Vieke wrote:
I think there is a flying club on Tenerife north, but the field is almost always in IMC
It’s been tried before, not wholly successfully …
I have some plans for that area for autumn this year should travelling around be not too complicated. The idea is to visit several islands (from Lanzarote to El Hierro) after spending couple of days in Southern Spain (probably Cadiz) and flying southbound from Jerez LEJR. It’s supposed to be two weeks trip, not to over-stress “first officer” with too much flying and not enough beach time.
@Aeroplus, my Atlantic diving experience is limited, what kind of sea temperatures can I expect there?
How likely is the fog to extent that island hopping is not possible for days? Is it more likely on some islands and less on the others? I guess northern mountain slopes are more affected.
@Alpha_Floor, I guess you’ll have something to say on this topic
We’re just back from three of the islands, give me a few days for the write up.
How likely is the fog to extent that island hopping is not possible for days?
I have family living down there and therefore have been there many times and as far as I can tell this is really rare. Even in GCXO which is prone to poor weather, this usually only lasts for a few hours. Strong winds are more of a problem. It happens from time to time that an airport is closed for a day or two due to the wind.
I have never flown GA in the Canaries but have several friends based there at GCXO (Tenerife North) and GCLB (El Berriel) .
GCXO used to be the main commercial airport in Tenerife but after the disastrous accident in 1977, a new airport was built in a much less fog-prone location on the South part of the island GCTS (Tenerife South) . GCXO is still used for some regional traffic, GA operators and the occasional commercial flight, since it is closer to the main city on the island: Santa Cruz.
Fog is not a major wx hazard at the other airport locations in the Canaries, which, unlike GCXO , are all located on the coast. As indicated, when it does happen , it is not persistent, other than at GCXO. Wind is a more prevalent one to be mindful of.
GCLB in the other large island, Gran Canaria, is infamous for tailwind socks shown on both runway ends simultaneously depending on wind direction, so the runway ends up being significantly shorter, in relative terms, than it may otherwise appear. Although otherwise GA-friendly, (the only non-AENA airport in the Canaries) there is no avgas there.
The other (main) airport on Gran Canaria is GCLP which is 24/7 with full instrument approaches and is home to the 24/7 airborne SAR unit in the Canaries. They are trained in fishing humans out of the water with certain regularity. If IR rated, you can do your cloud-break at GCLP and fly-on to GCLB further south along the coast.
Thanks to both. What about GCRR and GCFV, are they GA friendly? Similar weather conditions as other neighboring islands?
GCRR is GA friendly. No handling required if you can get a stand on the GA ramp. There is Avgas but you won’t care I haven’t been to GCFV, it is reportedly not GA friendly and there is no Avgas.
These eastern islands are much drier than western ones. The mountains aren’t that high in the east either. While it can be windy too, terrain makes approaches not that demanding.
I’ve been to GCFV a few years ago as a fuel stop. Normal airport. We were able to grab a sandwich and a coffee while there. That’s all I remember.
I’ll check GCFV as trip date approaches because it would be shame to be two weeks in the area and not to visit all islands if possible.
