Transatlantic Flight Second Attempt: Lithuania to Scotland | Episode 3

Join me as I embark on a second attempt to conquer the Atlantic Ocean in a small single engine plane. On this episode we fly from Lithuania, make a quick stop in Denmark and then make the first big crossing of open water to Sumburgh in the Shetland Islands to enjoy the stunning beauty of it’s rugged coastline and thousands of birds inhabiting the cliffs around Sumburgh head lighthouse.
In this video series I hope to offer a glimpse into the challenges of preparing and actually flying across the Atlantic ocean, navigating over the remote northern landscapes and vast stretches of water, and experiencing breathtaking views that only a small plane can offer. Whether you’re a seasoned aviator or just love adventure, I hope you enjoy this journey as much as I did.

#Fly #Cessna #avgeeks #aviation #flying #generalaviation

On this episode we start the  journey once again battle some brutal headwinds but get rewarded in the end after spending 5 days at home waiting for the  bad weather to pass it seemed like a window  of decent weather was finally opening up for

The flight westbound the low pressure systems  that brought rains and low ceilings were gone and all that still remained in the wake was a steady  headwind but knowing that the wind would remain for the next several days I decided to push  through since the forecast did show favorable

Conditions for reaching Iceland and Greenland over  the next several days after takeoff it’s a quick left turn over the airfield a wing rock  to wave goodbye and we set course towards Poland the plan today is to make two flights first one  over Lithuania Northern Poland and Germany to

An airport of Stauning in Western Denmark and  the second one from Stauning over the North Sea to Sumburgh in the Shetland Islands so guys we  just departed Paluknys airfield and on our way to Denmark an Airfield called Stauning and the  flight time is 5 hours and 50 minutes it’s going

To be a long one we do have quite a lot of  headwind and average of 20 knots or so after a few glimpses of the tranquil countryside  of southern Lithuania we soon cross into

Poland LY-BUZ good day 4,500 ft position VABER VFR Flight Plan good day radar contact QNH1014 the weather deteriorates a little but nothing significant a quick shower for the plane and  soon we are enjoying the beautiful lakes of the Polish Mazury region all right so we’ve just entered Malbork terminal area and uh yeah the

Headwind is a bit stronger than expected  and our ground speed is about 5 knots lower we’re only doing 104 knots now actually so I  don’t know if you guys noticed but also one thing I did is I change the registration marks  from here when I’m sitting uh I don’t even see

The registration Mark have only noticed uh  when reviewing the GoPro footage and so I’m thinking that’s not right I should change it to  the proper one for those of you that don’t know every country uh every aircraft register  in different country starts with a country

Specific prefix so for Lithuania it’s LY for Poland for example it’s SP for Germany it’s D Canada  C and USA N of course getting closer to Germany we fly along  the coast of the Baltic Sea spotting dozens of sailboats below taking advantage of  the wind that is challenging us head on

Langen good day LY-BUZ as we cross into Denmark the weather deteriorates once again forcing us to dip  below the clouds to avoid any precipitation I did not record the conversation with Billund air traffic controllers but the situation was that Stauning  airport’s operations were closed today due to

Lack of staff and although it is possible to  land the fuel there is not self serve and I would have to delay my flight to Sumburgh until the  next day so I decided to divert to a place called Vamdrup the plan now is to go  from here to Sumburgh 3 hours 45 minutes

Headwind just as before but only  around here about mid way it should change to a Tailwind hopefully anyways just  heading back to the aircraft I’ll put on my immersion suit for the first time on this trip  and we’ll fire up be on the way shortly so good to go

Go ahead L-UZ LY-BUZ is cleared to destination via MITSY flight level 50 for level change and squawk 1406 all right so we  have our IFR clearance initially flight level 50 and via MITSY so I’ll put  in that first point in the box

Leaving the Sandy Shores of Denmark behind  us we enter the vast expanse of the North Sea and once you’re over such a large body  of cold water without a coast in sight in a single engine airplane inevitably you do  start thinking about the possibility of having

An engine failure and then having to ditch the  plane in the water and evacuate with your life raft I run the drills over in my head several  times I couldn’t have asked for better weather during this first big Crossing of water the  visibility is perfect picturesque clouds roll

In the distance and numerous oil rigs dot the blue  and turquoise waters about 1 hour to go doing quite good on the speed five knots faster than planned  actually and let’s see if we can pick up the ATIS L-UZ I have the field in sight request visual L-UZ cleard visual  approach Runway 09

Well here we are Sumburgh weather is very nice it’s  a beautiful place just going to get uh the aircraft all ready for the night grab our  stuff and we’ll head into town all right let’s

Put the dry suit in here there you go you guard  the plane and this is our bag for tonight keep light all right got my passport off to  customs so welcome to Scotland what a day 10 hours of flying battling some pretty  strong headwinds I’m a bit tired to be honest

But yeah I feel good it’s a good kind of tired  flew a lot today and the weather’s really nice here going to catch a bus to Lerwick  find a hotel and wake up nice and early in the morning maybe do some sightseeing  around here there’s a few places to see so

We’re going to do that in the morning and  around noon I think we will depart to Iceland the town of Lerwick about 1 hour bus  ride north of Sumburgh airport is the capital and the main Port of Shetland Islands but for  a capital I think it’s one of the quietest

Ones I often found myself wandering the  streets in complete Solitude so quick tour of Lerwick it’s 11:00 p.m. going to go  back to the hotel room and assess the weather for tomorrow there it is the Grand Hotel Lerwick  stands as a beacon of Scotland’s rugged

Northern Frontier its history rich in sea  fairing traditions Norse influences and a legacy of resilience where Generations  have navigated challenges of Island life forging a unique identity at the  crossroads of Scottish and Scandinavian cultures the morning greeted me with low  clouds and rain the muggy weather was

Expected and although it was supposed to  improve in the afternoon last night after reviewing weather forecasts I already  made a decision to stay another night here since the weather and winds looked  much better for the flight to Iceland

Tomorrow so the plan for today was to go  back to the airport fuel the aircraft get my bike and a few more things and get  a room at a hotel right next to the airport so this is a pretty nice  hotel nice cozy room and going

To take the bike and and we’re  going to go up to the lighthouse and there’s supposed to be a puffin  viewing area there so that should be fun here on the Majestic Cliffs of  Sumburgh head where the North Sea meets the

Atlantic ocean sits the Sumburgh Lighthouse and it’s  accompanying fog horn although now silent it once played a crucial role in Maritime safety before  the Advent of modern navigational technology fog horns were essential in warning ships of  the nearby Coastline during poor visibility

Conditions three large diesel engines powered  the compressors that store the compressed air in large receiver tanks which was then sent to  the fog horn which could be heard up to 20 miles away the site also played a crucial role  in World War Two with its radar facility

That provided early warning for incoming  aircraft as well as surfaced U boats but what is truly incredible about this place  is the wildlife thousands of seabirds make these Cliffs their home during the summer  months with puffins taking the center stage

And the ocean waves crashing against the Rocks  below I could watch the spectacle for hours after getting some dinner I decided to  explore the surrounding area and it did not dissappoint Sumburgh airport is one  of a very few airports where a public road crosses the runway this  makes for an interesting sight

Okay guys so this place doesn’t cease  to amaze me there’s so many beautiful spots within like a mile from the airport  Airport’s right there and I mean look at this beautiful and I’m the only one here pretty awesome what an awesome day so many beautiful  places around here it’s amazing well I’m going

To get back to my room get some rest and we’ll see what tomorrow brings see you guys then