65 Odense - Munich

8. February 2010

Well – after some weeks of planning I actually made my departure today (as I had decided on a couple of weeks ago).

Israel is not the easiest country to fly into, and about a week after approaching ASOC, the Israeli security organization taking care of applications from pilots who wants fly into the country, I had had no reply yet. But as I was about to go to the airfield, I had a telephone call from them! They informed me, that in order for me to be allowed to fly into Israel, I had to go for an interview at the Israeli Embassy in Cyprus.

The problem was that I by now had changed my plans about visiting Cyprus. The information about the cost of handling and landing fees in Cyprus totaling some 619 € -before I pay for fuel - had made me change my plans! The exorbitant cost must make Lanarca in Cyprus to one of the most expensive airports in the world to visit for a small single engine aircraft.

But I suggested to ASOC that I would go to the embassy in Austria – or in Athens – I couldn’t quite off the top of my head figure the geographic picture of what would be the least inconvenient.

To leave today I had to have the runway on my local airfield cleared of about 25cm of snow, and I had a hard time getting the plane out of the hangar.

First stop was Engelsbach airport, close to Frankfurt international airport. I didn’t make the best approach – they wanted me to fly via a VFR reporting point after IFR was canceled. I had planned for that, but the ATC took me in on different routing from what I had filed – so now I had to guestimate the position of it. It was not made any easier because it was very hazy.

 I had my ferry tanks sitting in the airport after I ferried a C172 back from USA some months ago. I will need the tanks later on my trip.

After Frankfurt I wanted to land near Munich, to pick up a new camera. But around Munich there is no GA airport, that I could land in. Instead I went to Augsburg some 5o NM from Munich. Then I got a train from there to downtown Munich.