Yesterday we flew from Dubrovnik to Vienna. This was a long flight, about 4 hours 30 minutes in total but which we broke into two sections, landing in Zagreb in Croatia after 3 hours 10 minutes for coffee and fuel. Could I have made it in one go? Probably but why run the risk?
I was woken up at about 0500 local time by the one of the loudest storms I have heard. The sky outside the hotel was angry and the thunder was like explosions rather than rumbles. Lightning lit up the sky, first to the south then to the west, then the north. I had expected storms and my plan was to get out of Dubrovnik at 0800 local time hopefully during a ‘hole’ in the storms and get north to Zagreb and better weather. Like most storms, I was predicting this would simply move along and I was hoping it would pass south by the time I wanted to take off.
We got a taxi from the hotel at 0630 and headed to the airport arriving just after 0700. Once again, we were treated brilliantly by Dubrovnik staff. The service and help we received was first class. The same man who met us when we arrived was there to sort out our departure. He escorted us through customs/security and then drove us across the apron to the office to pay our landing fees and parking charges. The charges were very reasonable. Very. It was 19 Euros for landing charges, 26 Euros for parking (about 6.50 Euros a day) and 17 Euros for handling. One must remember that this is an international airport and not some small provincial airfield. I’ve paid more in landing charges in some French airports (Deauville stands out). He then directed me to the met office where a lovely lady took me through the weather reports along the route we were to take. He patiently waited with a big smile until I had the information I needed and then headed off to where Zulu Delta was parked. I immediately noticed that she had been properly and securely tied down to the runway and every wheel chocked; again, fantastic service. We sat in his mini-bus parked alongside Zulu Delta to wait for the rain to stop and chatted about the war that once raged in the area. What a remarkable place Dubrovnik is. I cannot have enough admiration for the way in which the government and the people have so properly grasped tourism. They deserve every penny that they earn from their work and effort.
Below are a couple of photos of Zulu Delta at Dubrovnik Airport (taken on the sunny day we landed and NOT on the stormy day of our departure).
With the rain abating a bit we loaded Zulu Delta with baggage. I’d missed her. She needed some oil and so I tended to her and gave her her final checks. We were directed by Dubrovnik Tower to depart on runway 12 (taking-off south-east). There was a strong wind coming from the north-west right across the runway and matters were more complicated still as the wind hurtled over the mountains and dipped down onto the runway causing difficult turbulence. In fact, the problem is a well known issue and distinct warnings are set out in the airport’s information for pilots.
The evidence of the storms was still present. The sky was a deep moody blue-black but I knew that better weather was waiting further up the coast.
Below: Zulu Delta about to take-off into moody skies at Dubrovnik Airport
After leaving Dubrovnik runway 12 we turned out over the Adriatic and I looked back at the coastline with a certain longing. I felt sad to be leaving Dubrovnik.
The route up the Dalmatian Coast was beautiful; sprinklings of islands in beautiful azure seas. To my right, the mountain winds were still violently diving down onto the coast hitting and bumping Zulu Delta but she rode the waves. It was great to fly along between 1,000 – 1,500 feet and look down on the towns and ports on the various islets.
Our route then took us inland heading for Zagreb. The coastline on our route of Croatia was lined with high mountains and it took Zulu Delta some time before she gained the altitude required to cross them safely. ZD was battered by the strong winds as we soared over the mountain tops, sometimes struggling to climb. The flying was made more difficult not having an airspeed indicator. Although I found one on my Garmin GPS it is very small and hard to read ‘at a glance’. It’s so very easy on climbing in those winds to stall and I missed the comfort of having a stall warning buzzer. Instead I had to concentrate on the Garmin AI and the small red stall warning light to the very left of the instrument cluster. Clouds were another problem. Stormy clouds with tops too high to clear in some cases forcing me to fly between their base and the tops of the mountains.
The runway at Zagreb is huge. We landed and were then escorted to our stand by a ‘follow me’ car. Immediately (and I mean immediately) we were met by a private saloon car which took us to the private aviation centre. We refuelled, had a comfort break, paid the expensive landing and handling fees (for what it was) and then took-off heading for Vienna.
Below, Zulu Delta on the stand at Zagreb International Airport.
The flight to Vienna was bumpy. We were constantly avoiding weather and I had made up my mind to absolutely refuse any attempt by air traffic to try and squeeze me down into one of the VFR ‘GAFOR’ valley routes at low level. The weather and wind was unpredictable and I was not going to find myself pushed into a dangerous situation. I told air traffic I was making my crossing to Vienna at 6,000 feet and that is exactly what I did all the way to our destination. No-one at any time tried to get me to follow a GAFOR route.
Although air traffic (“Vienna Information”) was initially difficult to reach we made contact eventually. What I didn’t realise was that Vienna Information is purely informational and had no control over my flight. I was expecting them to hand me over to Voslau (the airport at which we were to land) but nothing came. Suddenly I saw Voslau runway to my left and asked Vienna Information if I could change frequency. “Of course” came the reply. By that time it was far too late. I was right at the airport and everything went to pot. I still feel frustrated at the approach to the airport. I made a real pig’s ear of it all. “Zulu Delta, this is not our procedure” came the voice from Voslau Tower. I’m not surprised it wasn’t their ‘procedure’. No airport could have such a frenzied approach. With very tight, steep descending turns we lined up on a VERY short final and touched down on the runway.
Embarrassing is a bit of an understatement as to how I felt messing up the approach. The airfield is obviously an attraction for locals and the café at the airport was packed with patrons on the large balcony all of whom had the ‘best seats’ to watch Olaf totally mess up. Perhaps they didn’t know and presumed that those ‘sporty’ approaches were normal. Although it was hot in the cockpit I so wanted to stay in there for some time until the people lined up at the café either left or found something more alluring to watch and gossip about.
I HATE the fact that I didn’t make the approach properly. I had read the charts for the airport so many times but I needed at least five minutes to get set up and ‘work out’ what was to be done. I didn’t have the benefit of that time. Landings at Clermont Ferrand, Cannes, Elba, Salerno, Dubrovnik and Zagreb have all been perfect and without issue so it was a shame to have this one at Voslau as a memory. Never mind.
2015 Euro Flight 