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RV-10 to Ireland

Paddy

Well Known Member
RV-10 to Ireland - IT'S ON!!!

I built my -10 with the intention of flying it from the US to Ireland, where I grew up. I've prepared the plane as well as I can, long range fuel, dual batt/dual alternators, dual AHARS etc. With 150hrs on her and all the bugs worked out, it's now time to get down to the details of the trip. I'll be using the far northern route where HF radio is not required, CYFB - BGSF - BIKF - EGPC - EIDW. I'd like to avoid Wick if I can, but it's difficult to find info on airports of entry in Ireland. Do any Irish pilots know if I can arrange to fly directly into Donegal or Weston from Iceland and take care of customs there? I still hold an Irish passport.
 
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Most of the information that you want will be in the Irish AIP.

You can register free with Eurocontrol, select 'enter applications', then 'PAMS light AIP'.
Search Ireland/AIP/GEN for general entry requirements and the AD section to find if customs are available at your preferred airport.

You can save money in Iceland by using Akureyri or Egillstadir as they don't require a handling agent. Isafjordur is also available with prior permission.

Weston and Donegal have customs available with 24 hours prior notice.

You'll also need liability insurance to EC/785 minimum and permission from each country to use an amateur built aircraft. That costs about $400 from Greenland and $150 from Iceland IIRC; not sure about Ireland.

You can rent dry suits and liferafts at Goose Bay either one way to Wick or drop off on your return.

It's a great trip to do. Make sure you take in some sight seeing!
 
I would like to follow your adventure. This is very interesting! Please take photos and give us a write up.
 
Thanks Mark, the Eurocontrol link is very useful. Any additional leads on securing the necessary permits and paperwork would be greatly appreciated. I was greatly inspired by the accounts of your own trip, especially Eastbound. I was still building at the time and decided to add the plumbing for an aux 40gal fuel tank as a result of your experience.
 
Gash,
I'll certainly try my best to memorialize the trip, it'll surely be a grand adventure! My goal all along has been to fly back to Ireland and land on the Aran Islands in the West of Ireland. This would have been the last glimpse of the Emerald Isle that many of my countrymen would ever have as they left for America during the Great Famine. I appreciate that it's only because of the struggles of those that have gone before that a fellow like me could come to the greatest country in the world and enjoy the freedom and opportunity that exist here like nowhere else on Earth.
 
Paddy,

Check this out for Iceland. They say no special permission required for homebuilts, but check Iceland AIP GEN 1.2.

The contact I have for Greenland permission id [email protected]. It cost 3170 DKK when I applied Eastbound (it was free for UK registered when I came Westbound). That exemption covers Greenland, Faeroe Islands and Denmark as they are all under the same authority.

I've flown the Aran Islands, including Inishmore to Inishmaan. At one time that was the world's shortest commercial sector. You could buy an airline ticket to fly 1.5 miles! A wonderful place to visit, but you need to watch the weather.
 
Ireland Trip

After a year's delay due to work/life commitments, my planned RV-10 trip to Ireland is back on. Planned departure from home base (LL10) is Sat Aug 24th.

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Info if you want it

I just finished two north atlantic crossings following approximately your route. I learned a ton and would be happy to pass it along if you want to PM me.
 
I just finished two north atlantic crossings following approximately your route. I learned a ton and would be happy to pass it along if you want to PM me.

Any interest in posting here publicly as I?m sure there are lots of us that would be interested in the information that you gathered?
 
Lessons learned

Any interest in posting here publicly as I’m sure there are lots of us that would be interested in the information that you gathered?

I suppose. Off the cuff...

1. Everything takes longer and costs more outside the US. Plan accordingly and take local currency for the places you'll stop.
2. Every airport in Greenland is closed on Sundays, before 8AM and after 5PM...sort of. For a hefty fee you can "reopen" the airport and land or takeoff. And on odd national holidays like spring solstice. However, even if three planes have already paid to reopen the airport and do their thing, you still get to pay the fee. Yeah, don't get me started. If I do it again in a DC3 I'll put in ferry tanks and overfly Greenland.
3. Not every airport in those parts have 100LL. Even if they say they do a gaggle of DC3s may have just come through and had every drop. Call ahead and reserve your gas. It will probably take longer than you are used to to fill up.
4. Take a dry suit or immersion suit and know how to use it. Ditto a raft. Ditto a satellite tracker.
5. Take a high visibility vest. Many of the airports you're going to require you to have one to be on the ramp unescorted.
6. Weather can be bad. Plan to be happy on the ground waiting for it to clear and be ready to go. Depending on the time of year you could be there a while.
7. Learn all the alternate airports, even if they are gravel strips. There aren't that many of them but one of them could save your life.
8. Learn the procedures for ATC where you'll be. Especially for the atlantic crossing portions.
9. Be sure to have your customs forms filled out for Iceland. Greenland doesn't even bother with customs. Nobody has passport stamps anymore unless you ask real nice in Iceland.
10. Contact Hermann (SuperCubDriver) who just did it in his RV EIGT.

