Return flights to reach Amsterdam EHAM

November 20, 2016

After our decision to return to Holland, we started at Kayseri to go ‘in the wrong direction’ i.e. to the West. Our aim was to reach that same day, Friday 18 November Locarno LSZL.

after take off in Kayseri: we are climbing westbound again….

Our flight to Thessaloniki was a good one, except for the fact that our GPS around Ankara did not find satelites. It looked the signals were disturbed (..), similarly on the previous day in exactly the same area.

Our flight took 2:55 hours.

……direction Ankara

passing Ankara Airport direction Istanbul

over Istanbul direction Thessaloniki

Our refueling in Thessaloniki was fast. The fuel truck was waiting for us close to our parking place. Sophie bought quickly some sandwiches. We defueled our selves and we took off. No idea we had there would be an earth quake at Thessaloniki the same day at midnight.

refueling at Thessaloniki

Our trip started well but getting closer to Bergamo the weather quickly deteriorated and we came in just above the minimums required for an ILS approach and landing at Bergamo.

The flight took 3:25 hours

refueling at Bergamo LIME followed by a night flight to Amsterdam Schiphol

At that moment we could not stay within the minimums for an IGS approach (over 6% glide).

A quick discussion with Andy Farmer and we decided to continue for Amsterdam. The best chance to reach my mother in time!

We had headwind when we started but getting closer to the Jet Stream the wind increased to 100 knots. So far so good except for the fact that in the Jet Stream Area the wind increased to 140 (!), we were in clouds but as a result of the outside temperature dropping below -45 degrees Celcius, we could not use our de-icing boots. Schiphol must have seen this happening and gave us a nicer route to HELEN-HAAMSTEDE keeping us out of the clouds i.e. out of the moisture. Hoerah and we felt safer.

140 knots Jet Stream wind with a factor of 101 knots head wind over Brussels

The Schiphol airport gave us excellent guidance in the very heavy traffic towards RWY27 and offered at the last moment the option to use RWY22 very close to the Jet Centre. Our landing was delayed by some 20 minutes because of the heavy traffic.

This all meant we would still be that evening with my mother. So after dropping Urs in Amsterdam, Sophie and I speeded towards Blaricum arriving there at 9pm.

We stayed there for the night and my mother gave signals of feeling comfortable. She is still with us today.

This is the end of our failed trip to Vietnam this year.