Month: July 2016

Our rally organization team member Turgut keeps amazing me.

He just drafted a full list of Turkish Airports with customs facilities and airports which sell Avgas. Interesting to know when you are flying out of Georgia on your way back to Western Europe

Reentry to Turkey could be made from Ordu_Giresun of from Samsun airports.

For refueling you can use Engiz or Sivrihisar airfields.

There’s some great news from Turkey ! Dr. Uner Bekoz of the Elba Aviation Institute expressly invites you, aviator participating at the Memorial Hans Gutmann Tourist rally to Georgia 2016 to come to Antalya and join the organized Fly In at the Antalya Karain Airfield. after you fly out of Georgia.

Here’s the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/elbahavacilik .

Antalya is the most peaceful and touristic site of Turkey, Antalya where you will taste the nature of history besides resting in utmost comfort.

Generous invitation to visit Antalya

Memorial Hans Gutmann tourist rally 2016 now on facebook

The organisation team met twice last week in Luxembourg, here are the minutes and open action points

Nr	Airport	Item	deadline	Assigned to
1	Luxembourg	Guido to contact Aviabel insurance by email to obtain Georgia insurance certificate for LX-AIX and LX-AIE	Asap	Guido
2	LHJK	As we have a large group of pilots, some 14 planes, Peter to inform Jakabszállás in Hungary about our AVGAS requirements based upon the input of our participating pilots so that they can ensure to have enough AVGAS available	asap	Peter
3	LHJK	Romain informed us that the Aerohotel team in Hungary informed him that customs on demand is not available at LHJK. It is advised to pilots to land at LHUD (Szeged) after leaving LHJK. There’s AVGAS at 700 forint, whereas in Bulgaria this will be way more expensive (3.5€/l?)		Every individual pilot assisting at the rally
4	LHJK	No landing fees are due in LHJK
5	LHJK	Mike and Artem are to distribute in LHJK a  MTX sim card and toolbox, allowing to participating pilotys to have WIFI and 3G on board of their planes whilst flying to Georgia. There’s a good packet free of charge. They will have a sticker available to put on the planes willing to benefit from this as this is entirely sponsored by MTX Connect	Asap	Artem/Mike
6	LBSF	Sofia needs to ask for group handling for all planes except Turkish ones. Turgut to introduce his Bulgarian contact Rosen to Peter for this purpose	Asap	Peter Turgut
7	LBSF	Several planes will skip fuel stop in LBSF, they will fly directly to Turkey
8	LBSF	Sofia airport: in order to avoid important handling costs, it is recommended to insert “technical handling-fuel stop” in your flight plan (part 18). It seems that handling costs can be waived. Turgut will try to get confirmation of his Bulgarian contact Rosen. Also to check on Avgas in Sofia	asap	Turgut
9	LBSF	Bulgarian authorities may sometimes be harsh, Peter to contact Rosen in Bulgaria in order to check what is needed for smooth handling	asap	Peter
10	LBSF	If problems should arise with Avgas in Sofia, pilots can always land in LTBU – Corlu in Turkey. Avgas and customs are possible, but handling could be expensive – please insert “technical handling-fuel stop” in your flight plan (part 18). It seems that handling costs can be lowered or waived	info	All pilots
11	Turkey	Turgut to prepare sample flight plans for flights to, within and from Turkey, which will be distributed amongst the participants o   Sofia – Bursa o   Bursa- Engiz airfield o   Engiz – Batumi	asap	Turgut
12	Turkey	Fuel in Turkey is to be paid in cash in Euros or Turkish currency. Small amounts of cash needed (no 200€ or 500€ bills) No credit cards accepted. To communicate to all pilots.	July 25	Every individual pilot assisting at the rally
13	Turkey	Every plane needs to bring along at least one AOPA membership card in order to benefit from lowered handling fees in both Bursa Yenesehir and Engiz airport. This is compulsary	August 3	Every individual pilot assisting at the rally
14	Turkey	A flight plan is required for every flight within Turkey
15	Turkey	Turgut to provide some input with regards to weather briefing in Turkey	Asap	Turgut
16	Turkey	At LTBR there’s some technical support available, at Engiz airport all technical support is available.
