Steaming

Steaming?

Yes, steaming

It was unexpected. Like a magnet attracting a steel piece.

But….that is for later 🙂

Medellin University with Alvaro Bastidas and team

Rio Negro Airport

She is he

Bureaucracy. I hate that word. In spanish we say: burocracia, but I prefer to write buRRocracia.

Burro means donkey, silly.

That is one of the worst things when flying round the world.

When I did land at Rio Negro, it took seven hours to reach the hotel. Most of the time was burrocracia.

They were really kind, and that helped a lot.

Medellin and its people are nice smiling ones. And also helpful. So my stay was a good experience.

I have even met spaniards (gracias Daniel y Alberto!) that got fully involved with the project.

I even felt shy when they asked me to sign the model steel airplanes they have bought for those to be signed by myself.

World is wonderful ! And magic when we realize about the billions of things that have to happen to have somebody crossing your own path at a very specific moment.

I decided to move from Medellin to Rio Negro where the aircraft was waiting for me. That way I would be closer to the airport and depart earlier next day.

It was a nice move. Again all the kindness of Government employees helped, but even that, burrocracia is burrocracia and it took four hours to go through. Fortunately, I was able to do it in advance ( a big difference with Boavista), so the departing day, I just had to have my passport stamped and flight plan confirmed.

I was cleared to walk across the ramp, without paying for a bus. Low ceilings and rain were my welcome. I was happy to have on board the umbrella that was serrated to my RV8 specifications by Belem airport engineer and ANAC certified !

I got into the plane some two hours before departing, but refueling truck arrived late and also some airline pilots dropped in to chat, so as usual, I took off some 45 minutes late. Fuel is really not expensive, some $3 per gallon ! Fuel was Avgas 100-130, not 100LL.

Also I was visited by police with a dog. Fortunately the dog didn´t find anything, nor my sandwich.

Some oil in the engine, and all set.

I have coordinated the flight with Air Traffic Controllers the days before the flight over Medellin, to gather black carbon data for their University: a first time in their Medellin story!

Low ceiling had SKRG (Rio Negro airport) under IFR. But I needed VFR to overfly the mountain range between Rio Negro and Medellin (west of my position). Flight plan was IFR though, so we are talking about a strange procedure: I will take off IFR, then standby the IFR plan, go VFR, descend after crossing the range until 1500 over Medellin city and between the mountains, and climb again until reaching 14000 ft, in order to fly airways.

Airways are the sky roads, and have a minimum altitude to be flown (sometimes due to terrain, other to communication range).

I was heavy but not too much.

Firewalled the engine throttle and accelerated as usual to 60 kts. Airport is at 7000 ft, but it was hot at that elevation, so density altitude (the one that engine and body feel) was 8200 ft.

Speed indicator was glued at 60 kts, no further acceleration… runway didn´t want to free my dear RV.

No way, and I started wondering, all was fine but no acceleration.

I decided to pull up , go into ground effect and accelerate there (in ground effect, an airplane can fly with the 70 % of the required power to climb).

So I did and it was fine. 90 kts were indicated and I started to climb

But the climb rate was just 300 feet per minute ( fpm). Helpful Controller allowed me to turn left into Santa Elena visual point and check the weather on top Medellin to see if conditions were safe enough for the black carbon data gathering.

It was a just a matter to climb some 1500 ft.

Climb rate was so poor, that I had to circle once before the mountain to be able to fly over it, at just 300 ft.

No wind, no turbulence, it was worth the attempt.

University Doctor Alvaro Bastidas was down there, with his crew their scientific instruments working.

I was able to cross the range and switched over Medellin Tower frequency.

EC XLL, climb immediately to 14000 ft !

Climb immediately to 14000 ft !

Medellin Tower, EC XLL. What I want is to descend to 6500 ft…!

He was confused. He wanted me to climb to avoid me visiting the cows feeding on the mountains slopes, and the crasy EC XLL wanted to descend instead…????????

We was nice again to listen to me without panic. The I explained him that my intentions were coordinated in advance, and I was cleared to spiral down over the University, and then climb to 11000 ft, and to 14000 ft over the city.

Visibility was good enough at that special area, so safety was good.

