Night flight from Sandefjord

Anita joined me on a flight to ENTO for the MAF Norway annual meeting, where I was re-elected to the board of directors. Mission Aviation Fellowship is providing air transport in places of deepest human need – remote places where flying is not a luxury, but a lifeline.

For nearly 60 years MAF has flown over jungles, mountains, swamps and deserts to bring hope. It was an inspiring meeting, and we had a great night flight back to ENGM. Anita on Facebook: "Wow...the world is beautiful at 1500' at night :)".

Abroad for night training

Oslo by night. Photo: Lars Frers.

I needed five landings at night to be current before a planned flight with passenger Friday, and was surprised to realize the impossibilities of accomplishing this in Eastern Norway. ENKJ have lights disconnected. ENGM do not allow touch-and-go. ENTO, by NOTAM, only allowed this for aircrafts based on the airport. ENRY does not allow T&G after 9 p.m. That's 40 minutes before darkness at this time of year. And ENHA needs at least three days notice in order to inform the neighbors about night training in progress.

I had to leave the country. ESKV is H24, however prefere no T&G after 10 p.m., hence ESOK became the next natural choice (open until 10:30 p.m. local time).  In two hours of flying, I got four night landings in Karlstad, Sweden, and the fifth and last compulsory landing back at Gardermoen. 

Landing on rotten ice

Back from Sunny California to the Winter Wonderland, I decided to fly-in for a lunch at Oset Hotel in the mountains of Southern Norway. This turned out not to be a totally safe venture. 

The hotel's runway manager reported on good conditions in the morning, and a departing aircraft did not warn us about the runway conditions as we arrived. We learned later that this aircraft had skis, while we had wheels. As I applied brakes on the P28A after landing, the main wheels broke through the ice surface. The same happened while turning and taxing several times. We spoke briefly with the airfield manager, without turning off the engine, and took off as soon as possible, using soft field technique. I was happy to be able to return the plane without hanging under a helicopter. 

The NRK television news tonight reported on a three-day-old warning from the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, stating unsafe ice on regulated waters.

Never trust a runway manager selling fancy lunches...

The Tisleia Lake on 2750 ft. has a 1000 meters runway on ice during the winter season (15 km on water during summer). The winter runway was closed by the hotel this afternoon. 

Tore and I had lunch at Notodden before returning to Kjeller.

Flying Highway One

Everything was lined up. I had a brand new US PPL certificate based on my Norwegian, with English proficiency and seaplane rating added. I had taken a biennial VFR Flight Review and the mandatory checkout at the Shoreline Flying Club. And I had renters insurance from AOPAIA. However, the SFO TAF said winds of 30G40, hence flying Monday were out of the question.

Tuesday morning the winds were less violent, and I did flight planning during a fabulous fifties breakfast at Loris Diner on Powell St., drinking my coffee in vicinity of vintage aircrafts.

Arriving Palo Alto (PAO), I found N837SP free of squacs, and ready to go. Taking off 31 for a left Dumbarton departure, flying over the University of Stanford campus before climbing to 3500 feet to get over the ridge.

The famous Pacific Coast Highway One is running by some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. It is great by car, and even better by air. 

I followed the coast southbound through Monterey Bay and continued to Point Sur, enjoying the Bixby Bridge from a new perspective. Pilots are requested to maintain a minimum altitude of 2000 ft over the Point Lobos State Reserve and the California State Sea Otter Game Refuge. With only an iPhone as my camera, it was a challenge to capture the experience.

On my way back I did a short turn at Pebble Beach, flying over Carmel (image) and Monterey on my way back to Palo Alto. 

Two hours of flying.

Driving up to San Francisco I stopped at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos. And the day was complete.

Back at the Bay for flying fun

Flying right over the tower at San Francisco International Airport to avoid a midair with a B747 from Japan Airlines is tons of fun and definitely business unusual for pilots like me.

This blog started three years ago after my first flight over San Francisco. A hotel room in Silicon Valley felt like an appropriate location for entering the blogosphere. This week I am back for the Web 2.0 Expo conference in San Francisco, and I spent the pre conference Sunday in a Skyhawk for a VFR Flight Review and checkout at the Shoreline Flying Club in Palo Alto (PAO). 

