Rovaniemi to Longyearbyen

DAY 6, LEG 30 - Rovaniemi to Longyearbyen

After a quick fuel stop in Rovaniemi it's time to continue even further north to our northernmost airport on the trip.  Longyearbyen is situated in the Svalbard archipelago on the island of Spitzbergen.  Our destination is halfway between Norway and the North Pole and is the northernmost airport in the world to operate scheduled flights.  At 80 degrees north latitude the island is dark for nearly 6 months of the year so it was good timing that we get the chance to visit in Spring, where there is plenty of daylight to help us navigate the mountainous island safely.

The routing takes us northwest towards Tromso on the northern coast of Norway where we pick up an airway that routes overhead Bear Island and then towards Spitzbergen.  We will have to take this route back south again as well.  We leave Rovaniemi with full tanks even though we are only expecting a 3 and a half hour flight time.  This gives us plenty of spare fuel in case the weather deteriorates at our destination.  For now the forecast is generally good.

Climbing out of Rovaniemi towards Kittila following the Ounasjoki River.

Far northeastern Finland looking towards the fjords at Tromso, Norway.

Turning overhead Tromso and heading north out over the cold Norwegian Sea.  I notice that the aircraft is consuming around 800pph of fuel compared to the 900pph that I plan for.  I can only think this is due to the colder atmosphere at these high latitudes but it helps a lot by giving a total endurance of over 5 hours!

Svalbard coming into view.

Descending into Longyearbyen as the sun begins to set at 3pm.

Final approach to runway 10 at Longyearbyen.  The temperature at the airport is -22 degrees centigrade!  Wrap up warm.

EFRO - ENSB stats

Take-off time:    1215

Landing time:     1535

Flight time:         03:20

Fuel used:          1300kgs / 2860lbs

Turku to Rovaniemi

DAY 6, LEG 29 - Turku to Rovaniemi

This leg takes us through our next milestone of the trip - crossing the Arctic Circle.  Rovaniemi is located in Lapland and is just north of the Arctic Circle.  It is Santa Claus' official airport and is busiest during the winter with charter flights for both Santa visits and skiers.  It is also home to the most northerly branch of McDonalds in the world!

Temperatures in Lapland can fall well below -20 centigrade but fortunately the spring weather has brought the temperature to just -2.  Still the coldest temperature so far on the trip but probably not the lowest we'll see.  Cape Town seems very distant!

View from outside the airport perimeter fence at Turku as we prepare to taxi.

Heading towards Oulu with Hailuoto Island visible to the west.

Starting descent into Rovaniemi with the city just visible and marking roughly the location of the Arctic Circle.

Downwind at Rovaniemi.

Final approach to a chilly Rovaniemi.

Parked at Rovaniemi.

EFTU - EFRO stats

Take-off time:    1122

Landing time:     1200 (-1 hour FS time difference)

Flight time:        01:38

Fuel used:          708kgs / 1558lbs

Gdansk to Turku

DAY 6, LEG 28 - Gdansk to Turku

This leg takes us across the Baltic Sea into Finland where we will land at Turku on the south-west coast of the country.  Once customs has been cleared we will file another flightplan and head north to Rovaniemi in Lapland.  Leaving Gdansk, I decided to fill the aircraft up with fuel, estimating that we will be able to fly to Turku then Rovaniemi without the need to refuel at Turku.  The weather forecast for Finland was good so hopefully there will be some good views!

Departing Gdansk.

Approaching the Finnish coastline.

Turku town.

Downwind at Turku.

Final approach to runway 29.

Parked at Turku.

EPGD - EFTU stats

Take-off time:   0938

Landing time:    1112

Flight time:       01:34

Fuel used:         741kgs / 1630lbs

Bucharest to Gdansk

DAY 6, LEG 27 - Bucharest to Gdansk

It was an early start again in Bucharest to make the most of the daylight hours as we head north into Poland and then on into Finland.  Our destination was Gdansk, Poland's principal port city.  The city has been a port for centuries and now moves over 27 million tonnes of cargo per year.  The city itself is home to numerous industries, including ship building, and its airport is a hub for the low-cost carrier Wizz Air.

A miserable morning in Bucharest.  Departing on the westerly runway looking at the main terminal.

Climbing out over the Carpathian mountains to the north of Bucharest.

Flying over Lodz, the third largest city in Poland behind Warsaw and Krakow.

Looking at the town of Plock on the Vistula river.  The river splits Poland in two and runs all the way to our destination at Gdansk.

Overflying the city of Gdansk on final for runway 29 behind a Ryanair flight from London Stansted.

Final approach for runway 29.

Parked near the cargo terminal at Gdansk.

LROP - EPGD stats

Take off time:  0534

Landing time:   0924 (+1 hour time difference)

Flight time:      02:50

Fuel used:        1171kgs / 2576lbs