Spiralling Medellin

Once I reached the bottom, I climbed again, and it was impossible to climb higher than 10000 ft indicated (12400 ft density) even with a little bit of added Flaps (little bit increase lift, more increase lift and drag).

Looking for light between the clouds, I decided to cancel my IFR plan, because I was not able to climb. It was accepted and then adventure started again to find a path across the Andes.

Peaks were hiding inside the clouds. I was not ready to enter a cloud under those conditions.

It was a long way to find a path but I managed to reach the plain and relax a little bit.

But weather was not nice and I flew VFR on top (of the clouds).

I actually didn´t see the plain, nor a big area of Panama.

I was soon overwater over the Pacific Ocean. I missed the Panama channel !.

Then, back to the coast, I was free to see downwards. I was already at 6500 ft..

Dense forest was underneath, next to Colon City. Again over the shore but this one over Atlantic !

Beautiful and unspoiled dream beaches. No way to find Pirate ships around !

Again weather had me to go lower and lower. Some 1500 to 2000 ft over the blue-grey sea.

Low flying means no communications. I took me a long time to have somebody reaching me.

Around Limón area, the sea shore offered me some nice and under populated areas. Something that I love !

I was already over Nicaragua , and then requested my clearance number to me allowed to fly further north: nice Controllers all the flight long ! ( Nicaragua request a $100 to be payed in advance for the overflight clearance).

Huge clouds forced me to sort them out, like a giant slalom, also funny . It is even possible to cut the cloud with the wing !

Cutting the edge

I love playing in the air !

In front of me, the huge Nicaragua lake appeared. It was of course a matter of going down and ¨visit¨ !

Left and away of my path, two perfect conic peaks arose from the lake level. A misty sight that started to clear up as I was approaching the area. Then I decided to go for one of them, the highest one !

EC XLL, Sandino Control, I see you going quite left of your path !

Sandino, EC XLL, yes Sir, I have seen a beautiful mountain in front of me and I am going there to visit !!!!…….if you don´t mind.

Concepción volcano

It was a nice chat with the nice Controller.

You are pointing at Ometepe Island, to the Concepcion volcano, Controller told me.

Volcano????

mmmmmmmh, sounds good !

As the peak was at 5285 ft, I had to climb

I approached the peak with caution, some 100 ft higher.

Steaming????

Yeeeees, it was steaming

Woooooow, incredible !

What a beautiful and fast sight !!!

I was even able to see its heart !

But one pass is not enough, so I turned left and pointed the volcano again !

What a nice moment!

Desert, deep Forest, Ocean and now Fire !

Soon, the frigid cold….!

Heading northwest again, I was soon over Pacific. Also shocked to see so many ground fires all around. Some were human produced, other may be volcano smoke, but not quite sure.

Eternal beaches, all the way long and finally, Guatemala.

Why to easier everything if it can be complicated?

Another clouds wall was in front of me, so I climbed to 6500 ft.

Not enough

Please, 8500 ft

Not enough!

Please, 10500 ft

Not enough

Please 12500 ft

Not enough but I decided to stay there, free of stones, cows and sheeps !

Again turning around big cells and cutting them with the short wings and finally, vectored east of La Aurora VOR.

EC XLL , do you have visual contact or do you prefer going IFR

La Aurora, EC XLL. I prefer to go IFR.

La Aurora is the bigger Guatemala airport and a wonderful one. Light civil aviation, helicopters and airliners (big ones) fly altogether with very open minded Air Traffic Controllers. So much to learn from !

That huge flight activity had me to hold over the VOR at 12000 ft.

Then I was cleared for a VOR approach to runway 20, and cleared to land.

Not a nice approach, as the VOR approach indications were quite offset from the runway.

The threshold was difficult to find, hiding between tall buildings.

Some 07:45 hrs have gone and I was there.

What a difference: I was parked some 80 meters from AIS (Air Information Service) and helped really fast. Then directed to another office some 40 meters away. That second office had four tables, each one with a representative. Immigration, Police, Customs and Agriculture. Four stamps and all set !

I felt very happy with !

Then I taxied the plane to the Aeroclub Area.

Clemente Ros , a friend and mate from the Air Force and also from Iberia airlines, was waiting for me. It was a very nice moment !