Dan, Shoreline's chief pilot and a United Airlines captain, gave me express enrollment service to this very affordable flying club, where no money is spent on luxurious ground facilities.

Flying with Libor was a very pleasant experience. He did a great job of making me feel comfortable with the airspace and radio communication. After some air work and an simulated emergency landing at Half Moon Bay (HAF), we continued northbound to Golden Gate Bridge before flying over San Francisco and transiting the bravo airspace by highway 101.

As we approached San Francisco International (SFO), a B747 Jumbo Jet from Japan Airlines was on the takeoff roll on runway 28. The wind was to strong to use the default runway 1, and I was directed to cross midfield over the tower to avoid a close encounter with the big bird en route for Asia. Then a right turn back to the west side of HWY 101 was needed to avoid traffic at San Carlos (SQL) 9 miles SE.  7 miles further SE our home base of Palo Alto is located, only 4 miles NW of Moffett Federal (NUQ), where president Obama would have landed with Air Force One.

This is close to aviation heaven. I'll be back!

Flying F16 at Jarlsberg

Paul flying the F16 simulator at Jarlsberg, piloting a fighter aircraft for the first time since he did the real thing back in the 50's. He still got it!

Trying the simulator was the main attraction of the AOPA Norway annual meeting. The world's largest organizer of general aviation are growing fast in Norway, and I am proud to be serving on the national Board of Directors.

Planning a few flights during my upcoming visit to California, the member section of aopa.org is an invaluable source.

Saved by tape on the ice

Anita and Jørn was my crew in LN-NAG to the 11th annual MAF Fly-in at Vermundsjøen. More than 50 planes from Southern Norway and Sweden attended this year´s event.

As we parked a fellow pilot noted that our right hand navigation light was loose. A need for tape was announced in church, and good helpers came to rescue.

I missed the obligatory meal at the local diner, but was able to temporary repair the plane and have some of the great waffles sold on the ice.

This years weather and runway conditions were superb. Two years ago I had to use the full 1300 meter runway to stop after landing.

Hudson River Landing Animation

This animation of the US Airways 1549 Hudson River landing is a great example of storytelling by news animation.

I had more action on the ground before flying the Hudson River Corridor in 2004... :-)

Busting aviator myths

Knut Helge at ENGM, joining me on a myth busting operation on a great day for flying.I have to admit being one of the people wining about the lack of airports to visit and hence low variation of landing practice for pilots operating from ENKJ. Today, after flying ENKJ-ENGM-ENEG-ENKJ (3x15 minutes), I admit being wrong.

MYTH 1. Flying to ENGM is a complex operation. Wrong! Filing ordinary flight plans to and from Oslo's main airport is everything that is needed. The NOTAM Office takes care of the slot time, and will call you back if you need to change the planned arrival. You arrive and depart like any other airport, and the traffic is rather low.

MYTH 2. Flying to ENGM is expensive. Wrong! The landing fee of NOK 250 is less than at Rakkestad!

MYTH 3. There are no short field airports in the Oslo area we are welcome to visit. Wrong! Sending an PPR on SMS was everything needed to be welcome at Eggemoen. Airfield Manager Gunnestad does not bite, as long as you call before landing, and the landing fee of NOK 150 is less than most other places. Actually, I have never been denied PPR at any of the short fields in the area (but then I never tried at Ski!).

Conclusion: PPR and landing fees might represent mental obstacles, however it is quite possible to secure varied experience and meet nice people at other airports without flying far from home.

Hangar flying

FZFG above and a runway filled with snow below, made hangar flying the safest option for the bachelor party I had promised to fly over Oslo in LN-NAG today. The TAF promised 'FEW010 SCT080', but the fog never left.

Landed safe in snow at Hamar after failed attempts for Kjeller and Gardermoen

LN-TFQ (P28A) got lost in snow and bad visibility tonight. After failed attempts at ENKJ and ENGM, a police helicopter escorted the lost pilot to a safe landing at ENHA. The webcam picture was grabbed short before the landing. The METAR at ENGM indicated overcast in 500 feet and 7 km visibility.

