Day 8: Burlington – Boston

by MarkusPosted on Comments are Disabled

As the airline would take us home later that day, it was time to make our way back into the Boston area. After another morning run we went to the airport to get the TBM ready for a last flight of this adventure. As Boston Logan isnt very general aviation friendly and charges 600 USD for a landing, we chose the Lawrence Airfield right next to Boston as our final destination. The ride was short and smooth and with a last very windy landing we touched ground for the last time. A non-alcoholic beer right on the apron next to the field concluded this epic 8 days journey across the Atlantic.

In summary we flew 7 legs and more than 4000 miles across 6 countries within 8 days. We experienced Scotland, the amazing nature with its geysirs and waterfalls and endless widths of Iceland, the northern Lights and Icebergs and wonderful people in Greenland and the impressive coast line of Maine as well as the beautiful mountain area around Burlington. All worked as planned and the weather could not have been more perfect. We had blue skies in Iceland and Greenland which is anything else than a given in fall.

In Lawrence we said good bye to the TBM which will stay in the US for a while and took a taxi to Logan from where we would fly back to Europe. Packed with many exciting memories and some amazing photos. And already some ideas for a next trip.

Day 7: Portland – Burlington (Vermont) and some low clouds in the approach

by MarkusPosted on Comments are Disabled

Flying in the US is as simple as it gets. We spontaneously decided to follow the sun and add one more destination to our trip before heading back to Europe the day after. The choice was Burlington, Vermont. A very short 40 minutes hop from Portland. The flight planning was completed within minutes and the flight plan submitted and accepted. So drove back to the Portland Jetport, returned the car, walked to the General Aviation Terminal and got the TBM ready for another trip. The weather forecast for Burlington was good, however for our arrival some very low clouds have been reported. Burlington is embedded into some impressive mountains with high terrain. Flying here in low visibility is possible with instruments flying but not necessarily what one is looking for.

We started the engine and took off towards west and after a very short cruise started our decent into Burlington. The weather was clear all the way but low clouds were hanging directly over the airport. The approach here is impressive and leads across some high mountain peaks. We dove into the clouds and slided down the approach to break out of the clouds just a few hundred feet above the runway.

Greeted with a red carpet and very friendly personnell we got our lugage, had the FBO lady drive us to the rental car station and drove directly to the city. As the AirBnB wasnt ready that early we decided to make good use of our time and the beautiful weather and rent 3 bikes to cruise along the shores of Lake Champlain. A beatiful bike track along the shores, beaches through woods and across a long dam. We drove until the trail ended and stopped on one of the beautiful beaches on the way back

After returning the bikes we made our way through the city and to our house for the night. Burlington is a pretty city with a lot of historic buildings, a big university and a beautiful old town. Everything is clean and well maintained. There plenty of ski resorts around the city and it feels a little bit like central Europe or Switzerland. Definitely a recommendation for a short trip.

Day 3 – Reykjavik to Nuuk (Greenland)

by MarkusPosted on Comments are Disabled

Our 3rd leg took us from Iceland to Greenland. A roughly 3 hours flight across the open Atlantic and later the rough terrain of Greenland. The weather was again good and the routing took us pretty direct west. Greenland airspace is mostly uncontrolled which means navigation at own discretion and not guided by ATC (Air Traffic Control). When reaching the west coast of Greenland with wonderful views of the surroundings, we informed Nuuk Tower that we will do some “sightseeing flying” over the bay.

The scenery of greenlands coast is impressive. Shortly after we started the approach into Nuuk International airport (the only international flights depart to Iceland). After parking the plane we experienced the Greenlandian “pragmatism” – made made our way by foot over the Apron towards the Airport, found an unlocked door, walked through the empty security area and ended in the terminal.

Earlier when planning this flight we already noticed a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) mentioning planned “blastings” in the airport proximity. We now learnt that the Nuuk airport currently is being extended (longer rundway for bigger jets). Leveling the rocky terrain takes some hard measures and hence the mountains are being blasted away. This means flying rocks in the air and as our plane parked right next to the blasting area, we were asked to come back later that day to move it to a safe location while the blastings take place.

