Date: 3/18/01
Flight: 999-5
Plane: DC3
Time: 5.5 hrs (28.4 to date)
Pilot: BGA030
Remarks:
Glasgow –
Schiphol
Departed 0800 --0700 GMT
Sure is great to be flying over land again. Our course takes us SE across Scotland and England then the channel to Amsterdam. We are level at 5500'. In FS 5, I flew with Noble Airline in Great Britain. It was quite an experience especially flying to all those short airfields. One stands out (can't remember the name) you can only land during low tide as the field is mostly under water at high. Off to the right is Carlisle, with Newcastle to our front as head for the coast. Teesside will be off to the right. The body of water to the left is the North Sea. We leave the shores of England and are now bound for Amsterdam, and Schipohl Airport, 260 miles to go. We will be skirting the coast of England for about 80 miles. Norwich is off to the right. 150 miles to go, here is the airport data for Schipohl:
rwy 1L 108.75 heading 006 10827'
rwy 19R 109.5 heading 186 10827'
rwy 1R 110.3 heading 006 11155'
The elevation is as for just about all of the Netherlands --ZERO.
We have been assigned 19R as our runway.
Less than 100 miles now. As you are aware that can be one rough body of water below. Some great Naval Battles down through history have been fought there. At Schiphol we will not be far from the site of "Operation Market Garden" the unsuccessful airborne operation of WWII.
AH - Ha ! I see the coastline of the Continent starting to show itself. We are 65 miles from Schipohl. The NDB for our runway is 395.
Hey guys, lets get straightened up we are staring our descent to 2000' turning 100 for our base leg to intercept our final and ILS.
Over the
coast -- Flaps - got the ILS descending to the runway.
Schiphol -
Cote d' Azur – Nice
Off at 1200 -- 1100 GMT, climbing to our assigned altitude of 5500' heading of 171 degrees.
That's Eindhoven Airbase to the left front. Weelde AB is front right, a little further is Brussels's National Airport. Liege is coming up next.
That is Luxembourg ahead, if you have never been there you have missed a beautiful city with one hug spectacular rose garden. Ahead there is Nancy in France, spent a lot of time there in WWII building hospitals for our army.
Here is the airport data for Cot d"Azure/Nice airport:
Elevation +13' NDB 338
Rwy 5R 9711' ILS 110.8 heading 043
RWY 5L 9678' ILS 109.9 heading 044
We have been assigned 5R.
Just passed a small point of Switzerland, in about 40 miles we will pass a portion of Italy off to the left.
Those mountains ahead are the French Alps. We have to climb to 7500'.
Level at 7500.
Oh! you noticed the snow again. "Dems some mountains". We are on the western edge. Rather impressive scenery I would say (hope you are in FS2k--I don't know how it looks in the other formats). My wife, kids and I tried to go over the Alps along here in a Comar Caravan (British car) couldn't make it had to turn back and load on a train that takes you through a tunnel to Italy.
Climb to 9500'.
Level at 95.
We are vectored 220 degrees around thes spectacular mountains. When I planned this trip I picked this are so that we would experience a little of the Alps. Look at that peak just off the nose -- that is way up there. After passing that mountain we will start to turn back to get a little closer to or route. Go slowly allow plenty of room. Lets get on to Nice and a fine hotel and greet food.
Descend to 7500' Mountains still all around us, 49 miles to go.
Descend to 5500'
Just over that ridge to the front is the Med.
Descending to 2000' and the ILS.
Bonjour Nice!
Flight 999 Route (flight overview)