There are probably more but it's late. Others can chime in who have more experience than me. I'd like to know how it goes. I've given thought to doing it in my RV-10 now that I know the drill. It's a great way to get around Europe I'll tell you that.
 
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Good info

Thanks for that info Bryan. I heard that you and your DC3 buddies used up the last of the avgas at Iqaluit when you passed thru! They've had their annual restocking since then thankfully :)
I’ll add a couple of interesting things I’ve learned specifically about doing the route in a US registered experimental. First, as Mark Albery already mentioned, prior authorization is required to land or overfly Greenland. I just received this last week and will be billed a hefty fee for the privilege. The latest AIP for Iceland also now indicates permission is required. I got this on Monday and had to pay up front before issuing the authorization. About $230 via credit card.
 
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Databases and ForeFlight

I have a G3X and a GTN650 in my plane. The databases for North America and Europe can both be installed on the GTN card but I need to carry a separate set of cards for the G3X for Europe and will need to switch them over when I leave Canada.
The ForeFlight Europe subscription doesn?t include Ireland but it does include Iceland. I had to mix and match different subscriptions to get the coverage I need. This was expensive...
 
Survival Suits

I saw that many of the ferry pilots used the neoprene immersion suits just pulled up to the waist in the cockpit with the intention of donning the rest of it before ditching if necessary. I had bought one of these and felt good about it until I tried it in the plane. It was a real struggle to get it zipped up all the way while sitting. I talked to Hermann and he used a dry suit with good insulation underneath. This is what the coastguard pilots use as well, specifically the Mustang Survival MSF300 flight suit. It?s a nomex flight suit bonded to a dry suit underneath. Feet have integrated dry socks and the neck and wrists have seals. It comes with a neoprene hood and inflatable mittens that are donned after ditching. Of course these things cost as much as a small car but I found one on eBay for a couple hundred bucks. Checked it has no leaks - all good.
 
I was waiting for your post and see you are well prepared and ready to go. This will be an experience you won?t forget.
Keep us updated!
 
Thanks for all the information and encouragement Hermann. I'll be listening on freq over Greenland!
 
Tracker Link

I leave tomorrow for Canada on the way to Ireland. Original plan was to overnight at La Grande Riviere CYGL, but the only hotel there says they're full. Plan B is Amos, CYEY. I'll still plan stop at CYGL for fuel on route to CYFB on Sunday.

Here's a link to my InReach tracker for anyone who wants to follow along;

https://share.garmin.com/JimsRV10
 
Jim?s tracker is online, seems like he launched for his trip!
I was waiting for this first tracking point and will follow his progress with great interest.
 
You can also track him on Flightaware and Flightradar24 with greater precision....N415JS....have a great trip Jim! Welcome to Canada however brief your stay may be!
 
Landed in Iqaluit

The -10 is an unbelievable machine. Completed the leg from CYEY to CYFB, 967nm in 5 1/2 hrs on 58 gal of fuel. Good weather almost all the way and a visual to rwy 16 to round it out. A good day...
 
The -10 is an unbelievable machine. Completed the leg from CYEY to CYFB, 967nm in 5 1/2 hrs on 58 gal of fuel. Good weather almost all the way and a visual to rwy 16 to round it out. A good day...

I?m enjoying following you on FlightAware. Safe travels!
 
Godspeed Jim!

Wish you all the best on this amazing adventure. Looks like you posted up some good numbers on that first leg. I hope that continues with blue skies and tailwinds... :)
 
Got some planned ETD?s/ETA?s?

I?m in the middle of a 6 day DFW-LHR-RDU-LHR-DFW airline trip and have the RDU-LHR and the final day LHR-DFW legs to go.

I figure not much chance of a shout out on 123.45 on tonight?s RDU-LHR (done at night and pretty far south of you) but might be a chance to say howdy on the LHR-DFW leg done on the 28th. We generally go pretty far north (tip of southern Greenland) going westbound.