17	LTBR	Bursa-Yenisehir: It is possible we get a dinner offered by the municipality of Bursa whilst our landing on August 6 (unconfirmed at this stage)		Turgut
18	LTBR	Bursa-Yenisehir: as the two hotels we suggested in the Bursa-Yenisehir area are quite far from each other (40 min drive) and given that we might have an evening dinner offered by the municipality, it is suggested to all participants to only make reservations in the Montania Special Class Hotel***** at Mudanya, Bursa. It is set in a 165-year-old train station on the seafront of Mudanya, Montania Special Class Hotel and awarded as the The Middle East’s Best Classic Boutique Hotel by World Boutique Hotel Awards, combines modern amenities with a historical atmosphere. The places is somewhat special as it is the train station where the World war 1 peace treaty was signed. So, here’s the booking link http://goo.gl/ZMRn4p . If still possible, please cancel your reservation at Hotel Zeytin Bahcesi*** (Olive garden) at Iznik, Bursa.	asap	Every individual pilot assisting at the rally
19	LTBR	Turgut will join crew of LX-AVS at LTBR	August 6
20	LTBR	AVGAS in Turkey: the general rule is that AVGAS is available in Western Turkey and MOGAS in Eastern Turkey. Team member Turgut will draft a list which we will publish on our blog which Turkish airfield having AVGAS available, where we could eventually land	asap	Turgut
21	LTBR	A demand was received from Hilmi of Istanbul flying club, in order to take along some spare parts. To be forwarded individually	Asap	Peter
22	LTBR	Piper Saratoga D-ENRG Peter Antony to follow different timing/routing to Georgia. ·       August 7th. o   LOAV dep 12.00 loc, arr. Belgrade LYBE 14.00 loc for fuel stop o   LYBE dep 15.00 loc 4 h fligt + 1 h time difference arr. LTBR 20.00 h loc time Peter S. arranged with Hilmi Incircioglu of Istanbul aviation club that their tanker will stay one day longer in order to serve 300 liter of AVGAS to D-ENRG of Peter Antony	asap	Peter
23	ZZZZ	Engiz airfield: standard circuit. Details of this airfield including aerial views and frequencies have been posted earlier on the blog
24	ZZZZ	Draft list with indicated fuel demands at Engiz airport, so that Turgut can ensure there’s enough AVGAS available	Asap	Peter/Turgut
25	ZZZZ	Engiz airfield: flight plan needs to be closed by calling to Samsun airport, this is compulsory
26	ZZZZ	Engiz airfield: this airfield is not on listed on the Skydemon map for Turkey. Guido to contact Skydemon owner to fix this	Asap	Guido
27	LTCB	Landing at Ordu Giresun is necessary for customs. This is a sea airport –spectacular views to be expected. There is no AVGAS at Ordu Giresun.
28	Georgia	Mike Kornev in contact with Levan Karanadze of Georgian civil aviation authority in order to check whether a simplified paper filing is possible	18 July	Mike
29	Georgia	Mike Kornev to send out whitepaper to participating pilots with the papers which need to be submitted to Georgian authorities prior to July 25th (soft deadline). Passing the Georgian border and customs in Batumi Int’l Airports without any special procedures but all pilots need to send the documents hereunder in an individual email directly to Central Dispatching Service of Georgia cds@gcaa.ge  before July 25th (to have some time in case of questions). This is a requirement of Central Dispatching Service to clear border crossing and flights inside Georgia. The following documents needs to be bundled in a PDF and sent together with a cover letter to 1.    Certificate of registration of civil aircraft 2.    Certificate of airworthiness 3.    Appendix of certificate of airworthiness N1 4.    Insurance policy for: a.    The crew b.    Passengers c.    Luggage d.    Third persons 5.    Pilot(s) licenses 6.    Pilot(s) medical certificates The insurance for airplane must specifically mention that it is valid in Georgia.	19 July	Mike
30	Georgia	A flight plan is required for every flight within Georgia
31	Georgia	Plan B Artem informs that there’s an additional 5 tons of expired fuel available in Georgia in case of emergency. This comes from civil military services.
32	Georgia	Three Belgian planes are expected to join us in Batumi (Karel Vranken group) which the end destination of their own fly-out	August 7
33	Georgia	removed
34	Georgia	Mike will continue to update the navigation part of the georgia2016.eu website. He’ll add the approach charts which are to be delivered by Vanilla Sky for Natkahari and Batumi. He’ll try to be as complete as possible.	Asap	Mike
