Well, our streak of great weather finally ran out today. We awoke this morning to cloudy skies, gusty winds, and cooler temperatures. I called Canadian Flight Service and learned that a cold front is moving into the region today. The bad news was reduced visibility and low clouds all along our route. The good news, it was a thin layer and we should be able to climb on top quickly with very little chance of icing. The current conditions at St. Pierre were 800 feet broken with 10 mile visibility. Not the best, but certainly doable with the ILS approach.
At 10am, our van picked us up and took us to the airport. We loaded the bags, bought fuel, and taxied out for departure within 5 minutes of our proposed time off –we’re getting pretty good at this! We took off and almost immediately climbed into the clouds. Around 3,000 feet we emerged from the clouds into bright sunshine and clear skies above.
We took off a few minutes behind schedule, but we were enjoying a 25 kt tailwind. Our flight time was just under 2 hours, which would put us in St. Pierre at 1pm. I used the sat phone to give them our revised ETA and then settled in for the short flight. When we flew over Sydney, Canada I double checked all the engine gauges to make sure all was well –our next 160 miles would be over frigid water!
As we approached St. Pierre, the weather began to deteriorate. First they told us 600 feet & 10 km vis, then it was 300 feet and 5 km vis. We were cleared for the approach and I asked Michele to come sit up front and give me an extra pair of eyes. As we started down the glideslope, I kept my eyes on the instruments and Michele searched out the windshield for the runway. 500 feet, 400 feet, 300 feet…still nothing. I would have to execute a missed approach if we didn’t see it soon. Finally Michele said she had the runway in sight and I brought it in for landing.
BRRR! It was cold, windy, and misting rain when I jumped out of the plane. The tower controller had instructed me to park on the West ramp. We began unloading the bags while I secured the plane. After a few moments, a police car arrived and seemed irritated that we had not yet made our way into customs. Despite the language barrier (they speak French here in St. Pierre), Michele made them understand that we have a lot of bags and we could use a lift. A few minutes later, another vehicle arrived to take our bags.
Customs & Immigration went smoothly and soon we met our guide John Claude at the curb outside the airport. He gave us a lift to the Hotel Robert, which is not quite up to par with the accommodations to which we have become accustomed. It’s more like an aging motel. I shouldn’t complain because it has a nice hot shower and the beds seems clean. Let’s just say I’m glad it’s only 2 nights!
We dropped our bags and then jumped back into the van for an afternoon tour. John Claude said the weather is forecast to be worse tomorrow, so he recommended we visit another nearby island today. Soon, we were all wearing lifejackets and speeding across the harbor in a Zodiac RIB boat! I’m glad we brought our heavy coats, because it’s was COLD out there!
It was a short ride to the island where we met the curator of the island’s historic museum. Many years ago, this was a fishing village with 600 year round residents. Now, there are only a handful and they only live there during the summer. The museum had many interesting antiques and artifacts and we enjoyed the private tour –especially Roland. The kids had fun playing outside and we were happy to let them burn off energy.
After a couple hours, we got back in the boat and headed back to town. We had a little while to freshen up in the rooms and then we went out for dinner. Like their brethren in Europe, the people of St. Pierre eat late. We had the whole restaurant to ourselves at 7:30pm, but it began to get busy after 8. We enjoyed a nice meal with our guide and then came back to the room.
Tomorrow, the weather is supposed to be pretty bad, so we have plans to visit a couple museums and shops.
At 10am, our van picked us up and took us to the airport. We loaded the bags, bought fuel, and taxied out for departure within 5 minutes of our proposed time off –we’re getting pretty good at this! We took off and almost immediately climbed into the clouds. Around 3,000 feet we emerged from the clouds into bright sunshine and clear skies above.
We took off a few minutes behind schedule, but we were enjoying a 25 kt tailwind. Our flight time was just under 2 hours, which would put us in St. Pierre at 1pm. I used the sat phone to give them our revised ETA and then settled in for the short flight. When we flew over Sydney, Canada I double checked all the engine gauges to make sure all was well –our next 160 miles would be over frigid water!
As we approached St. Pierre, the weather began to deteriorate. First they told us 600 feet & 10 km vis, then it was 300 feet and 5 km vis. We were cleared for the approach and I asked Michele to come sit up front and give me an extra pair of eyes. As we started down the glideslope, I kept my eyes on the instruments and Michele searched out the windshield for the runway. 500 feet, 400 feet, 300 feet…still nothing. I would have to execute a missed approach if we didn’t see it soon. Finally Michele said she had the runway in sight and I brought it in for landing.
BRRR! It was cold, windy, and misting rain when I jumped out of the plane. The tower controller had instructed me to park on the West ramp. We began unloading the bags while I secured the plane. After a few moments, a police car arrived and seemed irritated that we had not yet made our way into customs. Despite the language barrier (they speak French here in St. Pierre), Michele made them understand that we have a lot of bags and we could use a lift. A few minutes later, another vehicle arrived to take our bags.
Customs & Immigration went smoothly and soon we met our guide John Claude at the curb outside the airport. He gave us a lift to the Hotel Robert, which is not quite up to par with the accommodations to which we have become accustomed. It’s more like an aging motel. I shouldn’t complain because it has a nice hot shower and the beds seems clean. Let’s just say I’m glad it’s only 2 nights!
We dropped our bags and then jumped back into the van for an afternoon tour. John Claude said the weather is forecast to be worse tomorrow, so he recommended we visit another nearby island today. Soon, we were all wearing lifejackets and speeding across the harbor in a Zodiac RIB boat! I’m glad we brought our heavy coats, because it’s was COLD out there!
It was a short ride to the island where we met the curator of the island’s historic museum. Many years ago, this was a fishing village with 600 year round residents. Now, there are only a handful and they only live there during the summer. The museum had many interesting antiques and artifacts and we enjoyed the private tour –especially Roland. The kids had fun playing outside and we were happy to let them burn off energy.
After a couple hours, we got back in the boat and headed back to town. We had a little while to freshen up in the rooms and then we went out for dinner. Like their brethren in Europe, the people of St. Pierre eat late. We had the whole restaurant to ourselves at 7:30pm, but it began to get busy after 8. We enjoyed a nice meal with our guide and then came back to the room.
Tomorrow, the weather is supposed to be pretty bad, so we have plans to visit a couple museums and shops.
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