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Friday: April 25, 2003, 15: 50 UTC (3:50 pm local) Report from San Sebastián, Spain, by Karl Hipp We departed Avignon, France this morning at 08:00Z (10:00 am local). Even though the weather was VFR, I activated our IFR flight plan which was on file. Remaining legally VFR is difficult here because of all the complex special use airspace. The weather predicted at San Sebastián was okay, but Porto, Portugal, our eventual destination intended for this day, looked bad. Badly overloaded with only 90 gallons of fuel, we climbed to FL80 (8,000 feet at standard barometric pressure). Once level, headwinds allowed us only a 130 knot groundspeed.
The routing consisted of nine waypoints with segments that were up to 60 degrees off our direct route. I kept pestering the controllers for a more direct routing but was told "no" or "standby". At one point I was directed to proceed direct to a VOR not on our flight plan. I acknowledged, dialed it in, and realized it would take us 60 miles south of our direct route. Not only that, it would then place us close in and parallel to the Pyrenees mountains for the rest of the trip--on the downwind side! Not acceptable! The downdrafts and turbulence at our weight would not make this a pleasant flight. I continued to protest till I was given more direct routing.
We made a visual arrival at. The low pressure approaching from the west had the wind straight down the runway at 25 knots.
We checked weather for Porto again after landing. Ceilings were variable 200' to 600', and the temperature and dewpoint were the same. John and I decided to cancel that flight plan out of the system and sent the girls to find a car while we gassed up and tied down 56Y. The girls rented a car for three days--some foreign-made compact minivan with a diesel engine and 5-speed manual transmission. Automatics seem rare in France, and they had few to rent at the airport. We will stay here a few days and then go to Porto, or somewhere else if the weather at Porto doesn't suit us. On arrival an old hotel in the city, the "Londres", the four of us proceeded to break one of the hotel elevators. They had a few new ones we didn't notice, so we piled into this antique job that had one big door opening out and 2 smaller doors that swing in. The plaque inside said 350 kilos, 4 persons. John hit the button, the rig groaned, went up a foot, and quit (it reminded me of my old Cessna).
Good thing the doors were glass, so the 15 minutes we spent stuck could be enjoyed by everyone in the lobby. "Stupid Gringos!" But not so stupid; John had two beers in a sack which we broke out and enjoyed, much to the additional embarrassment we caused Barb and Princess Judy.
April 26, 2003
We set out to drive through the countryside. After two hours, we determined there is not much countryside nearby. The area is very hilly, but nestled everywhere is commercial development. We drove back to San Sebastián, where we went walking through the old part of the city. We had dinner in the evening at a seaside restaurant. There, we met a Spanish fellow who spoke good English, and had a long discussion with him. It turned out he was Juan Manuel Ortega y Diaz-Ambrona, the Chief of the Economics and Trade Department of the Spanish Embassy to France. He speaks Spanish, English, and French, and his wife, Alyssia, speaks Spanish and French. They live in Paris. We had a long, sometimes intellectual discussion of world affairs. What was surprising is that he mostly agreed with John and I and our redneck opinions. The weather looks okay to press on to Porto, Portugal tomorrow. So, for now, that is the plan. |
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