35	Georgia	Pilots are recommended to purchase a road map of Georgia as backup	Asap	Every individual pilot assisting at the rally
36	Georgia	All fuel in Georgia is delivered in barrels, a manual fuel pomp is required in both Batumi and Natakhari. It has to be arranged that Vanilla Sky ensures to have a manual fuel pomp at both locations	Asap	Artem
37	Georgia	There’s a total of 4400 liter AVGAS available for our pilots in Georgia of which 3560 liter is prepaid by our pilots. As subscriptions are closed, fuel requirements of prepaid AVGAS in both Natakhari (2620l AVGAS) and Batumi (940l AVGAS) per plane are now firmly known. We’ll reconfirm in a proper writing the ordered AVGAS per plane at both Batumi and Natkahari locations to Vanilla Sky / Serviceair  so they arrange their distribution management.	Asap	Peter
38	Georgia	There is some 840 liters of AVGAS left for pilots willing to fly within Georgia. This is distributed on a first come, first served basis and needs to be paid to Vanilla Sky/Service Air. We’ll communicate this policy in a letter to Vanilla Sky management	Asap	Peter
39	Georgia	We learned that Georgia requires that the insurance papers of the plane specifically mention that Georgia is covered. This can be a showstopper for pilots who fail to deliver this.		Every individual pilot assisting at the rally
40	Georgia	The tourist program of Georgia is accepted as such. A subscription form needs to be drafted and send out to all pilots. Order intake and management needs to be ensured by Vanilla Sky	Asap	Artem/Guido
41	Georgia	Pilots shall receive receipts for the fuel they buy in Georgia from Vanilla Sky. Artem to discuss how this will work out related to the final bill every pilot will receive from Vanilla Sky		Artem
42	UGSB	Both our suggested hotels in Batumi are not too far from each other. Arrange for dinner location at sea shore in Batumi.	30 July	Vanilla Sky
43	UGSB	To arrange with Vanilla Sky in order to ensure a set of barrels for the late arrival of some planes is scheduled in Batumi together with a hand help pump	Asap	Artem
44	UGSB	Artem agreed with Vanilla Sky that individual handling fees in Batumi are invoiced by Batumi airport to Vanilla Sky, who will re-invoice it at their turn to the individual plane owners. Artem to clarify with Vanilla Sky what the scheduled handling fees are in Batumi.	Asap	Artem
45	UGSB	Piper Saratoga D-ENRG Peter Antony to follow different timing/routing to Georgia. ·       August 8th o   LTBR dep 10.00 loc 4,5 h flight + 1 h time difference arr Batumi UGSB 15.30 loc o   Planning to arrive in UGSA Natakhari on late afternoon Peter to arrange with Vanilla Sky that 60 liter AVGAS in cherry cans is left behind at Batumi airfield for D-ENRG	Asap	Peter
46	UGSA	A welcome party is organized at Natakhari on August 8 in the evening as part of the tourist program which Vanilla Sky has been putting together		Every individual pilot assisting at the rally
47	UGSA	A car needs to be rented for the organization team in Natakhari to ensure additional flexibility	Asap	Mike Kornev
48	Antalya	A  generous offer has been received by the municipality of Antalya, offering our pilots on their way back to Western Europe 3 nights stayover in a 5 star resort plus a tourist program. A proper invitation should be send out to our participating pilots	Asap	Peter
49	Antalya	A  generous offer has been received by the municipality of Antalya, offering our pilots on their way back to Western Europe 3 nights stayover in a 5 star resort plus a tourist program. The website needs to be adjusted in order to show this as a tour extension	Asap	Mike
50	Antalya	A  generous offer has been received by the municipality of Antalya, offering our pilots on their way back to Western Europe 3 nights stayover in a 5 star resort plus a tourist program. Participating pilots should confirm to Turgut by email whether they will participate to this tourist program	Asap	Every individual pilot assisting at the rally
51	general	Flight plans can be submitted 5 days in advance only, several pilots will use DFS
52	General	Oil reserve: pilots are recommended to take extra oil with them throughout the rally as it might not be obvious to find appropriate oil on our road to Georgia	Rally departure	All pilots

