Month: October 2014

There was an issue with loading the Aerokurier magazine on my Ipad. I have a quite recent Ipad (Air version), but after upgrading to IOS8, the app was no longer functioning. I tried many things, nothing worked…and thus I had no longer access to my Aerokurier magazines.

Chatting with the helpdesk providing the solution, which I like to copy here as there are many non Germans which have may  have the same issue

• Open “Settings”
• Select “General”
• Scroll right side down to “Language & Region”
• Section “Preferred Language Order”
• Add Language and select “Deutsch (German)”

Here’s a youtube movie showing claiming what it is like when one buys a plane. http://youtu.be/Vf810gvZ3ik

It is sure that it is time consuming, because you need to take care of setting up maintenance and taking care of so called red tape. If your plane is located at the back of a hangar, you first need to spent your time to put others planes outside and back inside the hangar in order to get access to your plane.

It seems to me the big difference between flying in Europe and the US. In Europe, you have strong flying clubs with plenty of planes for rental, whereas in the US, clubs tend to have a smaller fleet as pilots prefer more to own a plane themselves. It has to do with a difference in mentality but also with a related price tag.

Fuel costs are lower in the US and the size of the country makes buying a plane more interesting. I have been flying a couple of times in The US and having CAVOK weather by default is more inspiring than the often cloudy weather we have got over here due to our sea climate.

You can easily find a Cessna out of the 70’s for less than 40.000 euro in Europe. Owning a plane give you the absolute freedom to put in equipment you like and to go flying when you like.

If one flies some 40 to 50 hours a year like me, it seems better for the moment to continue to rent a plane…..and keep on dreaming about buying a plane and maybe do a crazy thing one day….

Today, I planned a flight from Luxembourg to my Belgian club of Zwartberg, with a C172. I had another pilot joining as a passenger, called Mike. He has an american license and is going to convert it to a EASA license as he lives as well in Luxembourg these days.

We arrived early at the morning at the Aerosport clubhouse. Impossible to take off however, the airport was IFR , but fog is disappearing rapidly. I called the MET office and a friendly lady learned that within 60 minutes weather is becoming VFR. Jippie !

I showed Mike, who’s joining our club, what are the procedures. We picked up the plane in the reservation system and filed a flight plan via Belgocontrol. I called the navigation office in Brussels to check, and yes, everything is ok.

Than we got the plane of of the hangar and taxied to the fuel station. All of this is perfectly organized at our Luxembourg airfield. We had the key to open the locker, where the credit card is to be found and could fill up our plan with Avgas.

Suddenly Mikes notifies me that the airport is VFR ! Great, let’s take off at once. After a ground roll, we took off on the 06 and headed towards Charlie exit.

ELLX

Luxembourg landscape

Luxembourg’s energy production

everything runs smoothly

Brussels info 126,9

Mike and Pete

The flight took an hour, we passed via the Diekirch VOR and from there to Liège, where we got a crossing clearance at no time.

Also this flight went smoothly, but we had to expedite as a warm front wass rapidly arriving from the southwest.

This this we flew over Luxembourg’s most famous lake. Here are the pics. Splendid Indian summer views, that’s what pilots like about Luxembourg.

flying over my house

The new motorway of Luxembourg to the north of the country is almost read

Kirchberg

Luxembourg city

From Hilversum, we took off after lunch and I flew to Goch in Germany (EDLG). It is a grass airfield with glider activities as well.

From Holland (EHHV) via Goch (EDLG) to Zwartberg (EBZW)

After landing, we were instructed to park next to the tower. We were searching and passed next to it without noticing it was the tower 🙂

Time for a coke. When walking to the clubhouse, all the people we met spoke…dutch. Strange, but these dutch speaking persons explained us that flying at Goch is so much easier than in Holland, that’s why all these dutch pilots come and spend their weekends over here.

the “Tower”  of  EDLG

gyroscope

Ludo

with Rotax engine

After having a drink at the Goch airfield, we head a seamless flight back to Belgium. We were a bit embarrassed that we landed 5 minutes too late, meaning after our slot has ended. But we learned that the pilot who booked the plane after us, canceled his flight…no worries

All by all, this was one of the better flights we’ve been making since a while. It was a truly memorable day and I returned happy and satisfied back home. 

Being in the Netherlands, I always eat bitterballen. When I was a kid and going with my parents to Maastricht dfor shopping on Saturdays, my father learned me to enjoy these dutch “specialties”. It tastes very well with some mustard. This is exactly whet we have been doing in Hilversum.

My Belgian club has an online reservation system where you book a plane for a number of hours. I booked some hours on Saturday, Sep 27th , 2014 – with the option that I was open to take another pilot with me. 

Ludo and Pete

EBZW to EHHV

We took off and avoided to come to close over the militairy airfield of Kleine Brogel (even although not active in the weekend). That’s why we plotted to fly via the Leopoldsbburg airfield, slightly at the west of Kleine Brogel.

Afterwards we contacted Eindhoven and received a crossing clearance directly over the airfield

Eindhoven

We have been flying many times together and team up quite well. Both of us are gliding pilots and private pilots.

Pete and Ludo

Ludo

Selfie

Flying over the Netherlands means no hills or mountains, but plenty of rivers. Here are some pictures of the places we have been flying over

land van Maas en Waal

Today was a very special day for our family. My son ( 4 years old)  has accompagnied me for the first time sitting on the co-pilot seat. He joined us at many occasions at the back seat since the time he was just a baby (here are the pics) but this time we went just the two of us in the air, with him sitting on the co-pilot’s seat. The last couple of days, I have been gently briefing him about our upcoming flight.

He seemed very keen to go flying with his dad. I had to install a child seat for his security and so that he had a nice view from the cockpit. The weather was CAVOK with only a couple of knots of wind. A perfect day. We took off in Zwartberg, EBZW and headed for Hasselt to fly over the house of his grandmother. He found the house himself as we flew over the neighbourhood, what I found quite amazing. But his grandmother was not there …

I showed one needs to pull to climb. He helped me making a gentle turn to the right and one to the left !

After a short flight, we landed in Genk Zwartberg. Surprise, surprise…his 84 year old grandmother Mija was waiting him up. He could not have been happier than at that moment when he saw her and explaining enthusiastically that he has been flying a plane.

I sincerely hope we are going to fly often together and that he keeps enjoying it.