South Africa’s very first Lancair Evolution

We have been looking forward to see the new Lanciar Evolution in Southern African skies for a while, the first Evolution have recently been delivered to it’s very proud owner Arnold Pistorius.
Pilot’s, Bob Jeffrey and David Robinson from Elite Pilot Service flew this beauty to South Africa, here is a short summary of their journey.

Bob departed Redmund on the 23rd of October, the first leg of the journey took him via
New Mexico where he stopped for a quick refuel and then on to St. Louis, Missouri. Unfortunately bad weather kept him there for a few days and wasn’t able to depart on the second leg until the 26th.

The weather for the flight to Goose bay (CYYR) was perfect and the Evolution made a succesfull landing just after sunset on the 26th of October.
The next leg of the journey was to Narsarsuaq Airport, in Southern Greenland, (BGBW). The weather was IFR but supposed to improve later in the day. Bob could not launch from CYYR until he was guaranteed severe clear conditions as there is no instrument approach into Narsarsuaq. with no alternative airport in the area. The weather looked good for the next day, (Sunday), but Narsarsuaq is CLOSED on Sundays. They are happy to open the airport for a few hours if you’re willing to spend about $1,200.00 in additional fees. So that meant another night in Goose Bay. “Mother Nature” had a plan of her own and decided to send Hurricane Sandy along the eastern coast, which meant Bob was pressed for time. Bob wrote: “The weather here at CYYR has gone down with low ceilings and mist. I checked the airplane again today, rearranging some things for departure in the morning. I secured the canopy cover securely so there will be no ice on the windshield in the morning. If Greenland wasn’t closed on Sunday i could have made an early start and flown through Greenland and then on to Iceland. This is just a waiting game, which was really frustrating.

“Today was an interesting day. The weather in Goose Bay was bad, ¼ mile and fog. Of course Narsarsauaq was showing 10 miles and 10,000 broken, I waited for the visibility to improve at CYYR and launched. So much for clear weather at Narsarsuaq as forecasted.The flight went well, and I was on top of the weather most of the way at FL250 with a few high thin ridges of clouds to fly through on the way. Fortunately I did not pick up any icing. I checked the weather during my position report at Loach (the Oceanic entry point) and it had gone down to 5,800 broken and 8,600 broken. My plan was to start my descent to be on the coast at the mouth of the fjord at 5,000. I flew through some solid layers on the way down then descended to a solid undercast. I really stepped the descent rate up through the clouds to avoid prolonged exposure to icing. It worked, but my last obstacle was getting below that last deck of clouds that topped at 5,000’. I dropped the nose and started clicking off the altitude waiting to break out, 4,000, 3,000, 2,000, nothing yet. I broke out at 1,200’ at the mouth of the fjord, and what a sight. From there the visibility was great and it was a beautiful flight up the fjord with cliffs rising on both sides and ice bergs in the water.The days are so short here that there wasn’t time to fuel and press on to Rjaekavic. That, plus the time zone changes make it tough to make progress this late in the year. From here to BIRK (760 nm), I went through 3 time zones. They are on UTC time! I could not have gotten there even near dark, and I took off from CYYR at 9:55 local.”

The Evolution landed safely in Iceland on October 30, Bob was happy to have the Atlantic Crossing portion of the flight almost behind him. With the weather, timing, and of course Hurricane Sandy, he was happy to have been able to depart Goose Bay when he did.

“I departed Narsarsuaq this morning after deicing the Evolution with Type 1 de-icing fluid, and a kind of broom mop. In about a half hour I had completed the wings and tail, and was ready for departure. I was cleared to back taxi on the steeply sloped runway 25 and take-off toward the fjord. The airport is on a moraine that was carved out by a glacier that has receded in past years. The US Army Air Corps had two runways here for ferrying aircraft across the Atlantic, but one is closed, once you are cleared to back taxi there is no takeoff clearance, you just go. It was a pretty flight East over the ice cap. As I crossed the jet stream at one point I had winds over 140 knots. I was up to around 340 Knots over the ground with a fuel conservation power setting. I ran into Cumulus clouds approaching BIRK Iceland but was able to weave my way below without picking up icing. After flying through a rain shower which turned to ice on the windscreen, I avoided any precipitation after that. The winds here were 35 knots with a LOC/DME to Runway 13, circle-to-land 01. On the descent I broke out under the clouds so I took a visual approach. Again, with flying East and the short days I was out of time to continue. I lost 3 hrs in time zones on a 2 1/2 hour flight.”
On October 31, Bob landed in Stornoway Scotland (EGPO) and was waiting on weather to improve in the London area before he made his way down there.
David Robinson was in London eagerly awaiting the Evolution’s arrival.
On Saturday, November 3rd, 2012 Bob and David flew the Evolution from Biggin Hill to Bern, Switzerland (LSZB).

