Each aircraft has specific ways, depending on its cruise speed, payload, range and its design. Our VALENTIN TAIFUN 17E is a two-seat touring motor glider in plastic construction with 17 m span, wing-flaps, retractable gear and variable prop. The 100-horsepower Limbach-engine gives it a cruising speed of nearly 200 km/h. Very comfortable seats and the 360 degrees view are excellent: in short, it almost offers itself for longer flight trips. A report by Dietrich Brönner:

Perhaps it is the Greek hero tales from childhood or an archaeological study, ancient art enthusiasm, humanistic education-keenness or dream images from the tourism industry, which encourage someone to explore the land of the Hellenes by aircraft. In our case only the logic sufficients: What is closer after previous round courses Corsica - Sardinia - Sicily - Italy or Spain - Portugal - France, than exploring the more eastern Aegean islands this time?

Inquiries about the flight there (and back) were contradictory: the fuel is still cheap in Croatia, but what about the flight through Albania or Montenegro? “Just make a big circle around this area!” all enquiries matchingly sounded, but the justifications for this assertion were vague. They sounded more like Karl May's "Land of Skipetars" or like a shooting down in war zones. Additional information had to be sought: so call and ask Tirana. Result: no connection, never. Then sent an e-mail. Result: no answers. Perhaps Tirana doesn't exist?

Well, because on May 1st there were low clouds on the north slopes of the Alps, we (our Taifun 17E, Hans-Peter Gottlob and I) set course for Mâcon to refuel our planes as we did before very often. Going west of the Alps to Italy also works fine. When switching to the aerodrome frequency of Mâcon: no answer, instead some operating sounds – so we made an air to air conversation: "D - KGAN vent arrière droite, piste 17 - étape de base droite - en finale." A UL left the runway, and after that there was room for us. Gasoline unfortunately was not available, because - obviously - a regionally-operated airfield has holiday on Ascension Day. However, a little chatting and relaxing, combined with a refreshing brake was very welcome. We got the fuel a quarter of an hour later in Villefranche. The Saône and the Rhône valley accompanied us southward until the control area of Lyon allowed us a direct course on Aspres Serres and Sisteron. Here again we had to file a flight plan, since we were heading for Italy - and we enjoyed taking another 19 liters of gasoline, because as we all know nothing is more useless than unused meters behind oneself on the runway and empty space in the fuel tank.
Before sunset we should be able to reach. . . Reggio Emilia, calculations showed. So - you are still able to learn: call them! Yes, you can land and yes, we also have fuel for you - so go for it. Through the Alps, not without using the elevator on Gach and the appropriate "bones" along the route, which saves fuel and is fun. The clouds to the east almost forced us to fly to Nizza – that means it was a good decision not trying to cross the alps after all! On the flight past Asti and Cuneo to northern Italy - who doesn't think of sparkling wine in this context – we meet at Alessandria on the Po, with its poplar dams - Don Camillo sends his greetings - in Cremona violins are singing and above Parma there's a fragrance. . . correctly, of ham. The overnight stay in Reggio Emilia is pilot friendly: There is a decent hotel at about 200m from the tower.

Inside Italy always flight plan... Lecce in Puglia should be the springboard over the Adriatic. Complete, submit and start to the filed time next morning - everything fine. The Italian air monitor doesn’t coordinate VFR with IFR traffic. Maybe they are having a contract with the "Ente Nazionale per i Beni culturali" or the Tourism Authority and would like to show flying tourists the beauties of the country from a very nearby point of view: Anyway they have published ground visual flight routes in large areas around the airports, you absolutely have to install into your flight plan. With all the well sounding location names, and - please - one after another - do not omit! The carefully lined GPS helps guides to dazzle when they hear: “Next reporting point Casalecchio at 27 “- it does not come on at one minute, and only when it's grossly wrong, they calculate and ask again. In any event, we were glad to have a good ventilation in the plane, because the sultriness closer to the ground increased, and we could nevertheless get on film the high-rising buildings on the outskirts of Bologna, the highway ramp in the Apennines, castles on its northern slopes and the Ferrari test track at Imola. So they handed us over to Forlì, Cesena, Rimini, Pesaro, Ancona and from there towards higher altitudes along the coast - the Gran Sasso massif still snowcapped - to Pescara. The Gargano had a closed cloud deck. Just when north of Bari it was slowly opening up again, the guide wants to ground us, "due to traffic". So we went down through a hole in the clouds: but due to high humidity and industrial filth there were enough condensation nuclei for a steadily shrinking base, the closer we came to the city. The airfield still was having 700 meters visibility, we were always holding VMC so we were able to explore the stadium in Bari, road and port operations very carefully - with official approval.