BTW, this was my first attempt at covering a live event on Twitter, Facebook, Scanair, and Blogger...

Flying a big bird with the big boys

Recently I was invited to observe airliner pilot training, and it was great to see how the professionals handled engine fires, bad weather, and other unforeseen events. Flying the big bird myself was tons of fun.

Where and with whom? That's unfortunately classified... ;-)

50 degrees of separation

One week ago I had dinner at Real Aeroclub de Grand Canaria Restaurante, and the temperature was +23C. Today I had lunch at Røros in -27C. I was afraid of freezing my nose off, but the aircraft engine stayed warm, with a blanket on top and the heater plugged in. The GPS, however, needed a few moments of body contact to get back to life after take-off for Kjeller.

Flying 350 NM over Southern Norway in CAVOK is a remarkable experience. It was chilly at Kjeller as Tore removed the ice accumulated in the hangar, and it got colder by the minute as we headed north.

At Vermundsjøen an ultralight trike had landed for the fly-in season opening of the local Diner, but we had not received confirmation of the ice condition on the lake, and kept on flying. Røros was cold but dry. Back at Kjeller the wings immediately froze as we pushed the plane back in the hangar. Tomorrow it is supposed to be snowing again. However grounded, I will still be elevated by today's experience.

Ready for new adventures

I had to do my annual check ride at ENKJ in order to stay current at the two flying clubs early this year, as I had skipped this ritual in 2008. CFI David (picture) and I had a smooth ride in LN-NRF on a mild and sunny winther day. After a few months with too much writing on my PhD thesis and too little flying, I am current again, and ready for new adventures. Soon the thesis will also be submitted.

Landing in a swarm of ultralight trikes

Watch me land LN-NAG on a busy day at Kjeller.

Aviation weather in my pocket

Ok, I do have a love affair with the iPhone. And this great little gadget are now giving me current and precise weather conditions (METAR) as well as weather forecasts (TAF) from worldwide airport weather stations. Planning my own trips or just dreaming about future expeditions to distant fields, I can read the data in its original format or fully decoded into easy understandable texts. AeroWeather is a great widget for iPhone/iPod touch.

For flight planning I do also have desktop links on my iPhone to three local sources: Yr for mobile, Nordic SIGWX, and VFR chart from SMHI.

Never pulling loads of fax sheets from the met office again :-)

Australian pilot ready to convert

Ellen and Keith just moved to Bærum from Cairns, and he is looking forward to converting his Australian pilot license to European. I gave them a tour of the facilities of the flying clubs at ENKJ, and we took a look at the Oslo area in LN-NAG, on a nice Sunday morning with very smooth flying conditions. 

Jostein's debut at co-pilot

Jostein (7) at Kjeller after his debut as co-pilot, flying LN-NAG over Oslo. He has been flying with me since he turned four, but never in the front seat before. Sitting on a car seat cushion he could not reach the pedals nor get a good view over the instrument panel, but he did a good job handling the stick while looking out the side window of the Warrior.

An ultralight Fly-in today made Kjeller even buzzier than on a regular Saturday morning, with a lot of strange looking small flying machines on ground and in the air. Quite a few without radio, making the traffic pattern rather interesting today.

Fall flight on floats

Unn joined me for the last seaplane flight of the 2008 season on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon. We met at the University of Oslo campus and drove to Kilen on my HD, flew LN-AEG low level past Oscarsborg, Villa Malla, and Holmsbu, before returning to Kilen via Drammen.

This might be one of the last days on two wheels as well. I had to wait for an hour before leaving home this morning due to frozen roads. Unfortunately it might be six months to wait before the biking and seaplane season is back in Oslo. Why do people live this far north?

Seaplane sank in first storm of the season

Fire fighters and other good helpers saving LN-HOE at the dock in Sandefjord after the first storm of the fall season. 50 trees and one seaplane was hit hard in Vestfold. More images taken by Jim Vold at Flightsim.no. 

I am planning one more flight with LN-AEG before ending the season on floats. I guess waiting too long is not a good idea.