Good Morning All,
Currently planning a very big Euro Tour – visiting many places on the way. This is planned for 5th-14th of April in the DA40, originally we were going to Egypt but that has been permanently withdrawn from the plan, Cyprus I’ll do as something separate next year.
The current planned route is;
Any recommendations and what handlers to use at the relevant airports? I plan to do this all IFR, because it’s a LOT easier for planning. Suggestions welcome including places to visit on the stay. It’s a LOT of places and subject to change.
I will report back here in due course with when it happens :)
Only two places do you have two nights? You’ll hardly have time in the other places to see much other than what’s right beside your hotel or the airport.
My suggestion would be to give yourself at least 2 nights in each place that you want to see any of.
Looks like a punishing schedule
Good luck and enjoy.
Just a thought, not a lot of room for error, and if you’re booking accommodation that can’t be easily cancelled, it adds a bit more pressure to the agenda.
We do a similar style trip each year but I’d never have a ‘nice’ place as a fuel-only stop/lunch, and any primary destination must have a non flying day.
Each to his own, but I usually have the wife with me and while she enjoys the flying, the destination is far more important. I think we have a good balance.
pilotrobbie wrote:
Fly to Split for two nights in Hvar beach
Hvar is an island (or maybe I misunderstood you), pretty much deserted in April. If you really want to go there maybe you can plan landing there directly at LDSH (check PPR).
I guess you know but just as reminder, Naples and Vienna are pretty expensive. And Skiathos doesn’t have 100LL (if your DA40 is Lycoming powered).
pilotrobbie wrote:
Naples
The big airport is reported to now allow overnight parking
pilotrobbie wrote:
Split
Maybe in April before season but else again not sure about overnight parking. You could plan Brac LDSB instead. Croatia is beautiful but as Emir writes beware to arrive outside the tourist season. Many places can simply be closed and then feel quite deserted.
I went to Naples in 2017. Bad experience. They parked us completely the other side of the airport than the terminal, next to… firefighters training with real fire and big flames. On departure, the handler dropped us and left. Then ATC refused to let us taxi because the handler did not “release” us and was not there to wave his arms at us. It took a very long time for the handler to come back to come wave uselessly at us to mollify ATC. The only “positive” point is that the handler was definitely NOT respecting the posted speed limit, else the travel from parking position to terminal would have been even longer. However, his not respecting the sign “runway crossing, do not proceed without ATC contact” was rather more scary.
Everyone to his/her own . . .
But as GA_Pete says:
We do a similar style trip each year but I’d never have a ‘nice’ place as a fuel-only stop/lunch, and any primary destination must have a non flying day.
Each to his own, but I usually have the wife with me and while she enjoys the flying, the destination is far more important. I think we have a good balance.
From organising ’Fly Outs’ for over 20 years, I believe it is important to have regular, extended, relaxing lunches and definitely some non-fly days. Not just for the wife/partner’s sake, but for the pilot as well.
On a lengthy tour, we delude ourselves if we think that ‘flying fatigue’ will not catch up with us.
Likewise – to attract customers – I find an exciting major destination, where one can relax and enjoy for a couple of days, is a MUST.
Exactly my kind of flying @pilotrobbie, and fantastic schedule 
Though I visited all the places you mention pre-retirement, I can’t offer any advice for private flights… but barring Marseille/Calvi/Karlsruhe, landing at the names mentioned might be a costly adventure.
Nevertheless, very much looking towards your trip report 
I echo others there should be non flying days.
Well, that applies if you have female passengers, and you would like them to stick around
Trust me… I am an expert (on them not sticking around)