So we went to our (incredible) house, explored Nuuk and later went back to the Airport where we were able to convince the marshaller to tow the plane with his Pick-up truck. We tied the plane to the middle of the runway and waited for the blast (see video). A certainly unique experience which will repeat the next day.

1 day until departure – Why?

by MarkusPosted on Comments are Disabled

We got asked quite a few times why someone would take the risk, money and time to cross the Atlantic in a single engine plane. Good question, given the facts that such a trip defnitely comes with signficantly bigger risks than going to the grocery store and costs a multiple of an airline ticket. At the same time our plane offers less comfort, the trip takes much longer (4-5 days) and is mentally demanding and full of uncertainties.

So here is why:

  • We have to: Our plane needs some technical upgrades and the company specialized on performing the work sits in the US (close to Boston). Hence the plane has to get over there – and eventually also back. But as the modifications will take multiple weeks we for now just fly it over, will return by airline and eventually bring it back at a later point in time.
  • We want to: Flying is our passion, and we love being up in the air and challenge our brains.
  • We like to explore the world: Iceland, Greenland and the very far north of Canada are remote areas people usually dont get to easily. While Iceland had a bit of a touristic hypes the last years, its still today complicated and very expensive to get to places like Nuuk (Greenland). Seeing the Icebergs and how people live there is a very impressive experience.
  • It keeps us fit: Flying requires constant training and experience. A trip into challenging areas with new airports, procedures, weather conditions is like a training boot camp that helps to stay current.
  • We love Lobster Roll: At least one of us. And they are hard to get anywhere in the world but in the Maine / Boston area. Hence to get one, we have to go there.

So in summary we combine the duty with the pleasure and are looking forward to a week of new impressions.

6 days until departure – trip planning

by MarkusPosted on Comments are Disabled

Flying over the northern Atlantic and especially Greenland in fall can be tricky. Fast changes in weather, strong winds, low clouds, snow and ice and the lack of landing fields makes planning far in advance difficult. If conditions permit, we plan to depart from Stuttgart (EDDS) and fly during the first leg to Prestwick (Scotland) for a fuel stop. Our next leg will take us straight from Scotland to Iceland (Reykjavik) where will plan to stay for a day and explore the country.

The next leg will be the most challenging one from Iceland to Greenland’s west coast. This routing leads across the open sea and the ice fields and mountains of Greenland. There are almost no alternate airports on the route and the weather in Greenland is to a certain extend unpredictable at this time of the year. Pilots must wait for the first weather reports from Greenland before allowed to depart Iceland – if conditions allow. A scenario to be avoided is starting the trip and facing below minimums weather conditions in Greenland as fuel will not allow a return and as mentioned alternate landing fields are rare and usually also facing difficult conditions.


Our current plan is to land in Nuuk – the capital of Greenland at its western coast and stay there for two nights and explore the surroundings. From Nuuk the journey will take us further west towards the Canadian coast, with another fuel stop at Goose Bay – an airport in the middle of nowhere with not much around. From there we will continue down the Atlantic Coast towards the United States and finally into the Boston area.
The trip should take us around 5 days if everything goes as planned. We are now setting up logistics for the first legs including accommodation and transportation in the first destinations while continuing the flight planning, getting the plane ready and setting up the pack lists.

Preliminary trip plan:

TUE 19.09.EDDS – EGPK (Prestwick)
TUE 19.09.EGPK – BIRK (Reykjawick)
WED 20.09.Iceland (ground day)
THU 21.09.BIRK – BGGH (Nuuk)
FRI 22.09.Greenland (ground day)
SAT 23.09.BGGH (Nuuk) – CYYR (Goose Bay)
SAT 23.09.CYYR (Goose Bay) – KGON (Groton)
SUN 24.09.KGON (Groton) – BOSTON (tbd)
MON 25.09.Boston / BUFFER