See description below (with timestamps at the bottom).
Weather:
EBCI 140850Z VRB02KT CAVOK 17/12 Q1023 NOSIG
EBCI 140920Z VRB02KT CAVOK 18/12 Q1023 NOSIG
EBAW 140920Z 11004KT 080V160 9999 FEW017 18/13 Q1023 NOSIG
EBAW 140950Z VRB02KT 9999 FEW021 19/13 Q1023 NOSIG
EHDL 140955Z AUTO 15005KT 9999 FEW024 OVC330 18/11 Q1023 BLU
EHDL 141025Z AUTO 16005KT 090V260 9999 BKN025 BKN028 BKN033 18/11 Q1023 BLU
EHGG 141055Z AUTO 19005KT 140V230 9999 BKN037 18/09 Q1023 NOSIG
EDWE 141050Z 17005KT 130V260 CAVOK 18/07 Q1023
ETNT 141120Z 15004KT 9999 SCT044 17/07 Q1023 BLACKBLU
To mark the end of the summer flying season (as far as temperatures go, mid September was definitely still very much summer this year) I wanted to challenge myself once more. I flew to Norderney, one of the East Frisian Islands. I took my folding bike to ride around a bit, and have lunch there, then I flew across to Emden to refuel, before flying back – crossing the whole Netherlands again – to Charleroi.
The first leg (which is presented in this video) is my longest flight to date, while the second (which will be covered in the next video) is one of the shortest ones (in duration it is the shortest, but in straight line distance Charleroi to Namur is less – although you can really never fly that straight).
Overall I put 5 hours and 10 minutes into the logbook, with a solo navigation over exactly 500 nautical miles between these three airports (443 nm straight line distance), which would actually more than fulfil the requirements of the commercial pilot licence too 😉 It was a fun, fulfilling, but tiring (and very expensive) day. I would love to come back for a longer visit too!
00:00 Taxi request from EBCI Ground
00:33 Taxi to the runway and introduction to today’s flight
01:02 In sequence lining up RWY 24 and waiting
01:46 Take-off EBCI RWY 24 and more information about this leg
02:28 After take-off flow, turn to NW, and checklist use
03:01 Exiting the CTR and checking in with Brussels Information
03:48 Crossing the Brussels-Charleroi Canal.
04:13 Climbing higher (above the FEW cloud layer)
04:49 A bit of cloud surfing (and avoiding clouds) in low level Class G
05:03 Glory around the shadow of the plane
05:09 Port of Antwerp
05:59 Amazing views on the “cloud-factories”
06:20 More glory-spotting and leaving Belgium
06:43 Contacting Dutch Mil Info (for flight information services)
07:24 Narration: crossing The Netherlands in Class E airspace
09:13 The welcome message of the flight
09:36 The one and only frequency change above The Netherlands (Eelde Approach)
10:24 Arrival briefing for Norderney (with maps)
10:54 First views of the water (the meeting of the Ems river and the Wadden Sea)
11:16 Contacting Langen Information (and already on the initial descent)
11:46 Descent checklist
12:06 Traffic information (this is an area for busy helicopter traffic)
12:40 Initial call (in broken German) to Norderney
12:55 Helicopter crossing below
13:08 Other traffic on the frequency confirming RWY 26 in use
13:45 Joining the circuit in the middle of left hand downwind
14:15 Turning base
14:35 Turning final
14:55 Final EDWY RWY 26
15:16 Landing RWY 26 (with narration)
15:44 Replay of the landing from other camera angles
16:18 Vacating the runway (with views of the lighthouse)
16:40 Taxi to the grass parking
17:19 After landing flow
17:57 Short Welcome to Norderney message and info
18:22 Shutdown (To be continued!)
2 Comments
Thanks for the video, very well edited 👍🏻
Very well done! Your phraseology and pronounciation were quite fine. Getting no answer has something to do with the mentality of the east frisian people, they don't talk too much. When I'm approaching Norderney, I usually insist on getting answer, just to make other planes aware of me, some like this: D-Exxx; erbitte Radio-Check! (request radio-check), or D-Exxx, erbitte Wind-Check (request wind-check) when I already turned base and didn't get any response. If you fly to other frisian islands (Wangerooge, Langeoog and Baltrum), they wouldn't respond between 13-15 o'clock local time; this is their 'Mittagspause' and you are not allowed to land. Borkum, Juist and Norderney don't have this midday closure.