Only “Brindisi approach” probably actually had read our flight plan since they were asking for our “destination” and when we confirmed it being Lecce we were answered " Lecce is closed". Now it was up to us to look surprised. Asking any further will not bring you any further in these kind of cases. Better: "Do you have an alternate?" Foggia already was too far away. - Break – after one minute: “Landing in Brindisi approved”. So took an approaching map - changed frequency - Landed - Follow me - Fuel question - break. The answer came from the handling: "Only on Monday again!" -. . . It was Friday, May 2.


We make a metamorphosis by turning into car-tourists. Apulia is nice – if you are flexible and able to switch! The Lancia Musa we rented took us to a bed & breakfast, to Castel del Monte, to the trulli in Alberobello and into the largest stalactite cave of Europe in Martina Franca. Of course, beforehand we had tried all the tricks of getting fuel - by calling to ”somebody who knows somebody”, by checking the fire department, handling ...
Even the runway of a UL-place in the vicinity, was visited in order to measure starting distance - too short!

 

Castel del Monte

Poppies in Apulia

Trulli in Alberobello

 

May 5th we can be found very early at our plane, busy taking all sorts of preparations for the start. The jump across the Adriatic back to the "foreign country" should succeed without surprise.
Landing Permit (Port of Entry) and refuelling possibilities have been confirmed in writing back in Germany. Life jackets are available. As it appears, the ENAC chief is pointing at the Brindisi airport manual on the correct line: "Landing for TMG is not allowed." What follows is the next dialogue in German:
"Why have you landed here?"
-"Guidance reported Lecce was closed and so he coordinated a permit for Brindisi."
"Lecce has been closed for 5 years now!"
- "Our flight plan in Reggio Emilia has been accepted, the Tripkit and the latest map is showing Lecce as being in use and for the Alternate, it was already too late."
"Can I please have all your papers, I will make copies of them and hand them back to you afterwards." Having said this he disappears with our papers, at the same time requesting the PIC to write down a report of his defensive words at the spot. Said - done. The boss comes back: "Your papers are okay, you can take off now for Kérkyra."
Relieved we thank him and say farewell, not without asking where he learned to speak German so well - in Germany! - And whether he has good memories of Germany. His diplomatic answer: "When I speak German, I only have good ones!"

Flying a Taifun from Brindisi to Kerkyra (Corfu) will only take 1:20 hours, but if no more land can be seen, you are pleased about so much altitude that when travelling in flight status "quietly" the gliding angle will be sufficient until the helicopter arrives. We would get wet feet though. In short, it remained at "loud" and Hellas welcomes us friendly. Europcar has no car available, but next door there's a German woman managing a rivalling competitor: "Don’t be bothered by the blows in the side of the car. You just have to bring back this Opel running and in one piece, this is the way things go around here!" And a sign up for the night at a German-Greek family on the steep west coast is provided by her as well. You must have some luck – of course reservations in advance can't be made with a journey like this. The unconventional lifestyle of the family is attracting stressed Central Europeans and is adjacent to an art of living - a touch of paradise.

Final Kérkyra

Korfu (Kérkyra) at night

During the evening unfortunately the laptop in the veranda bar is announcing incoming clouds from the northwest, a sign for us to say goodbye the next morning and quickly take off. Outside the raindrops are already falling. Refuelling has happened already after our arrival so what is left is only paying the fees, checking the planes and filing in our flight plan - across the Peloponnese directly towards Rhodes. We had deleted Crete because of the delay in Puglia. Flight plan accepted - landing and refueling confirmed in writing. Start, al lot of sea, little visibility, course ok, altitude increasing, tail wind - everything goes according to plan. Except for the little black box one hour later south of Kefalonia sounding: "Your flight plan can not be accepted!" What's wrong this time, we have thought of everything didn't we? . . . and we get a new route, showing 5 to 6 hitherto unknown navigation points.

