1st day from Budel to Locarno. 2nd day in Locarno with minor accident. 14-15 November 2016

November 16, 2016

We took off Monday 14 November at 13:30LT fm Budel and after an uneventfull flight of 1:40 we landed peacefully in Locarno.

We met a large pack of clouds, starting just prior to the Swiss border, ending after the Gothard, but we overflew it and started our decent at ODINA.

The only serious action that afternoon, was to obtain from ParaCentro some glasses to protect our eyes against the slightest particles of Prist [anti-freeze]. We need that in the fuel to prevent that the filter will be frozen at high altitudes where we can expect temperatures down to minus 50 degrees Celcius. Sophie recommended the frame to be orange.

Tuesday 15 November. This was meant to be our last preparation day our flight

We started late i.e. only at the end of the morning. All went very well until the moment I stepped down the cargo compartment via the red chair.

This chair had some history. I got it from the primary school of Theun, Wiecher and Maas. Last week I had it painted in the red colour of one of the fuselage stripes. It was meant to replace our €1 plastic chair we bought in Guatemala in 2014.

I made a not very well controlled step on the chair, it tripped away, I fell on my left wrist, then on my right hip, then on my right arm and finally on my fore head. It could have been very well the end of our trip, but in spite of some painfull hours and thanks to Sophie’s good care, it looks like we can depart tomorrow 16 November.

We took 30 kg mineral water.

At the below photo the chair was stll favoured by me

Right after the accident we were interviewed by Manuela Cavicchiolo in the Aeropuerto for an article in the next Pilatus Post.

After this interview I could hardly walk anymore, but just good enough to throw the chair on the Golf Car for prison arrest. I did see my fall as a sign of the Satan, so we replaced it by a small step-up device we once used on the HOKUS POKUS (PC-6).

End of the new red chair

To finish the day we had with the staff of ParaCentro and AeroLocarno a nice dinner and Mrs Anita van Aken, only 96 years young, and her daughter Hetty.

Tomorrow we will know more about my wrist, my hip, my arm and my head. The last one looking best of them.