Taxying my dear RV on an iced runway was like entering a new world.

Kenn Borek hangar is located north of the main parking area, somehow far away.

Samo Cebul, a friend of earthrounder Matevz Lenarcic, has been in contact with them since many months. He has been trying to help me since then, I was quite relaxed because I knew that my dear airplane would be hangared.

The fact is that when I arrived, I felt like Robinson Crusoe, because nobody was around, and of course, because of my beard that was starting to be longer.

Turboprop oldtimer

Not too later, I was picked up by a truck and taken into the airport ¨terminal¨, where Tom, Manager for Kenn Borek, received me.

He was not the kindest man, indeed. Neither I had the mood to fight, so I relaxed and let the time to do its job.

First he did complain about not having contacted him before.

Well…I did contact Ed de Luca and even sent him an email telling him I was arriving today…

Even I was told that I could have my airplane hangared here at your hangar !

So, after some talking, I was able to have a coffee outside of his office.

It took some time to have Tom more relaxed. The problem was me to arrive at not the best moment: he was quite busy then.

So finally, I was confirmed that I could have my RV inside the huge hangar, but I was really surprised about the news: You will have to pay $1800 per day !

Matevz told me that I could even be requested to pay $500, and that, was already silly !

Tom: I am not an airliner, not a rich man. You are asking me my monthly retirement income per every day, and I cannot afford it !

Tom tried to call his boss at Calgary, but it was already late. He decided to send them an email and explain what was happening, to find a way for a lower rate.

No much to do until next day: meanwhile, I decided to refuel the plane and hangar it !

Tom explained me that just opening the huge hangar doors cost $500, because the electricity price there was one dollar per watt (yes, per watt, no kilowatt !!!).

I used mogas fuel because of the $1100 avgas per drum price and that those drums were really old (remains from Ozzie). Not an easy decision !

My engine, a Superior XP IO 360, I readied for mogas (autoMObile GASoline). I would use that only for cruise.

It was the first time that my airplane was almost topped: just 50 liters were missing to top her.

Endurance would be huge: 18 hours ! I wanted to be sure to be able to land at Tromso would the weather deny my landing at Longyearbyen.

Finally the airplane was pushed inside the hangar but she was nor allowed to stay inside the booth heated area. The airplane engine needed to be heated before departing next day!

$1800 in an icy hangar ? I was really upset.

Resolute city is away from the airport, some four miles. The city is really small, just some 250 people.

I was taken at the ATCO hotel (ATCO owns everything there) and found that my dinner was reserved for me : A huge prime rib ! Just what I dreamed of!

Room was expensive too, some $325.. It was a correct room, and clean.

There was no night already, just twilight, so that was good news for the flight into the North Pole: I would be able to see the clouds and avoid the icing. Wolves were howling. May be just the dogs, but I think that the dogs just bark.

I tried to found out looking outside, but no luck.

Weather was not the best one. Light headwinds into the north, and cloudy approaching Svalbard.

I was already tired and would have rest one day or two, but weather was deteriorating and being stopped there for seven or 10 days, at $1800 per day, was like steroids in my mind and body.

The decision was taken, I would fly the next day.

But a new problem arose. I hadn´t check the Longyearbyen airport operating hours, and I was crossing many many meridians..!

Cheese !!! ( sorry, I really used other words!) cheese!

Cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese and cheese !!!!

And cheese !

I contacted Tom Are, at Svalbard. Tom is friend of Atle, who lives at Alesund (Norway) and is friend of my friend Peter Schneider, who lives at Wurzburg (Germany).

Tom was really nice and supportive: he got the Longyearbyen Controller to wait for my arrival outside of the airport operating time. What a relief ! What nice guys !!!

Would I had not got that clearance, I would had to wait many hours for the departure. It was to be a long flight and weather deteriorating over Svalbard…

I was excited and the night was finally not a good one to rest.

Next day, I had a good breakfast and got a big chicken sandwich for the flight. Also some cookies, (survival cookies of course 🙂 ).

I was drived into the airport and received by Tom.

Tom was much friendly and he even told me that he was sorry about the last evening.

¨Yesterday I thought that you were a monster !¨

He smiled !

Don´t worry about the hangar, you don´t have to pay the $1800 !

You are an Angel! – I thought, but didn´t tell him, because you know, so many men in a remote area can react in a surprising way…

You just have to pay $500 plus taxes, total $550 !

Fortunately I didn´t tell him about angels and heaven!

The fact is that I still don´t know who managed about the final price . Tom ? Samo ? Both?

So after that expensive stay, I was driven to the hangar, had the cold airplane outside and had the engine heated.

Maintenance guys were not supportive, not kind, just correct. May be the cold temperatures and isolation drive their mood, I don´t know.

Even the pilots I met were distant and didn´t provide any comment or cues for my flight.

I have to say that I expected much more from Kenn Borek people. Those are really rude guys !

Engine heated, clearance for a VFR flight granted, survival gear donned, throttle back, mixture rich, electric fuel pump on, fuel press 35 psi, mixture lean, magnetos start…

Engine at 1000 rpms, mixture rich then back to lean of peak.

Avionics On, Both GPS : direct to N89 59 999

N90 is not an option for my GPS ….

Alea Jacta Est !