Competitive spirit

We've been flying every other day, and each flight has had a competitive element - either timed passes at checkpoints, spot landings or fuel estimates. I started off with the intention of not taking part, but somehow got caught up in the spirit of the thing. The third leg was to end any chance we had of finishing in the top three though. With 30 to 40kt headwinds we just couldn't meet the times needed and realised very quickly that the 'smarter' crews had declared significantly lower speeds before the event giving them more in hand. We did OK in the spot-landing competition coming home as first loser.

Where do you want to go?

If you have any desire to do a little long distance touring you'll soon find out that at the outer edges of Europe fuel becomes the limiting issue. Heading south Spain is OK, but Italy is a different matter. It's not that they don't have any avgas, they do, but rather that a quick turnaround can be measured in hours rather than minutes, and a slow one in days.

Even France can be challenged from time to time. Last summer many of the coastal airfields closest to the UK ran dry for a short period of time. Recently, all airfields on Corsica, apart from Figari, had ran out of fuel leading to long queues at the one remaining functioning avgas pump on the island. A day or so after that, the entire island was NOTAMED as out of fuel for the first half of June.

North African landing

...and three hours after leaving Calvi we're on final for 19 at Tunis Carthage. I was a bit short on VFR maps so decided to go IFR, I got offered a shortcut if I could climb to FL110 which I accepted (we have portable O2). In the heat, with full tanks and loads of luggage, the 182 struggled to reach FL110 but made it in the end. We were met by the organisers, guided through Customs and taken to the hotel for lunch and a welcome dip in the pool before the evening's briefing. Lots more flying to come and lots more to say when there's a better internet connection. The local Tunisian beer tasted good, the coffee tasted outrageously bad.

Corsican rest

Well it took about six hours to fly from the strip to Calvi on the northern tip of Corsica with a stop in Clermont for fuel and Customs. Leaving Wiltshire in the morning and eating dinner under the Mediterranean sun still has some magic when you fly yourself there.

Calvi is a great little town with a bustling harbour, loads of restaurants and a km or two of sandy beaches. I'm not a huge fan of beach life, but have to admit that swimming in the warm Med while looking at the snow capped mountains to the south of Calvi was kind of nice.

We ate a couple of evening meals in Calvi but they were OK rather than great - I wish I'd done a bit more reseach before leaving. Something to bear in mind for the next time.

Getting ready to go

Only 36 hours to go before we take off for Tunisia. I spent today at Henstridge helping to get the aeroplane ready. Oil & filter change, a bit of TLC for the right brake (it needed bleeding), and re-fitting the spats which always come off for the winter. At the same time I took the opportunity to clean all of the perspex (with Pledge Natural), chuck out all sorts of rubbish and vacuum the carpets. I even added a bit of carnuba wax polish (to the paintwork, not the carpets!).

The flight back to the strip was pretty quick thanks to a 25kt tailwind and the aeroplane felt good and ready for the trip ahead. I'm glad to say that the weather is also starting to look up, so it'll be VFR to Clermont with a bit of luck.

Now that's a wing

I'm more used to seeing a Cessna wing when I look out of the window, but a week or so ago I got the chance to fly Plane Sailing's Catalina out of Duxford. Although I had a good look at the aeroplane on the ground, the size of the wing (and engine) sitting just above and behind my right-hand shoulder was still surprising.

The handling was on the ponderous side of slow and the controls needed significant force in order get the thing moving in any direction. That said, it didn't take too long to learn to anticipate the need for a bootful of rudder or a heave on the ailerons. The Cat's handling grows on you, as does the admiration for the young crews who operated them in wartime. There's lots of great stuff on the web detailing some of the rescues carried out by this remarkable aeroplane.

If you want to get involved with the aeroplane you can buy a share: 1/20th will cost you £17,500. Monthly dues are currently set at £150 and for that you get the right to buy three hours at cost (£600). The Duxford Catalina is a working aeroplane, and with displays all over Europe you may well get some free hours en route if you are suitably qualified/checked out. It's expensive, but probably the cheapest way there is of getting to fly a very special warbird.

...and the planning begins

A few days from now and we should be on our way to Tunisia for an event organised by these guys www.aerorallyes.net I had planned to borrow a Columbia 400, but while it was away in Germany having a TKS system fitted, a problem was discovered with the rudder. To cut a long story short, it needs a new one and won't be finished in time. I'd planned for FL180 and a TAS of 200kt, but now we're taking the C182 I think FL100 and 120kt is more realistic!

I've been playing with Navbox - looking at various 'what ifs' - so far I've settled on Lydeway to Clermont Ferrand for leg one, then Clermont to Calvi on Corsica to complete the first day. We've got friends on Corsica, so will stay there for a day before flying on to Tunis for the start of the tour.

edit: Long range forecast not looking great for UK or Northern France. I have a validated IFR route, but can't say that the idea of a couple of hours in the airways with no autopilot fills me with joy.

Another Piper chapter

So Piper's been sold to Impiris, a company that looks after a fund of over $300m belonging to Brunei. While the financial details of the sale have not been released, American Capital Strategies, Piper's previous owner, has said that it made $31m out of the deal. Given that they started their dalliance with Piper (then New Piper) in 1998 with an investment of $20m, followed by a further $34m in 2003 when they bought the remaining shares, it seems that they have done very well indeed.

So what now for Piper? Much of the motivation appears to have come from the need to supply the Asian flight training market with aircraft - a deal that most manufacturers want a slice of - we can only assume that the Sultan of Brunei intends to buy quite a few for himself, or that he can influence the decisions taken by other countries. Targeting the training market will reverse the strategy that Piper had been following. Their four-seat product isn't exactly flying off the line (sorry), in fact the Q1 GAMA shipping report (www.gama.aero) has no shipments for that sector at all. Jim Bass, Piper's CEO has previously stated that the future was with their six-seat platform and of course the Piper Jet.

I hope that Imprimis has a long-term plan, and that they are willing to invest enough money for Piper to be able to develop the product line further.

Reds beat Cardinals

I love going to the US. On a recent trip I was lucky enough to be taken to a baseball match between the Cincinnati Reds and the St Louis Cardinals. I can't claim to have understood the game, but the atmosphere was great, and everyone in the crowd friendly, regardless of who they were supporting.

Throughout the game (I believe that there are three innings in a game) sellers walked through the crowd offering beer, peanuts and candyfloss. The weather wasn't fantastic, so we left halfway through and made our way to The Boathouse, one of America's biggest independent restaurants, for beer, ribs and shrimp. The next day I took a flight down the Ohio river in an Aztec, checked out a great home complete with hangar and TV studio, rode around on a quad bike and worked my way through a couple of dozen rounds of amunition with a Glock. Long live the USA.