If you?re still enroute eastbound by then I?d be glad to pass a word of encouragement!

We depart LHR on the 28th at 1115Z...

Safe travels,

Rob
 
Fingers

Hi Rob, I’ll give 123.45 a try if our paths cross. I tried this with Hermann yesterday as he was heading West in the 747 but we were too far away.
 
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Kangerlussuaq

Made it to Kangerlussuaq BGSF yesterday. Stopped for the night as the weather didn?t look good for the remainder of the leg to Reykjavik. Glad I stopped here, the scenery is spectacular and the people very friendly. Will try for Reykjavik today instead.
 
I also tried it on 123.45 with no success. I was looking at the weather all the time like flying myself down low. How easy it is up high - almost no worries about the weather when things are running normal!
If the weather is cooperating on your return flight try to make it to Kulusuk, you won?t regret it.
 
Reykjavik

So glad I stopped for the night in Kangerlussuaq. I stayed the night at the house of a local tour pilot. Had a musk ox burger for dinner and great company as well. Today?s flight was perfect. Kanger tower cleared me to fly east up the valley before joining filed route to BIRK. Simply spectacular. Climbed up to FL150 over the icecap, relayed a few calls for a travelair going the other way and was treated to yet more spectacle on the east coast of Greenland. I just can?t imagine a more hostile environment than down there among the cliffs and icebergs. Not to harsh for some though, a tiny iceberg started to move quick and left a wake :). OAT was -17C over the North Atlantic with a solid layer below. Finished up with a nice ILS to rwy 19, breaking out at 900ft. I hope I live to tell my grandkids about this.
 
Kukusuk

Hermann, I now know what you meant about Kulusuk after flying over it today. I will try to visit there on my way back. Nowhere like it on Earth!
 
Shout out...

We are going back with a route directly over Iceland today. Flight plan shows RATSU-65N020W-66N030W-66N040W.

Good chance of crossing your route today if timing works.

Planned departure from LHR at 1115Z. 777-300, AAL 81. Will have 123.45 tuned up and have an ear cocked for your call sign!

Safe travels!

Rob
 
Paddy Has Landed

Paddy/Jim has landed at the Weston airport outside of Dublin.


His wish has come true.


Congratulations on a successful trip.


When do you plan to fly by home?
 
Missed Him! (But not by much!)

So, we launched out of LHR about on time today and were making our way northward towards the RATSU oceanic fix. The controlling agency we were talking to as we neared the fix is Scottish Control, so when time allowed, I gave the controller Jim?s N-number and asked if he would mind seeing if he was in the system and what was his location.

A few minutes later, the controller replied in the affirmative, stating ?he?s about 120NM behind you heading south!?. :eek:

Dang! A couple of quick shout outs on 123.45, but nothing heard back (understandable) and we got busy with start-of-track work load items and had to get back to minding the store.

Glad to hear he made it over OK, and I hope he?s getting a few hoisted in his honor tonight at the pub!

Rob
 
Arrived In Ireland

Well, after a year of planning, N415JS finally arrived in Dublin. This was a very emotional experience for me. My Dad worked for Aer Lingus as an engineer in the flight simulator department at Dublin airport, so by the time I was a teenager, I had a fair amount of unlogged sim time in the 707 and 737. I just took it for granted that I?d be an airline pilot when I grew up. When the time came, I aced the aptitude tests and failed the medical for less than 20/20 vision. Correction wasn?t allowed in those days. I moved to America when I was 25 and learned to fly about 10 years later. I passed my checkride a month after my Dad passed away. Fast forward to yesterday morning and I can?t believe I?m talking to Dublin approach and being cleared for an instrument approach over the City I grew up in. And this after flying over the Atlantic. In a plane I built myself. This one?s for you, Dad.
 
Congratulations! The whole thing is just outstanding! Must have been difficult to shoot that approach with tears in your eyes :eek:
 
Fantastic adventure and congratulations! It's great to see such a good guy enjoying life and living his dream. :)

My dad and I still talk about your generosity with your hanger a couple of years back while visiting my brother.

Best, Thomas
 
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Congratulations Jim what a mighty achievement. Keep us posted on your trips around Erins Isle and it looks like you'll even get to see the Dubs lifting the Sam Maguire on Sunday.
Tir Eoghain Abu
 
Like. A great accomplishment, from the building to the flying adventures. Thanks for sharing.
 
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