I know this ‘mystery’ runway as “Mojados” in fact is located in the town of the same name (it can be seen in the map that Peter has uploaded).
Alcazaren is a ULM strip located south of Mojados.
Mojados is literally placed among the trees, as you can see in this (poor quality) video of myself doing a t&g.
Interesting. The Spanish Air Force have it (with aerial pic) as Alcazaren. I’m aware of the ULM strip there.
It must be fun landing on that strip if there is any crosswind… it looks very narrow in that video and with the trees so close I wonder if those firefighting planes can get in and out of there. OTOH there probably isn’t any crosswind by the time you descend below the treetops.
Anyway, after a big effort this afternoon, here is the final writeup. Not a lot in there which has not been already posted here, I guess.
Any comments/feedback/suggestions on what to add would be appreciated as always.
Just to rise to the bait on your throwaway comment:
“Seeing the benefits of 170-180kt on the way back due to the 30-35kt tailwind (slightly over 4hrs in the air LESA-EGKA) it makes me want a plane that can do that anyway, but there aren’t any that will do 180kt economically. A Jetprop remains the only realistic TB20 upgrade "
I’ve just come back from Ibiza (I elected to do it in two legs as my good lady wife was with me and doesn’t have infinite patience) typically at FL130 or FL140 I’m seeing TAS of 183kts. Although not at 10gph, but 15.7gph, this is in an SR22T.
If you want to factor in tailwinds and descents, two weeks ago (when there was a very windy period) returning from Jersey and in a descent from FL110 I did see a GS of 257kts!
It’s a bit blurred (I blame the photographer) I’ve got a sharper one but that only has 252kts ;-)
Yes, lots of things become possible at 15.7 GPH but that’s a lot of juice to burn.
According to wiki, the latest SR22 holds 92 USG which (allowing for a climb etc) gives you an endurance of about 5.5hrs i.e. 1000nm to zero fuel, against about 1300nm for the TB20. A zero fuel range of 1000nm rules out a lot of my longer trips, due to sparse alternates. In the TB20 I can do a trip up to about 950nm (zero wind) with meaningful diversion options. The difference in MPG is about 1.2 x in this case.
So it’s all a compromise. There are Mooneys for example which can do 200kt TAS also, though at rather more than FL130-140. But I do like the range and the options which come with the TB20. The downside is that the flights take longer and are more affected by headwinds.
If homebuilts can one day fly IFR across Europe without funny issues, that will change things… there are some good 2-seaters also.
It wasn’t a bait BTW 
You are right, it’s always a compromise.
Agree on the two seaters, got one of those too ;-)
I hasten to add it’s 1/4 of the SR22T and 1/5 of an RV7.
Peter, for the type of flying you do, I only see one option – pressurisation, and if not FIKI, at least some de-ice. You don’t bimble, or fly to local grass fields for a bacon sarnie like most UK pilots. You use it for long range travel/touring, IFR and to long tarmacs with approaches (mostly). I know twins give you the hives, but if there’s any pressurised option in the single world you could see yourself afford to step up to, I would certainly do it sooner rather than later. Pressurisation is the best thing ever, and it’s virtually bullet proof system in itself. It needs turbos of course, but that’s the only higher maintenance cost associated with it. Outflow valves and seals just don’t break very often, nor do they cost a lot to repair if they do. If you could somehow get rid of the need for Avgas at the same time, even better. But I know that’s a different ball game.
I’m myself probably stepping up to a twin turbine very soon (it’s too early to announce quite yet), but I’ve done a lot of research. Talked to other owners of the type, talked to King Air owners, MU-2 owners etc. The good news is that I’m surprised at how little maintenance between annuals these guys have. On pistons, things are always kind of breaking down or needing adjustments. Cylinders crack, magnetos, high CHT, EGT’s, oil changes (no need in turbines) and spark plugs – always something. Turbines just keep on running between HSI’s. One owner said: “Unless you have low power on the engine that is nearing its cycle limits, or it’s literally only a few dozen cycles from timing out, I wouldn’t rush to hot section it. There are very few sudden (much less catastrophic) failures in these engines. They just seem to deteriorate gracefully.” Even the average hot section inspection (that can be done with the engine on the plane) was below what I’d expected. On par with a piston O/H – and that buys me another 1800hrs. What turbo piston engine goes to 1800hrs without overhauling at least the turbos and some if not all cylinders? How many spark plugs and oil changes do you have to do in 1800hrs?
Sure, the fuel flow goes up by about 30%. This particular one I’m looking at is 60gal/hr. Fuel price comes down and it also flies a lot faster, so the cost per nm is about the same as the piston. Realistically, stepping up to the turbine would take my hourly cost from $450 to about $650/hr. For that extra cash, I go faster, I go further, it’s more reliable/safer and I can refuel anywhere in the world and never have to worry about Avgas availability. So the question becomes – is it worth an extra $200 for that?
I’m thinking yes right now. 
Actually, I just did the math on just oil changes for a laugh. I like to change my oil every 25hrs and I don’t do it myself. On a 2000hr TBO engine, that is 80 oil changes. My average oil change cost is about $300. That’s $24000! That’s the same cost as a hot section inspection!
Go for that turbine, Adam!
Honestly, getting a turbo piston and then flying it only at FL130 or 140 is not a good deal performance-wise. At those levels, you need oxygen but still don’t get much high altitude performance, and you have to live with the worse compression ratio of the turbo engine.
As opposed to 183 knots/15.7GPH, I fly at FL100 at 170/12.8GPH with the NA, so going slightly slower, I get more NMPG… and don’t have those thingies stuck up my nose…
The only thing about the King Air or MU2 sort of aircraft is that if something is found at the Annual it is expensive. For example this year we had a Radar fault and a TCAS fault on our C90B and the exchange units to sort it out were $30k and up. EACH.
