Zen moment in Mellansel: early morning with tea, stunning views and silence…
I didn’t really want to leave, so idyllic this place was… The weather was perfect, we headed for the coast, and enjoyed the marvellous views:
We hoped to reach Piteå that day, and our first flight was going to Umeå:
Heavy rains and thunderstorms were expected in Umeå, north up to Piteå, and even further. Our strategy was to reach Umeå before the bad weather, then wait for the skies to clear, and leave for Piteå in the evening.
I’ve heard that approach for landing in Umeå was spectacular, but actually it was much better than just that. Pictures cannot show the beauty of it, you need to experience it yourself.
On left base to runway 32:
At the general aviation parking, there was nobody. The flying club’s house was closed:
Before getting out, we found out how to get in again, and walked down to the airport:
Bus station promised an easy, quick and cheap ride to the city, and we bought tickets. The problem was, there wasn’t going to be any bus! After talking to the bus company, we called a taxi, that brought us to Umeå.
We did a short walk, but some heavy dark clouds were quickly approaching, and we got us a table in a cafe. Soon the first thunderstorm began:
When 2-3 hours later the rain stopped, Flemming and I could finally see the city. We didn’t hurry up to the airport, because we were warned by the pilots from the north, the weather was bad there.
City Hall, built in 1888 after the fire that totally destroyed the city:
Many new modern buildings have been erected since then:
We went to the city church; it was incredibly beautiful:
We saw this small sculpture in one of the corners of the church’s yard, and at first thought someone gave it the real rubber boots, hat, and a mask. But when we came closer, we could see that it wasn’t the case! We loved this sculpture; unfortunately no info who the artist was:
Some older houses on our way:
We had enough of time to sit down and relax; I prepared and sent our next flight plan. It is so easy in Sweden; you receive a text message in a couple of minutes when it is approved, and if there are questions or changes needed – the briefing office would call and guide.
We were going to Piteå, again by the coast, to avoid turbulence and rain:
In the airport, we waited for the weather to improve. I had to move our flight plan to one hour later. And when the opportunity came, we were ready:
It was a good chance to get out of Umeå, just a couple of minuted before the rain hit again:
And soon we were flying in better conditions:
Closer to Piteå, the air became calm and smooth, we could relax and enjoy the beautiful views:
Flemming and I were very glad that we could reach so far i just 3 days: we travelled around 1600 km north!
In Piteå, many were out flying, taking advantage of good weather conditions. We landed on runway 16:
We tied down the aircraft, did paper work, and were warmly welcomed to the club:
Flemming on the photo below is proudly holding the latest issue of the Nordic Gliding magazine, because Jens Trabolt (the editor) is also a glider pilot and a member of the gliding club in Gørløse, Denmark:
And I spotted an L-4 aircraft on the calendar (red arrow points at) I knew: it is owned by Anders Poulsson from the Fridhemsgård in Skåne.
Long day, and our strategy for flying worked. The day after we were going to have our well-deserved rest.