Before going to bed I took a look on the jobs available in the surrounding airports. Apparently there's some medical equipment waiting to be delivered from Fes to Mostaganem, in Algeria. And they pay well. So I decided that is worthy to wake up early in the morning, trying to do two legs on the same day. Firstly, a short quick one from Sidi Slimane to Fes, followed by a longer and more challenging second leg towards Algeria.
So there I was, at 6:00 am, ready for departure from the military base. Again, no METAR, but the clouds ceiling was high and the winds calm. TAF in Fes looked even more promising, so I accelerated and left by runway 26.
I flew low (at about 2000 ft.) but fast, keeping a cruise ground speed of 200 kt. I headed to the south, till reaching El Kansera dam, a water reservoir used to irrigate the surrounding areas. The light was dim, but it was not difficult to spot such a mass of water. In any case, I tuned FES VORs and headed towards the east.
One of the advantages of flying under low light is that roads blink a lot, so I quickly spotted the highway A2, leading first to Meknes and then to Fes. I didn't know anything about Meknes. Apparently is one of the four Imperial cities in Morocco (together with Fes, Marraketch and Rabat) and the sixth of the country in population. I was impressed by the large walls and the architecture, similar to what can be found in some cities at the south of Spain.
Following the A2 and the VOR I reached Fes airport (GMFF). I couldn't see any of Fes from this approach, but the surroundings were quite nice.
Runway 09 clear for landing. One of the smoothest landings I've ever done, despite approaching a bit low on altitude.
Finally, taxi to a hangar, next to an old Austrian Arrow, where the staff will load 90 kg of medical equipment inside the rear of my Baron. I just have a bit of time to revise the charts and get ready for a long trip towards Algeria.
Technical details:
GMSL - GMFF
EL-GANZRA MEKNES
Distance: 60 nm
Average GS: 200 kt
Average alt.: 2000 ft.
METAR:
N/A on departure
GMFF 151730Z 05005KT 9999 BKN033 21/11 Q1016 NOSIG
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