At this point it's time to tell you about the aeronautical feature of Greece: our EU and NATO member Greece has 1 (one) single "Flying" - map, which perhaps is nice for a geographer or an orograph. But important navigational data can be found only sporadically on this "latest" map, which finds its origin in the nineties of the last century - no pilot-Latin, honest! In one word: you know how high you have to fly in order to avoid crashing into a mountain. But whether you're flying into an R-, D-or P-area, is only known in Olympus. And where even smaller places for a technical landing can be found, you can only find out in the land of Icarus by trusting your gliding skills.

Of course we knew of this dilemma from our research and had provided ourselves prophylactically with two very important documents: IFR charts used by Lufthansa and the Jeppesen Low Level Enroute Chart E (LO) 13/14. They were used rather quickly since our GPS wasn’t aware of our new flight direction. Patiently, we again asked for the intersections and off course we couldn't find them because our guide didn't tell us he was planning to bend our course by 90°. In addition, he immediately said goodbye to us after this for his lunch break. His successor surely was not from the flying future and her English was of the worst kind on the entire flight - right at this m ment! With empathetic politeness, we asked whether she could spell out 5 - letter words – and, oh sky, she was able to do so! The first intersection was called IXONI point. Searched for it - found it- and now we knew what they intend to do with us. In zigzag they diminished our problems - we always ensured that we had VMC and remained free from touching the ground - guiding us through the charming Peloponnese mountains and into an attractive thermal, a real cherry on the cake for gliders, for metal-planes less hip.

Well, before their success the gods as is known . . . now we know why this quote must be invented by the Hellenes - oh wonder, everything has to come to an end sometime, the coastal line is coming up in the distance, the air is calm, before us the blue sea is stretching out with plenty of distance between the water and us, because of the helicopter and the wet feet, heading in eastern direction: the reach of our Taifun allows a direct flight to Rhodes. For a very long time nothing but sky and water and then, first the shadowy world of the Aegean island of Cyclades, such as from the magazines dream: white islands in the blue, the sun ever in the back.

There they are: The aegean islands as can be seen in magazines

Milos and Serifos, Sifnos, Ios, Iraklia (something having to do with Herakles?), Thira (Santorini), which is far south and only dimly and Astipalaia. Then once more the sea and in the late afternoon Nissiros, Tilos then at last our major objective: Rhodes' Approach wants us to descend quite early to 2000, then 1000 ft, the island suddenly seems to be at a large distance, the foam crowns very close and the water on May 6th is too cold for bathing tourists. Involuntarily our eyes make a loop over all the instruments. But our horse is brave and after landing amidst of english tourists it receives some thankful pats on the bonnet, some petrol, checks and a good place to stay for 2 nights.
In the harbour of Rhodes we see an English destroyer and learn that the NATO forces have emerged in Crete - oh this is the reason for our sudden diversion! It is easy as that, the military is determining which accepted (!) civil flight plans have to be declared "not acceptable" during the flight.
Unfortunately we failed to visit Crete. But Rhodes was a dream: this time, we drove a Renault, and in the city we just stopped at a taxi stand to inquire us for a suitable hotel - we have already practiced it sometimes before - and again with success. Taxi drivers have a quick apprehension, a trained eye and the best local knowledge: neat, affordable, centrally enough and with a restaurant tip, we were settled the best possible way to look around on the ground. Downtown and harvour have more to offer than you can absorb, to be remarked is the juxtaposition of Greek Orthodox churches, synagogues and mosques. A trip to the ancient Lindos as a bonus adds the temple. All that and the beautiful mountains ask for a revisit, in that case as a real tourist.