“The flight from England was uneventful, after passing the English channel most of the flight over France and into Switzerland was above a broken cloud layer. We got lucky with the wind as we were able to manage a 340 knot ground speed” Once again the Evolution made an safe landing in Bern.

David recalls: “The weather forecast for Bern, Switzerland was pretty poor in the morning, but was forecasted to clear up early in the afternoon. Our plan was to have a relaxed morning, departing as soon as the weather cleared and head towards Reus, Spain (LERS). We figured that was about all we could accomplish this day considering the late start and weather conditions. The following day we planned on an early start to Gibraltar (LXGB), and then to the Canary Islands. All the flight plans were filed and the notifications to the proper airport authorities were made. We had “slots” and “PPR” numbers and all the documentation ready for our flight. When I opened my eyes at around 0700 the morning of the 5th I was actually amazed. It was perfect conditions with blue skies and light winds. The weather had changed and now the forecast was great until about noon, and then cumulus clouds and deteriorating weather to follow. Bob and I scrambled to get ready and head to the airport so we could launch. Over breakfast we quickly emailed all the appropriate airport facilities and notified them of our change in plans. We were now attempting to continue all the way to Gibraltar and overnight there. The flight from Bern was great with views of the Alps and the coastline in France and Spain. Once we parked in Reus, Bob went to Ops and took care of the paperwork while I made sure the aircraft was fueled and ready upon his return. Since the flight plan was already on file and the fuel truck was quick to refuel, we were ready to depart in only about 45 minutes. Things were looking great! (so we thought) We called Reus tower for our clearance very excited about flying all the way to Gibraltar. Tower responds, “N122AP stand by”. After a brief moment they informed us that Gibraltar will not accept our flight because we did not have a handling service and no PPR number for that day. In our bit of a scramble to depart Bern, I accidentally forgot to email Gibraltar of the change and select a handling service. Originally we had the night in Reus to figure this out, but when the weather was perfect that morning I just overlooked it.All at once it felt like our momentum came to a screeching halt! After we called the phone number provided for the ops manager in Gibraltar, we were informed it was impossible to fly into the airport that day as he required a 24 hour notice for all arrivals. We buttoned up the airplane and took a bus into town to find a hotel. We had a quiet evening in Reus and prepared for the following day.”

The weather in Gibraltar the next morning and for the remainder of the day was really terrible. Forecasts for heavy rain and winds, and the weather charts were confirming the TAF. They decided to try for Valencia (LEVC) a short distance away. After they got a handling service (it’s required), notified Reus of the destination and departure time change, cancelled the flight plan to Gibraltar and refiled to Valencia,they were ready to head for the airport. Due to weather they flew low altitude at FL110 and were basically in and out of the clouds for most of the trip. On the ILS approach into Valencia they were just north of the front. There was a wall of weather about 10 miles south of the airport which would have certainly prevented continuing, they picked the perfect stopping point for the day.
The weather had taken a great deal of real estate thus far. It was known before their departure to expect some delays on this trip, but with the late start crossing the Atlantic, combined with the fact Africa is currently in the Monsoon season, their delays were mounting quicker than expected. The next leg took them to Malaga, Spain wich from what we understand was uneventful.

“We launched from Malaga, Spain (LEMG) on November 10th, after the weather delays we experienced, we were eager to get going. The flight went very well as expected, We flew directly across the Strait of Gibraltar and into Agadir Almassira, Morocco (GMAD). The handling agent and people on the ground were very helpful and did a nice job getting us on our way quickly. From Morocco we flew directly to Las Palmas, Grand Canary Islands (GCLP). The island is a popular tourist destination, so the airport is a busy international airport.”

