven hours and thirty nine minutes. We had to fly almost exactly the filed route due to the lack of radar coverage but at least we were allowed to cruise at FL100. With the approach and departure we did 1042 track miles. Besides being really really long, the flight was uneventful. Moreover, the haze cleared a bit over Pakistan so we could enjoy the landscape beneath us.

Like at all the places after Singapore, fuel was available in drums only at OMAL. A drum is 200 liters while we can get 400 liters into the tanks of our plane. We had ordered two drums in Bangkok where we arrived relatively empty. With two additional jerry cans with 20 liters each we didn’t waste too much fuel there and it didn’t hurt that much as it was the cheapest fuel of the journey. At all the other stops in between one drum was sufficient. At OMAL we had to buy two drums again and despite the jerry cans we had to waste 50 liters – not nice when a liter is four dollars!

Departing Ahmedabad

In the air for 2:18 and still 737NM to go 😳

A mosque near Karachi

Along Pakistan’s coast

Over the Arabian Sea

The mountains of Oman

Desert in the UAE

Short final 19 at OMAL

Refueling at OMAL

Al Ain

Al Ain was already our preferred stop on the way down, but we couldn’t get permission back then. Therefore it was the first time for us to land there and so we had planned for a two nite stop. However, there is not too much to see and do there.

There is a nicely restored fort but our handling agent had told us “if you have booked a table for dinner at seven and start visiting the fort at six you’ll have plenty of time” 🤣 What was really nice to see was the Al Ain Oasis, a huge plantation of palm trees in the desert. A fantastic opportunity for an extended stroll.

Interestingly a hailstorm had passed through the area only three days before our arrival. Many cars had been damaged, so we were told. It was the first event like this in 17 years.

Al Ain Fort

Big tower of the fort

Too bad for non-farming locals 😉

The Al Ain Oasis

Al Ain, OMAL to Kuwait, OKKK

Our handler had filed the flight plan we had provided the day before our departure to Kuwait and we had received the ack message. However, in the morning it was suspended due to a blocked airway in Qatar. It took a while to find a new suitable route and in the beginning they wanted us at FL240 but eventually we found an acceptable way around Qatar at FL080. We finally departed an hour later than planned.

The flight was a fight against a terrible headwind once again and in the beginning ATC didn’t seem to be too happy with our route. However, after a bit of back and forth, we could agree on an actual route and the remainder was uneventful.

At OKKK we had to refuel from a drum for the last time and once again the electric pump of the fuel company failed. Once again we were happy to have our fuel pump with us.

Lined up 19 at OMAL

Al Ain

Ships in the Arabian Gulf

The coast of Saudi Arabia

Approaching OKKK

Refueling from a drum for the last time

Kuwait, OKKK to Hurghada, HEGN

We had a quite poor experience with the Kuwaiti handling agent on the way down, and they didn’t do any better when we wanted to depart for Egypt. Like the day before, our flight plan was suspended but unlike in Al Ain, the agent in Kuwait was completely useless in getting the issue fixed. It took forever and countless radio and phone calls to ATC till we finally had a flight plan in their system.

The flight was a battle against the wind at FL080 once agin. It took six hours and twenty minutes but the scenery was really spectacular. Our route took us all across Saudi Arabia and we were fascinated how much emptiness there was. We flew for hours without seeing any traces of human activity below us. There was just desert, slowly changing its appearance. The flight was a very enjoyable final leg of this ferry phase of our journey.

Waiting to get the flight plan sorted at OKKK

Finally in the air

A strange looking formation in the desert

Looks like sand

Some sort of table lands

Rocks and sand mixed together

Little mountains

More rocks

Reaching the Red Sea coast

A coral reef

Final 34 right at HEGN