Loved the pics and the writeup. Very cool trip!
The videos didn't come out too good. I uploaded them to Vimeo straight out of the phone. They are not of good quality, and no external mike was used so the soundtrack is just noise. I think the 808 camera cannot quite handle the 1080P bitrate if the camera itself is being moved around. Given that Vimeo downsamples to 720P anyway I should have used that to start with. You also need a decent ADSL connection to play them.
But they show typical IFR flight at a decent altitude, over the Alps. It's a non-event, and the scenery can be pretty good.
It's the most recent four here
I think next time I will bring the proper camcorder, even if it stays in the plane.
The return flight would have been doable, with a careful choice of the filed route, probably flying a long way into central Germany.
The surface weather is fine:
Metar
LDLO 090600Z 15005KT CAVOK 20/18 Q1013
LDPL 090600Z 09006KT CAVOK 20/17 Q1012 NOSIG
EGKK 090550Z 04011KT 9999 BKN018 10/07 Q1016
EGHI 090550Z 04012KT 340V070 9999 BKN024 10/06 Q1016
TAF
LDLO 090620Z 0906/1006 15009KT CAVOK TX27/0913Z TN18/1004Z BECMG 0914/0916 21004KT PROB30 TEMPO 0920/1006 SHRA FEW030TCU
LDPL 090525Z 0906/1006 VRB02KT CAVOK TX24/0912Z TN16/1002Z BECMG 0908/0910 16008KT BECMG 0918/0920 25005KT
EGKK 090500Z 0906/1012 05012KT 9999 BKN014 BECMG 0906/0909 SCT020
EGHI: no results found
The IR image isn't:
There is a lot of high altitude (~FL300) stuff, as well as an obvious TS in south west Germany.
The MSLPs suggest that a very early departure would be a good idea
but the IR image is 0545 UTC which is well before the airport even opens, and it's going to get worse as the day warms up.
These two shortcuts were in the Swiss and Reims FIR, not Milano
My notes say I was talking to Milano 127.45, who gave me DCT ORI, later 126.75 who gave me DCT SRN and DCT ABESI. After that I was talking to Swiss 128.05 and got a new squawk, and they gave me ABESI HOC (but I had to ask for that one).
Some performance notes:
F140 TAS144 17" (WOT) 2400 9.6GPH -6C
F160 TAS142 16" (WOT) 2400 9.1GPH -8C
Headwind of about 10kt most of the way to LDLO, which is very unusual when going in that direction. Wind below 3kt on average on the return flight.
I flew back VFR from Mali Losinj LDLO to Stuttgart today. Departed 0645Z (airport didn't open until 0600Z although web page still says 0600 LOC) to avoid TCUs over the alps but that was probably a mistake. Great weather in Croatia but bad visibility in Slovenia (ca. 5km). Cleared up starting in Klagenfurt LOWK with few CUs but a headwind and constant downdrafts (I thought when there are downdrafts, there must be updrafts, too). Was flying at 10-11000ft most of the time. Weather was great until shortly before Stuttgart where the cloud descended rapidly. At one point I had to look up to see the windmills (the lower blade) so I decided to turn around and have lunch in Augsburg EDMA which was buzzing with activity. An hour later, the backside of the cold front brought fantastic weather to Stuttgart and the remaining 20 min leg was performed.
Lesson learned: a lot of humidity in the air in the alps doesn't necessarily mean TCUs so an early departure is not always the best strategy. Also 4h without autopilot and a headwind in a C172 is hard work...
I have often experienced downdrafts (I think that would be downdraught in BE...:-) in the southeastern Austria and Slovenia areas (say GRZ- DOL - CRE), so your post seems to confirm that there is some kind of pattern, there.
Achim, it was great to meet you at LDLO; Peter, next time ...
Are there places to stay there on the beach that would suit a family holiday with swimming etc?
