First day of winter, last day on floats

14 October is the Winter day, according to the ancient Norse calendar. This marked the end of the summer season of commerce and travel and the beginning of the winter season of hunting for the Northern folk. Traditionally the ceremony was much like the Carnival season in the Mediterranean countries.

Vis større kart

For me this winter day was the last day on floats for the season. My pilot friend Anita and I waited an hour for the sun to melt the frost of the wings, before flying to Hankø Fjordhotell & Spa for lunch.

Hankø is known as a venue for the sport of sailing, having hosted several world championships in different yacht classes. The island is connected to the mainland by a ferry operating on demand.

The sudden urge to buy power company shares

Flying over a major city at night always gives me the urge to invest in the local power company. Last night I attended an AOPA Norway board meeting at Sundt Air, Gardermoen, and I took the opportunity to get current night while visiting a 24/7 airport. CAVOK and smooth air over Oslo made this chore pretty pleasant.

BYO splash-in lunch at Tjøme

Last season at sea ended by a fly-in dinner at Rica Havna Hotel in the summer paradise Tjøme at the end of the Oslofjord. Today the kitchen was closed due to refurnishing, and we had to bring our own lunch bag.

My UiO colleague Elin and I was offered coffee, tea and a table with a view at the restaurant built into the rock.

Nice being back, but I missed the lobster soup...

Glassy water landing at Vermundsjøen

Finnskog church at Vermundsjøen lake by the Swedish border (604150N 1223E) is the host of Norway's largest winter fly-in. I decided to test the waters on floats before arrival of the ice this year, and was met by a beautiful day of fall - and quite challenging glassy water conditions.

Calm conditions known as glassy water are the most deceptive phenomenon known to the float pilot. The height above the water surface is impossible to estimate correctly, making it difficult to judge the final few feet. The glassy water landing is always a power-on landing, and the rate of descent is controlled to around 50-100 feet per minute, with a fixed attitude. A glassy water take-off can also be quite unnerving as the surface of the water is very hard to discern. (Source: fortlangleyair.com)

I'll be back for the MAF sponsored winter fly-in mid March, only worrying about white out...

$100 Bomber Burger at Half Moon Bay

A few minutes after departing Palo Alto (PAO) 31, we were on final 30 at Half Moon Bay (HAF). Lunch at the 3-Zero Cafe was our first destination, and the B17 Bomber Burger stood out as the obvious $100 hamburger choice de jure.

Before returning to work and the ONA09 conference, I had to give Anders an opportunity to view the Golden Gate Bridge from above. Flying low level with his pilot brother some years ago, the landmark was completely covered in the San Francisco fog.

We had sky clear for our sight seeing venture, and made a detour to the wine district, landing on the narrow runway of Sonoma Valley Airport (0Q3). I was happy to add this as the 105th destination in my logbook.