November 11th – “Our flight from the Grand Canary Islands to Conakry was actually very uneventful. We landed in Dakar, Senegal (GOOY) for fuel and departed for Conakry, Guinea (GUCY). The weather in Dakar required us to fly the instrument approach with low clouds and visibility. Except for the complete lack of procedure and guidance from ATC, the fuel stop actually went pretty smooth. Shortly after we touched down in Conakry, the president was scheduled to arrive. Just next to where we parked the entire ramp became covered with armed military at every possible post. Unlike the United States, it’s fairly common to see the military toting an AK-47 or weapon in public, but this many people somewhat on edge guarding for the presidents arrival caused one to feel uneasy.The hotel in Lagos was supposed to be a “4 Star” resort hotel. What we got for our $250 Euros was one double room on the back side of the resort. About 50 yards from the door and just over the “resort” wall were railroad tracks, which hosted a squealing, horn blowing train every hour during the night. There was no hot water for the shower and the toilet did not work. The two small dimly lit lights hanging from the ceiling barely lit the room, and by morning only one was working, to top it off, the two pictures hanging on the wall were askew, leaning toward each other. The next morning we gladly left the hotel for our hour ride to the airport in a “limousine” escorted by our handler. We could not travel by the main highway because the new president declared that both sides of the highway would be one way into town in the morning. This forced us to take the back streets right through the middle of town all the way to the airport.

November 12th – “We gathered our paperwork, looked at the little bits of weather provided to us by the handlers and decided it was okay to fly on to Abidjan, Cote de Ivoire “Ivory Coast” (DIAP). We knew they were forecasting thunderstorms along the route, but without a network of ground based weather radar you just launch and hope for the best. Everything went pretty well until we arrived in the Abidjan area where we encountered some thunderstorms blocking our route. We found a valley in the tops and got over them close to the airport requiring a quick descent to try and get below the storms. Our original plan was a fuel stop and to go on to Lagos, Nigeria (DNMM), but a large area of strong thunderstorms to 35,000 feet which were continuing to build changed our mind, and we stayed in Abidjan. The handler did a better job of picking a hotel and escorted us personally to be sure we were satisfied. Abidjan is a more modern and prosperous area than Conakry. Another days productivity had been shattered by the coastal weather.”
The weather and winds for the direct route to Sao Tome didn’t allow for the direct flight they hoped for.
The flight into Nigeria went well, and upon landing they taxied to the International Terminal of the airport onto a hard stand. Next to them were B-767’s, B777’s, Airbus A-340”s etc. David said that he thinks it’s the craziest thing they handle small airplanes the same as large airliners. Poor handling, delays with paperwork and African bureaucracy caused them not to leave Nigeria on the same day.

November 14th – “When we returned to the airport the next day, we unloaded the car and headed into the terminal. We were still being escorted by our handler who passed us off to the immigrations officer. We passed through the usual security line with an x ray machine, etc. Our next stop was at a security desk where we signed “In” the aircrew book we signed “out” the previous day. Our immigration officer then escorted us out of the terminal where the Evolution was parked. We went out a jet bridge and down the stairs to our aircraft where we performed our pre-flight ritual of taking the cover off, unlocking the doors and fuel caps, storing the baggage, pre-flighting the aircraft, and making our “nests” in the cabin in preparation for flight. This was to be a 424 nm flight across the Gulf of Niger to the island of Sao Tome Principe, then 677 nm across water to Luanda, Angola. It seemed like we were spending a lot of time flying across water. Oh well, I guess that’s what the 4 man life raft, life vests, Personal Locator Beacon and Satellite Phone were for. You can’t say we weren’t prepared. We departed Lagos and climbed to 25,000’, as usual. This airplane likes it there. We were cruising at 265 – 270 KTAS on 33 gal/hr. All went well until we saw a giant thunderstorm up ahead. It looked like the mother of all thunderstorms from where we were. It was big, black, and high with a large anviled top and must have been at least 50 nm across and yes, it was spitting lightening. Heavy rain showers obscured the water. Fortunately, this was a relatively short leg and we had the gas to deviate. We headed for the upwind side, giving a respectable berth and wondered what surprises might await us on the other side. To our relief, it looked like we had a clear shot in the direction of our route. We made an uneventful descent and landing at Sao Tome.”

