Where have you been? What have you seen?
By jane
#1504522
(Cannot insert pic from a word document, but should be of rock pillars at the southern entrance to a valley at the edge of the Pyrenees, with some wisps of cloud through which I am descending)

Jane: Wouldn’t it be fun to fly between those rock pillars.
Instructor: no
Jane: Oh go on, let’s do so, I’ll start by getting below the clouds.
Instructor: No
Jane: Going down.
Instructor: NO

Location: about 40 minutes, in a PA28 180, north of Zaragoza, Spain, on the edge of the Pyrenees descending from 13,500ft.

Being in Zaragoza for a couple of weeks I naturally had to investigate the flying club and make use of them.

Saturday 05 March 2016 after a slightly dubious weather report I turned up and was introduced to the PA28 180, EC DKC. Zaragoza airport accommodates commercial and GA and adjoins the military. So rapid learning curve as instructor Jon said I had to do radio because they spoke English, and I am unaccustomed to international ATC! No worries, get set up and wait for the large commercial aircraft to have landed and taxied out of the way so as to avoid wake turbulence – a tad more than a C152. Onto the runway, we can enter at about halfway as it is a bit longer than Andrewsfield (my base). Into the air making sure we do not drift right into military airspace. Then follow directions to the prescribed reporting point N, announce our presence and continue.

At reporting point N Jon is wriggling around fiddling with the door. Could I fly slowly straight and level at 2500’ while he tries to close the door? Do as required at c. 70kts and point out to him that, from experience elsewhere (Andrewsfield), he needs to put his finger into the catch bit at the top as that will have got misaligned. I know what to do but cannot reach from the lhs – I know that from experience as well! He cannot close the door properly and hangs on to it. So we ascend to 9500’ for him to try again at 50kts. Finally the door condescends to close.

Past Huesca to the east of us and on to the base of the Pyrenees. Jon wanted to get to 15000’, KC refused to go above 13500’ saying that was her limit for the oxygen level. I listened to KC and kept an eye on the humans as well. So we pootled along the edge of the Pyrenees for a while whilst I teased Jon about going through the gap between the rocks. The scenery was fantastic and the visibility excellent.

(Should be a pic of Zaragoza from the northern side)
Back to find Zaragoza. Spain looks fairly flat in parts of that region, a bit like East Anglia, but as I found in Zaragoza, on a bicycle it might be different. A pootle along the edge of Zaragoza for me to recognise places I had been, such as the cathedral. Then to the westerly reporting point O before turning onto finals. What a big runway, I locate our turn off point and aim for an appropriate distance before that. For some unknown reason Jon was getting a bit twitchy thinking I was going to overshoot, so down slightly earlier and longer to taxi!

Overall a great flight in unknown territory with a good instructor, even if he did believe that I was going to fly between those rocks!