New Extra 330SC to Ukraine

Aircraft sales often mean a ferry flight  – Extra 330SC

I took the “hack” RV7 to EDLD home of the Extra factory then jumped into a new Extra 330SC and ending in Warsaw where I’m now stuck in bad weather ! The new Extra 330SC has been sold to the Ukraine to an aerobatic chap I know – Igor Schutskyi. From one of the pics you can see the GPS ground speed of 211 kts, the trip from Dusseldorf to Warsaw was 2:40mins and the next leg should be less than 2 hours when I can get away, it’s strictly visual flying as no artificial horizon to keep the weight down… shame you need one of those things when ferry flying :). Just makes me think back to the guys and girls during the war who did this every day – swapping from single engine fighters to a 4 engine bomber and back to a biplane trainer all in the same day with nothing more than a single sheet of pilots notes, often in bad weather and with the added distraction that someone might shoot at you! – they certainly have my respect.

This is the first time I’ve been “invited” to fly into Ukraine airspace, the last time was when I cut the corner by 200 meters in Slovakia to Poland flying a new YAK 52 from Bacau, Romania to Kaunas, Lithuania, they got on the phone to the Polish to issue a rollocking ! That week I flew in 12 different countries and just had to add that one to the list at the time but won’t be doing that again in a hurry!!

Part 2,

…so now I’m in Kyiv. weather was filthy but got off the ground in Warsaw for the next stint. For the last 43nm I need an ‘official navigator’ as a foreigner I can’t fly in the Ukraine! More pics here… Wind was strong! You can see the old Kyiv international airport, looks like it could do with a bit of TLC with lots of old airframes dotted about (nothing that looks that interesting). Once on the ground it really got ‘interesting’ with the VIP ride into the city resembling a getaway chase sequence in a movie… certainly got the old nerves jangling!! Still, in the hotel now – smart hotel called the Riviera. Aiming to get back tomorrow late PM if I can do the last 40nm in the morning that is, first I have to get past the chaps frightened of there own shadows ! Nothing changed since I was first here in 1994 in that respect. oh, now I know why they wear big peak caps – its instead of using an umbrella 🙂 Look out for part 3 of this trip, I hope to put my baggage in the “navigators” a/c and have some “relaxation” (cloud base permitting) on arrival at final destination UKBC :).

Part 3, Going the extra mile… to get the cash to pay landing fees!!!

Well, the day started CAVOK and time to pay landing fees, well this turned into a 1.5 hrs debacle… long story short; the card machine was broken, so easy, pay by cash? – wrong! – not that straight forward… anyway we got it sorted after a real palava. ATC was quite straight forward and off we went follow the leader to 49.48’48N 030.01’02E. The 3km runway of Bila Tserkva [UKBC] appeared, an old deserted military base as seen all over Europe; a quick circuit and a couple of pics and time to land. Another happy owner and an EXTRA 330SC delivered.