Steve said, " on to Budaoers. The airstrip is grass and wasn’t exactly smooth but more than suitable enough for a P28A. Apparently it’s an old airforce base;"
Actually it was the International airport for the capital. Just like Tingelhoff in Berlin air commerce outgrew it and the new airport, Franz Liszt was built outside the city.
Just to be accurate.
Concerning Austria, I second the recommendation for LOWS with the “Hangar 7” aircraft collection. You can park directly on their apron (on the opposite side of the main terminal) by prior arrangement.
If you have the time, visit LOWZ with it’s beautiful scenery, but watch out for density altitude in a fully loaded P28.
A bit further to the east, I suggest LOAG for a day on the ground if you have some interest in wine and nature. The scenic part of the Danube valley called Wachau and the Kamptal, two of Austria’s most famous wine regions, are immediately nearby.
In the north of Slowakia, Poprad (LZTT) is a quiet and friendly international airport right next to the Tatra mountains. Few people know it’s the highest airport in Central Europe (not counting aerodromes, of course) – some 200 metres higher than even Innsbruck. The Tatra mountains are very impressive. They are the easternmost high altitude mountain range in Europe, a bit like the Alps condensed into a few hundred square kilometres.
My personal recommendations for Hungary are LHSM and, for a touch of luxury, Hertelendy Kastely. I have never flown to Romania, and in Serbia I have only been to LYBE – however, that must be one of the best international aiports on the continent with extremely friendly service, extremely cheap fuel and a city with great sights and nightlife.
Finally, I recommend you check out the PIREPS on www.eddh.de with the help of Google translate. You should find a lot of additional information there.
More great info. Thanks again all.
Just so you know all this input isn’t being wasted – here’s what I’m doing with it when time and access to other trippers allow. I’m gradually plotting stops around the route trying to create legs of about two hours or so to allow for leisurely flights with suitable stops for breaks, overnight stops, sight seeing, customs where required, etc.
Everything people contribute is being used to the max, so thank you all.
BTW: If you pass abeam Vienna VFR, file a flightplan for a transit along the VFR route “Freudenau”. This is not always granted depending on IFR traffic into LOWW, but if available, it takes you straight through Vienna at very low altitude.
Link to the area chart in the eAIP.
Passing along the Danube.
Passing LOWW via Sector South towards LOAN.
Austria – definitely avoid Vienna (LOWW), it’s just too expensive (more than €300 for landing and day of parking) although for me it was very good experience of realy large airport with dense traffic and complex taxing.
Recommend to check the pricelist in advance at LOWW, because in times of reduced traffic they also do reduce the landing fees. Between 10 to 11 AM LT and 1:30 to 3 PM LT it is minus 30% compared to the standard fees as far as I know.
it takes you straight through Vienna at very low altitude.
Cheese us! Where do you go if the engine quits? Ditch in the river, carefully aiming between the bridges?
Cheese us! Where do you go if the engine quits? Ditch in the river, carefully aiming between the bridges?
This may be the safest proposition, although the long-stretched artifical island visible on the first picture (“Donauinsel”) also offers some emergency landing spots.
However, why should an otherwise fine-working engine fail within these 10 minutes? If always worrying about engine failures, one should never leave the traffic pattern .
“always worrying” is too large a word, but “always have a plan B” was hammered into my pilot’s brain from its first appearance! One can plan about trouble without being worried.
and “otherwise fine working” I have heard far too often. “It’s never done that before, how was I to be prepared?” applies to the very gentle very well-bred dog that never went on a leash and suddenly bit the neighbours’ baby, but equally for the PC that crashed after umpteen years of flawless service (so no backups were ever made), or the car that always started right away even in deepest winter.
Always have a plan B.
Jan_Olieslagers wrote:
Always have a plan B.
I used to think along those lines, too. Unfortunately not possible. Flying over low stratus/fog, congested areas (very often as part of approach/departure unavoidable), over large surfaces of water, rock desert…
Once you start eliminating all risk, you end up sitting at home 24/7.
Its called risk mitigation. So having plan B, even if chances are 1 in 10 you dont make it, is still 10% better than no plan at all.
Flying at night over low stratus there is a chance, just a small chance, you can put it onto a road if you have GPS with a moving map. Or a Lake or river or ocean. Knowing the type of terrain under you also helps. Of course luck is a big factor. I remember the picture of a guy who hit the only tree in the middle of a huge field which was miles square.
Then again I met a female pilot who put her 210 down on a road heavily forested on either side between telephone poles. No damage, with pics to prove it.