“Our quick turnaround became a three hour delay, but we still departed and were off and flying for Luanda, Angola.This turned out to be one of the easiest legs with the bad weather just North of our track. We approached Luanda and were told to report overhead, nothing else. The active runways are 23 and 25 with both approach thresholds beginning at the same place. Basically, you are crossing each others paths on short final to land. We were overhead and still could not get any further clearance. The controller finally told us to fly the VOR/DME. Unfortunately, the VOR is not an IAF and there is no course reversal procedure published on any approach plate. We were also high, so I extended the flaps to 25 and the gear, and started a left 270 degree spiral to runway 23 turning inside of the 25 approach path for a short approach. Nobody said anything! We finally got to the hardstand and called it a day.”

November 16th – “Well, this was the day we have been waiting for. We were hoping to make it to Johannesburg, South Africa , our final destination. The first leg planned was from Luanda, Angola (FNLU) to Windhoek, Namibia (FYWE) and is almost 900 nautical miles. We climbed above the cloud deck and lower visibility caused by all the water vapor in the air and up to 25,000’. We crossed a couple of ridges of weather, which were below us and continued into the dry desert of Namibia. The atmosphere dried out and the clouds turned to small, disbursed puffs below us. By the time we reached Eros airport at Windhoek, it was clear. This was one of the prettiest towns we have seen yet and looked like it was right out of Arizona or New Mexico. The people were friendly and helpful so we were able to file the flight plan, fuel and make a quick turn. The Evolution attracted a crowd as usual, their curiosity being satisfied by David as I filed the flight plan. We were off for Lanseria Airport (FALA) in Johannesburg in less than an hour, a record for us. The Significant Weather chart showed an area of weather, which looked like it would run just North of our course to, so we thought we had it made. Thirty minutes later it was obvious that the weatherman was a little off again. There was a towering wall of thunderstorms across our path. It ran from as far North as we could see to as far South as we could see.These were billowing thunderstorms with vertical development to around 45,000’. We thought we could see some blue gaps in the line so we continued to distinguish the shadows from actual holes. As we approached, it became obvious there were no openings in this line. It looked pretty hopeless at this point. Running along the leading edge of this line was a low ridge of small outflow cumulus. We hated the idea of turning around again, especially since we were so close to our final destination, so we continued on, descending to get below the bases of the line in hopes of finding a way through. We picked an area below a dissipating portion of the cells which provided our best chance and headed that way. It was pitch black beneath until we got below the bases at around 8,000’. The terrain was no concern and was at 5,000’. Beneath the bases of the dissipating cells, we could make out an area with a few miles visibility in light rain showers. On both sides were heavy showers with continuous lightening. We continued for around fifty miles with blackness overhead and on both sides until it began to clear, and the ceiling began to rise. We had made it through a line that had looked impossible. All this time, we were in and out of contact with ATC. We had been approved to deviate before we lost contact and had been cleared to 15,000’. So, yes, technically we didn’t adhere to the clearance but had discovered through our previous experience that sometimes it’s necessary to get the job done. We re-established contact with ATC and climbed to 19,000’ for the rest of the trip. Finally, we had controllers we could understand clearly and were in a radar environment, which was rare in Africa. As we approached FALA they provided vectors for an ILS. Just to the Northwest of the airport, another thunderstorm cell was rapidly developing. We hit the airport about the same time as the thunderstorm. On short final, the winds shifted dramatically as the first gust from the thunderstorm arrived. The wind was a direct right crosswind and the windsock was parallel to the ground. The turbulence increased and the airspeed began varying by around 10 knots. David was flying and did an excellent job of flying the Evolution onto the ground with his usual grease job. A fitting end to our trip to South Africa.”

In short:
We flew from Redmond Oregon to Pretoria, South Africa
We flew the Lancair Evolution 13,195 nautical miles
We are the first Lancair Evolution to land in Africa
We flew a total of 59.6 hours
We landed 25 times
We landed in 18 countries
The Evolution did not take one quart of oil
The Evolution did not have one maintenance problem

During the course of the flight:
The Evolution experienced 140 knot quartering tail winds
The Evolution flew in an Outside Air Temperature of – 50 C between Reykjavik, Iceland and Stornoway, Scotland
The Evolution experienced icing conditions
The Evolution was able to circumvent major thunderstorms

So.. Who is the next proud owner of a Lancair Evolution in South Africa?

Source: http://www.elitepilotservices.com/blog/
Research: Adam Barnard