Flights tales
Planned flight from Fayence to Ibiza for Dirk’s 60th birthday. Spanish regulations kept the Blackwing on the ground – but I still made it in time for the 80’s party, complete with live tributes to Pet Shop Boys and Tina Turner.
.
This summer I welcomed two special guests on board in Provence: Ambassador Vakhtang Makharoblishvili for a lunch flight to Aix-en-Provence, and Catherine Zivoder for a scenic tour around the Plan de Canjuers and Mont Lachens.
The final leg of our Europe at the Edge 2025 journey: a sunrise departure from Sterpenich, dodging thunderstorms across France, and a safe arrival in Fayence to conclude an unforgettable adventure.
After changing our route due to bad weather in Scandinavia, we diverted south to Ostrava, a Wizz Air hub in the Czech Republic. There we surprised my nephew Franky, whose Ellipse aircraft was being refurbished at the local factory. From a warm welcome on the apron to a long but uneventful return flight to Luxembourg, this stage brought our European journey full circle.
From Warsaw’s historic old town to the sobering grounds of Auschwitz, this leg of our Europe at the Edge journey took us deep into Poland. After exploring the capital, we flew south to Kaniow airfield, where Marian – a true aviation pioneer – welcomed us. His son drove us to Auschwitz, a visit that left a lasting impression. With the Blackwing refuelled and our thoughts heavy, we set course towards Ostrava, carrying both memories and miles further west.
Leaving Narva with the memory of new friends and a small parcel to deliver, we crossed Latvia under degraded GPS signals and entered Poland via Suwałki. By evening we landed in Warsaw, a modern and vibrant city where we paused for two nights to rest and explore.
Our stay in Narva began in the Narva Hotel, a building with a distinct Soviet touch. The corridors were wide, the rooms oversized, and the decoration reminded us of another era. From our window we could catch a glimpse of Ivangorod, the Russian border town across the river. It seemed alarmingly close – less than…
This August evening flight was different from all others: the plan was to cross the three Baltic states in one stretch, from Lithuania to Latvia and finally into Estonia. A symbolic journey from south to north, ending right on Europe’s. Flying VFR (Visual Flight Rules) meant staying clear of restricted zones and carefully navigating the…
On day two, our journey took us from bustling Gdańsk to the Lithuanian border town of Druskininkai, and later to Narva. A long call with Polish air traffic control set the tone, as we carefully plotted a route through one of Europe’s most sensitive corridors – between Kaliningrad and Belarus. From navigating busy runways alongside airliners to searching for fuel at the edge of Belarus, this leg was as much about preparation and resilience as it was about flying fast across shifting borders.
First leg of my Explore Europe’s Borders flying series, from Sterpenich in Luxembourg to the Hanseatic city of Gdańsk, Poland. Includes a fuel stop in Breitscheid with high-density altitude conditions, smooth cruising across Germany, and summer rain showers over Poland.