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I had to wait 3 years to write this post!
It was not easy, but it was worth it! Lots of of late nights, early mornings, lots of stress and no social life… But I’ve managed to reach my personal goal and proved myself that anything you can imagine is possible.
Now I can call myself a commercial pilot! 👨🏻✈️💪🏼
Many thanks to all of you and the whole universe for all the support and to help me to achieve this! 👨🏻✈️😊🙌🍀
I’m very happy and thankful for this moment! 😊
If you haven’t read the first part, you can read it here.
So the journey continues. Reaching some 3.000 feet I’ve turned on the autopilot and became (what I was learning about) a “pilot monitoring”. Monitoring the Garmin 1000, which is absolutely great. At the beginning it looked so complicated to me as I was used to fly the old steam gauges PA28 and now on every flight I’m discovering more and more about this fantastic tool. And if 2 screens are not enough, you can mount as me the Ipad as well. I had all my Jeppesen charts on it and also as mentioned the Foreflight app just to double check that we were on track :-D.
Views shortly after take off from Jerez de La Frontera
First leg took us in total 3:40 hours; flying IFR route. Good visibility and weather made us company down to Essaouira, where it was a bit windy (surface wind 010/26 G30), so landing on a RWY34 we had 13kts crosswind from the right.
Here are some imagines from the first leg of the journey:
It’s difficult to chose from so many images I’ve made on this trip. The staff at the airport was very friendly, we have ordered something to eat and also delicious moroccan tea!
The good news was that there is free Wifi available at Essaouira Airport :-D.
Free Wifi at Essaouira airport
Our late lunch:
After a quick “pit stop”, emptying our “tanks” after almost 4 hours, refueling the plane, filing a new flight plan, paying the taxes (around 15€), we were ready to go as number too. It could have taken less, but just after us a Transavia’s 737 landed and was serviced first. So we had to wait again… 😀
Transavia’s Boeing 737
The fuel track is finally here!!!
Ready to go
Next almost 2 hours were just above the sea. Sometimes when you think it’s a strange feeling if you see on the Garmin that the nearest airport is either 100NM ahead of behind you…
Above Lanzarote
Canaries were covered by clouds. Later we were flying more into sunset.
Reaching Gran Canaria at sunset
Reaching Gran Canaria at sunset
After flight the approach for RWY 03L we were welcomed by the usual “northwind” (360/20G30).
Fighting some crosswind on final RWY 03L into Gran Canaria (W 360/20 G30)
Mission completed
Mission completed. Happy with the experience and with the flight. Could take off again for another ferry flight! Searching a ferry pilot anyone? 😀
With our technical stop in Essaouira, for me this was the 3rd time to visit Morocco and the african continent; and the 3rd visit by a plane and flown by myself.
Here is the story. To not to make it too long, I’ll split in 2.
We have arrived on Sunday at Jerez de la Frontera, and we had practically the whole afternoon available to do “something”. So we went to see Moto GP at Circuito de Jerez. I’m not a huge fan of motorcycles, but the circuit is famous, so if we are there, why not to experience it?
Moto GP Jerez 2019
After Moto GP was finished, we went to Jerez de la Frontera city, walked a bit around and ate something. Most of the bars and restaurants were closed on Sunday; maybe we should have went to the beach instead :-).
Plaza del Caballo Jerez de la Frontera
In the evening we have visited Gibraltar, I simply had to cross the runway be feet.
About to cross the RWY at Gibraltar airport
Gibraltar airport at sunset
On Monday morning we were ready to start the adventure. Well, at least for me it was the first time to do such a long flight and I was really looking forward to it…
The route was divided in 2 legs; Jerez de la Frontera – Essaouira and
Essaouira – Gran Canaria.
Recently I’ve purchased a new app for navigation called Foreflight; I’m still discovering all its functionalities but it was a great help with the planning of the route.