Beautiful flowers at Rhodes



Rhodes downtown

The day of our departure, May 8th, at a small detour to Außenmole - a tip of the hotel - we discover another reason for our zigzag course: a U.S. aircraft carrier, its deck fully loaded with all sorts of everything as it has to be there: combat bomber, reconnaissance, submarine hunter, helicopter. The soldiers may make holiday on Rhodes - impressively huge. Our course tracks to Samos, but not direct: the Greek guides lead one - from old habit? - right next to the Turkish airspace - however inviting the Turkish Aegean Sea coast is situated. Suddenly a unusual sight on the bottom of the sea: a little wake, fairly small, very little front, rear not much eather, in the middle clear of structure - yes, that's it! a U-boat half-dipped - aha, they are guarding the area.

Final Samos

On the bright afternoon the unsuspecting pilot is being temptingy invited by the south circuit of Samos, along the profile of the bay, - just like the ancient sirens did to the Argonauts -. In the lee of the mountains the pilot by surprise gets all sorts of things that air flows have to offer: varying strength, up and downward currents in quick succession, windshear and boundary layer. Whoever does not fly wide awake and pulls ones punches is being condemned to the heores' pit versy quickly. Our pilot swiftly and safely guides our Taifun through this rollercoaster ride being watched by a Boeing 737 waiting on the treshold.

Landing at Samos

The daring pilots in the quarter are being rewarded with a delicious glass of Samos' from the landlord's own production - highly recommended! And immediately he also provides a Suzuki jeep. The vehicle offers an opportunity to have a glance at white-blue monasteries, olive groves, fruit trees, goats, gorges, wells - if your mind is not bothered with nymphs and satyrs!

The return is calling! Course west for Southwest along Ikaría - whether Ikaros perhaps tried over here? - The thermal works! - Between Mykonos, Náxos and Páros along, then the straits of Sérifos and Kíthnos on to the coastal islets Idra, as is required by "Athens approach" - and again: flying deeply. Rounding "Iphigenie" and western culture according to the ideas, based on the previous route to Mycenae, our guide is calling us to navigate from one small island to another, back into the harsh world of reality:
Slowly we creep forward on the southern edge of the Gulf, sensing Athens in a haze, towards the isthmus of Corinth. Unlike the big pots down there we don't have to wait for a passage, because we fly steady speed across the canal to the west. After that no one cares about our altitude, we ascend slowly, thus enabling a northwestern course across the mountains. "Preveza Control" is keeping us on a leash, and after crossing the greek west coast it's "Kerkira Approach's" turn again, a good feeling to be able to speak to someone when necessary.

How necessary it was, we learned after refueling and departure: 3 seconds after lift-off from the runway a loud rattle and hum! Short control: no, no safety belt is hanging from the cabin - there must be something else! "Kerkira Tower, we have an unusual heavy noise, we have to land again" - "D-KGAN, do you declare an emergency case?" - "Not yet, but we have to check it!" - "D-AN, cleared to land runway 17 "-" Cleared to land runway 17, D - AN ". Throttle back as far as possible - less noise, only a slight increase of altitude, soon turning left to remain in acceptable gliding angle in case of an engine shut down, landing check: gear is still out there, flaps at 15°, propeller still in take-off position, trim for landing , done. Base, final, all in quick succession, landing, follow me to the old place. Disembarkment, bonnet open, what a sight! The front left exhaust has been cut off right next to to the welding at the flange, the pipe hanging freely on the pot - the exhaust gases already having covered the inside with a gray-brownish film. Which angel has actually ensured that the pipe has not been demolished during the 4:43 hours before, during the flight of Samos to Kerkira (Corfu), when flying above sea or mountains, far away from airfields? How many minutes would have been necessary for the 700-degree gases to smouder cables and set fire?