We have been in touch with Hilmi Incircioglu of the Instanbul Aviation club and he confirmed the availability of AVGAS @LTBR. This is an important stop for our 14 planes on their way to Georgia.

He is planning to have their tanker ready with some 2500 lt of AVGAS both for our 13 planes arriving on August 6 as a contingency and also to refuel the aircraft of Peter Antony (D-ENRG) arriving on August 7th with 300 additional lt of AVGAS.

The price of Avgas will be 2.65 EUR per liter.

The handling costs are 35 eur per aircraft, provided at least one of the occupants of the aircraft presents a valid AOPA card. Othervise the handling cost will be 70eur per aircraft.

Only cash is accepted as payment, either in Turkish Liras or Euros.

We can either refuel on the 6th August in the afternoon when we arrive or on the 7th in the morning.

They suggest however to refuel all aircrafts on 6th in the afternoon as there will be some spare time while we will be waiting for all the aircraft to arrive before we head to Bursa to our hotels. By doing so no time will be lost before the departure on 7th morning.

So it has also been formally confirmed that Peter Anthony (D-ENRG) will also be able to get 300 lt of AVGAS either at the time of his arrival 7th August evening or the following morning before he departs. They will keep the tanker @Yenişehir for him one more day, before it heads back to their Sabiha Gokcen base.

Yesterday, we met with the organisation team and analysed the subscriptions and payments received..

We have now 14 planes participating at the rally to Georgia with some 36 people aboard. We further have 7 persons coming over with regular airlines. In total, a group of 43 persons

With having only a limited availability of AVGAS, we decided to close the subscriptions for this year’s edition. We’re so sorry, but we’re fully booked.

With our rally to Georgia being very close now, here are some great new pictures about our destination (courtesy of the friendly Georgian national tourist office) in case you’re planning to extend you stay. It looks gorgeous in every way.

Black sea

European Caucasus

Abanoebi

Ananoeri

Bambis Rigi

Batumi late night view

Batumi

Borjomi water, a taste I never will forget

Davit Gareja

ganaxlebuli kutaisis center

Gelati

Gergeti

Gori

Gudauri

in the spring of 2017, lets go for ski in Gudauri

Ikalto, Kakheti

Telavi

Kazbegi

different Kazbegi view

Lamaria, svaneti

Mtskheta

Mtskheta 1

Mtskheta 2

Mtskheta 3

Mtskheta 4

Mtskheta 5

mxeta da sveticxoveli

Narikala

Opera

PIACA_BATUMI

sataplia caves

sighnaghi

more sighnaghi

Svaneti

svetitskhoveli shignidan

Capital city Tbilisi

tsinandali

ushba, svaneti

We have been processing the subscriptions received for the upcoming Memorial Hans Gutmann Rally 2016. We have now 13 planes participating with the rally, which is a big success as we’re now fully booked. Besides, we have some pilots participating in the rally who’s spouses and children are coming over by regular airline to Georgia. All together, we have as per today 33 pilots and passengers and 7 additional persons, totaling 40. Quite a big group. There’s a group of three other planes (from Belgium), who have planned to meet us in Batumi for the evening dinner. What makes this group so interesting is that it consists of pilots coming from various European countries. We have Italians, English, German, Lithuanian, Austrian and Luxembourg based pilots in our planes.

scenic views of the southern Caucasus in Georgia, a new general aviation destination