Literally by selecting the departure and arrival airport I was able to get the IFR route for our flight with the complete briefing (MET, TAF, NOTAM, METEO, WINDS, etc…). Of course I did my planning in advance and printed all the necessary Jeppesen charts needed for the route.
Our plane was full of bird s**t…
We got the plane out and had to wash the wings, canopy and windshield before starting the journey. On the other side I was happy to have a clean windshield… 😀
And the plane is clean again…
Then we needed to refuel… After waiting a little bit, finally the fuel track appeared on our place. Happy! He takes the fuel cap off, starts (almost) to pump the fuel and then suddenly receives a call from his office to not to refuel… Despite of asking him to wait, to call the office, and ask what’s wrong, he says: I’m gone… And he was gone…
Seems there was some misunderstanding in the office and they were not sure how to charge the fuel so they just called him and cancelled on this strange manner the refueling process.
Phoned the office and cleared the misunderstanding. After the phone call, 10 minutes later the fuel track appeared again… Lucky enough it didn’t take too long. And this time filling our wing tanks with JET-A1.
Waiting for the customs
Now we are ready to go!
Preflight done, jumped in, got the taxi authorization and let’s go…
Taxying and reading the checklist
Holding short of RWY 02
After the departure, we were cleared to fly direct to VJF and the finally the journey had began.
Proceding to Vejer (VJF VOR)
In the second part I’ll share some images from the flight.
Approximately 2 years ago I was approached by author of this book, John Nowell, with his idea to work together and to include some of my aerial images of the Canary Islands in his project enhancing them with interesting facts from the history of the islands.
Despite being very busy with my job, family and my studies towards the commercial pilots licence, I was not able to say ‘no’ and its result now is an interesting book with my name on it! John is a retired RAF helicopter pilot and author of 16 books in the “A Day Above” and “Now & Then” series. Some of his books have been reprinted up to 14 times!!!
I’m delighted to have joined the team of this interesting project and finally see some of my aerial images in a printed version produced in very highest quality. I think that I personally wouldn’t have the same patience and persistence to ‘write’ a photographic book like this one. I am particularly impressed by the way that John has ‘told’ the visual story through the book from dawn to dusk. This method has allowed him to shift effortlessly from one subject island to another with interesting text to support the photographs.
Hard copy of John’s book “A Day Above The Canary Islands” is available now on amazon.co.uk in the case you’d like to own one – my copy has got its privileged place in my house! Soon the book will be available in public bookshops across the Canary Islands. If you would like a signed and dedicated copy to someone special (such as your father) send an email to John at zodiacpublishinguk@gmail.com and he will arrange it!
Currently (on the 31st May 2019), the book is available in the following shops across Tenerife:
A Day Above The Canary Islands
Sneak Peek – A Day Above The Canary Islands
Some time ago, I’ve spent 2 years of my life living in Fuerteventura.
A lot if nice memories are popping up when flying over the island 😎.
Here are images taken on my last flight.
I’m really pleased to be the winner of the National Geographic Spain’s Christmas photography competition, which took place last month on instagram.
All you had to do was a take Christmas picture, post it on instagram, follow National Geographic Spain, use hashtag #NatGeoXmasCollection18 and sit and wait… 😀
In total approximately 1800 images have been posted and mine was selected as winner. Obviously I’m happy as on the top of that I’ve won a new action cam from National Geographic… So the hasthatgs can sometimes be very useful… 🙂
And however it’s already after Christmas, I’m going to share this image with you. It’s called “Santa’s arrival into Tenerife”
Hope you’ll like it!
Santa’s arrival into Tenerife
National Geographic Spain’s Xmas Collection 18
Well, this is my method how to lean the mixture:
Advantage? You will get more power from your engine, more RPMs, you will fly faster and will burn less fuel and have more endurance. Thus the overall efficiency will increase :-).
You can see the same process in this 47 seconds short video in a Piper PA28.
Safe landings! 🙂
leaning the mixture using egt indicator
