2,110 kilometres, 8 countries, 4 aircraft, 1 unforgettable experience...read all about my epic journey from the Czech Republic to Spain...
Flying side by side over Saint Tropez, France
To begin our race across Europe, we start with a morning flight from Madrid, Spain to Vienna, Austria onboard an Airbus A321 operated by Wizz Air. It was my first time with Wizz Air (for more information about the flight check out the entry on my Airline Reviews page). After landing in Austria, we grabbed an Uber and headed to the Czech Sport Aircraft factory in the Czech Republic (detouring into Slovakia since our driver got lost!) We arrived to Kunovice just after 5pm, checked all the paperwork, planned the route for the following days, had a tour of the facilities, and went to see the new aircraft! We then went to our hotel, had dinner and then got some rest to be ready for an early start!
Our aircrafts in the factory ready for collection
The following morning we finalised a few things, loaded up the aircrafts and set the route into the GPS. Since the aircrafts were brand new, there was no fuel so we had to refuel first of course; we were towed by car to the main apron and then taxiied to the refuelling. We really did feel like this (see image) like astronauts getting ready for their mission to space. It was really an honour to be part of this experience, something I never imagined doing; flying a brand new aircraft, with zero hours flight time and being one of the first to fly it!
Leg 1:
The first leg was to take us from Kunovice Airport in the Czech Republic to Lido-Venice Airport in Italy. We would be flying through the Czech Republic, into Austria, through Slovenia before arriving to Italy. We would be faced with extreme weather conditions upon departure, traffic 1000ft above inbound to Vienna, and grass strip landings.
Czech Republic - Austria - Slovenia - Italy - Monaco - France - Andorra - Spain:
Total Distance = 2,110km (1,139nm)
Our departure from Kunovice Airport, Runway 20, brought us extreme weather conditions straight away. We took off with probably more than the recommended crosswind component, but since it was a departure rather than a landing it was still safe to do so but with caution. The initial climb was extremely bumpy and turbulent but once airborne it was nothing we couldn't handle. We took off one by one and regrouped just south of the airport, and started our journey together enroute to Italy!
(Left) Requesting Engine Start Up infront of the control tower at Kunovice Airport (Right) Banking after departure on initial climb
Shortly after entering Austrian Airspace, our next challenge was avoiding traffic flying 1000ft above. Whilst we were enroute, aircraft above us would be making a left turn to intercept the ILS for Runway 29. We had to take extreme caution since we were less than 10nm (15km) from the runway, and of course we had to keep a look out for the aircraft and be aware of any wake turbulence. But with all that, we were delighted to witness so many jets, airlines of all different types including Austrian, Lufthansa, TAP and Eurowings, flying so close overhead - one of my favourite things to experience as a pilot!
(Left) Austrian Airlines Airbus A319 (Right) Lufthansa Airbus A320
After not crashing with other aircraft we had to make sure that we didn't crash into each other or with the mountains as we crossed the Austrian Alps. There was a lot of turbulence so our formation wasn't the tightest as we had to focus on flying the aircraft safely in such difficult conditions. The turbulence continued as we entered Slovenian Airspace.
Passing the Austrian Alps
After flying past Ljubljana in Slovenia, we reached the Mediterranean Sea and started with the last push along the Italian coastline. We were proceeding to Venice in order to refuel. The sun was beaming down on us as we flew along the sea, and as we reached Venice we started our approach into Lido-Venice Airport. I was at the controls of the aircraft since this was my first ever landing on a grass strip, I was a little bit nervous as I didn't know what to expect but of course I landed without any problems - landing on grass is so much different to a normal tarmac paved runway!
(Left) Flying along the Italian Coast (Centre) EC-NIN lead by our two bosses descending into Venice (Right) Lido-Venice Airport, Italy
Distance for Leg 1 = 607km (328nm)
Leg 2:
All fuelled up and ready to go, we called Tower for departure and we took off from Runway 05. We had some amazing views of the city of Venice once airborne - a city I need to come back to and explore properly!
Our second leg saw us fly from Venice, across Northern Italy and to the North West Coast, until landing in Albenga. We were now comfortable and confident with our formation flight so we started to get a little bit closer together; flying past the Alps it was quite difficult to do so because of the turbulence from the mountain waves. But shortly after departure from Venice we were already in a tight formation:
Once back over the sea it was direct to Albenga passing Genoa on the way. By this point the sun was setting and the views were picturesque. The approach into Albenga Riviera Airport, for Runway 27, with the sun setting behind the mountains, was one of the best approaches I think I have ever done. After landing in Albenga, we took a taxi to our hotel and rested there for a bit. Later that night we all went out for dinner together and enjoyed a night out in Italy - another country added to the list!
Sunset along the Italian Coast as we start are descent (Centre image) city of Albenga
Distance for Leg 2 = 383km (206nm)
Total Distance for Day 1 = 990km (534nm)
Leg 3:
After some much needed rest, we started our day bright and early, and took off from Runway 09. Today's trip would take us along the Italian Riviera, past Monaco, and along the French Riviera towards Perpignan. Before entering French Airspace we had the pleasure of flying past Monte Carlo in Monaco - home of the rich and famous, home of James Bond and Casino Royal!
Monte Carlo, Monaco
Now we were cruising along the French Riviera on course to Perpignan. We would be passing cities such as Nice, Cannes, Saint Tropez, Marseille and Montpellier. Marinas, yachts, beaches, were what we could see for miles and miles. It was a beautiful day with the sun glaring down on us. For February the temperature was just under 20°c! The French Riviera gave us some stunning views, at times we were flying just 500ft above the water to stay under French Class A airspace. Our formation flight continued to stay tight, and it was a great photo opportunity to take some amazing shots!
We started to make our way back in land as we neared the city of Perpignan. We saw the Pyrenees Mountains in the distance as we lined up for the approach for Runway 31 and landed one by one. We enjoyed a bit of sun in France, refuelled, saw a few jets arriving and in storage at the airport, and were ready to go again, but we had to wait a while since there was a high volume of traffic.
(Left) EC-NCP seconds from touchdown on Runway 31 (Centre) Approach into Perpignan with the Pyrenees in the background (Right) Boeing 737 in storage at Perpignan Airport
Distance for Leg 3 = 520km (280nm)
Leg 4:
We finally took off and went for the final push to Burgos in Spain! In this leg we would enter Spanish Airspace, pass Andorra and the Pyrenees before arriving at our final destination. We followed the coastline more or less until Girona, Spain, then made a sharp right turn and continued straight for hours and hours until we reached Burgos, passing Huesca, Zaragoza and Logroño. At this point we all extremely exhausted as we near the end of this epic journey, and what a journey it has been! We soon get ready for our final descent and approach into Burgos, landing on Runway 22 and we taxi to our hangars - we are home!
Distance for Leg 4 = 600km (324nm)
Total distance for Day 2 = 1120km (604nm)
Interested in finding out more? Take a look at my video below, 'Tour of Europa', to see the epic journey across Europe:
Total Distance Overall = 2110km (1139nm)
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this blog! I hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for the next one...
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