Cut pipe

Tower and handling are very cooperative and help us wherever possible – this during a Friday afternoon. Quite haunting, again Friday afternoon, one could become superstitious! A pilot present at the tower had been listening in, came down and in and handed over 12 and 13 keytool. Using the Leatherman – how good it is I'm always having this tool around – we dissemble the spring pipes. Hans-Peter calls a taxi to a garage, holding a flange in one and a pipe in the other hand. The mechanic, yes he is owning welding equipment, yes he will help us to repair the thing, but no he doesn't speak English. So Hans-Peter isn't able to explain that his machine is set too hig a temperature for the thin 0,5 mm VA-steel. And to handle over his equipment to Hans-Peter, - No all mechanics all over the world are too proud to do so. Right away the first hole is being welded and he goes for the voltage lever. One hour ater Hans-Peter appears to be a bit sceptic and a bit dirty, holding only a single part. „It hasn't been welded, you'd better say it's baken and fried! Let me see if it fits !“ – And it fits, it even survives a test run, no holes anymore, no change. Closing the bonnet, get out our sleeping gear and close the plane, it's too late now to fly along. We even get to make pictures of Corfu town, promenade, fortress and its gardens during the night, a sight to be seen!

Just before closing our eyes we think of either gowing home by charter flight or will we be able to go home with our own plane? And where to fly this time? Across the Adriatic sea with our fried pipe avoiding Albanian airspace?

Next morning AIS Kérkira is calling for a flight to Tirana: „VFR through albanian airspace along the coast towards? – Flightpan accepted!“ So where's the problem anyway? Our third take-off from Kérkira is taking us right above the sea right away – will our provisory exhaust pipe survive?! – almost in a professional way, clear and without any stress the Albanian guides keep responding during the entire flight, all the time communicating on the airliner frequency. Handling over to „Podgorica Control“, then to „Dubrovnik“. They want us to lower down to 1000 ft MSL and in order to land we even have to go to circuit altitude! Having arrived at Dubrovnik we take a fuel brake and check the exhaust pipe: for two hours it has been doing its duty, let's see if it will join in for the next two hours to Pula ...!

Final Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, Split and Zadar uniformly send us back to 1000 ft, all along the chain of beautiful Croatian islands, and this with our exhaust! The only comfort being the fact that provisional solutions hold forever, we enjoy the view of sailboats, picturesque bays, villas, water in the blue sky, dark blue and turquoise - all the little thoughts in mind: landing on the water and swimming to the shore is possible here.

No troubles in landing and taking off at Pula, the only disadvantage is the airport is not connected very well to the city and the taxis don’t have a taximeter. The next leg on Sunday is taking us across the Istrian peninsula, to Slovenia and Austria into the mountains. Weather is being checked, a strong easterly wind, at least no obscured mountain slopes at neither Alpine North nor South side. Clouds are coming in already - but depending on the level of wishes of Lubljana and later Innsbruck we either fly under, around or over them. Karnish and Julian Alps and the Hohe Tauern allow us to climb FL 110. The Großglockner is being veiled, the Großvenediger is showing its ice cap to the left of our course. Villach, Spittal, Zell am See and St.Johann send their greetings towards us, then we lower into the Bavarian Alps and have a refuel at a petrol station in Memmingen. Hans-Peter is looking forward during the approach for a schnitzel and a beer. "Why are you speaking english at Munich?" he wonders. "Oh, never noticed, but it has always been this way."

Hardly on German soil, and relieved that the engine still is sounding normal, we expect a "Linksum" from the runway to the ramp, but on the headset it is sounding: "taxiway right to the gas station. We will send police and customs over there. "The schnitzel will probably not work out this way! The array of officials is impressive- identification cards, board paperwork and "customs had to be warned at least one hour prior to arrival." . . and we thought we where coming back home. Well, even if the plane had to be emptied out, even a dog would have found nothing but beautiful memories from Aegean dreams.

During the last 1:52 hours north the video camera is sucking in Ulmer Münster, romantic Schwäbische Alb, Hohenloher country, Odenwald and Rheingau. The dream is sounding harmonic, Germania is looking forward for us, is inviting us via the World Heritage Site "Middle Rhine Valley" to Lorelei, Marksburg and the Deutschen Eck in Koblenz, until at Bad Breisig Mönchsheide is calling out. Our horse is smelling its home stable, finding its way all by itself: we are right on time for the presentational ceremony of the Bath Breisig Gliderweek.
To reassure worried readers: our Taifun is flying no longer with the provisory exhaust, a new one is being made by Limbach and hopefully it will hold forever ;-)

 

Flight route

 

 ©2006-2009 powerglidertaifun.de