World Tour Leg 36 - Nepaljung to Jomsom

There we go. First leg at the Himalaya. No jobs. I plan to fly alone towards Jomsom, a remote village located at 9,000 ft, with a stunning approach between the Dhaulagiri and the Annapurna.

Taking off was easy, after finally having clear skies. Soon after following few rivers and more fields, hills and small mountains show up, nice prologue to what I will have in front of me in few minutes.

And finally, the Himalaya. Stunning landscape, with peaks overpassing 20,000 ft height. Spotting the valley between the Dhaulagiri and the Annapurna is fairly easy.

 

At this point, I begin to be very careful with the Baron, since a mistake can be fatal. Without hesitation I enter the valley leading to Jomsom, in tension due to both the landscape and the difficulty of landing at that altitude. Luckily, I spot the airport easily and, after carefully planning the approach, I land in this remote village.

 

Next leg I have planned is kind of crazy, but I wanted to do it for a long time. Let's hope everything works fine.

Technical details:

VNNG - VNJS

08 DNG DARBANG BENI MARPHA 24

Distance: 125 nm

Average GS: 170 kt

Average alt.: FL175 ft

METAR:

 

N/A

N/A

 

 

World Tour Leg 35 - Jaipur to Nepalgunj

The weather is not great, but I decide to take off anyway by using VOR navigation, since the clouds are supposed to disappear after very few miles. I'm quite excited not only for approeaching Himalaya, but also because I plan to fly over Agra, where the Taj Mahal is. Let's hope we can spot it.

Taking off was challenging but soon there were clear skies. Visual navigation is India is hard, due to the lack of noticeable features, so VOR assistance was crucial to cross this country.

 

Finally, over Agra, we are able to see the Taj Mahal, the stunning marble mausoleum dating from 1653.

And we finally arrive to Nepal! Landing on fog, of course.

 

The following legs will be planned purely based on landscape, not caring at all about jobs. My idea is to cross the Himalaya and spot the most iconic peaks. It will be tough, due to weather, altitudes and lack of emergency landing spots, but we came for that.

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Technical details:

VIJP - VNNG

270 AGG JAL 08

Distance: 330 nm

Average GS: 200 kt

Average alt.: 9500 ft

METAR:

 

VIJP 221500Z 20006KT 3000 TS SCT030 FEW035CB 33/21 Q1001 NOSIG

N/A

 

 

 

World Tour Leg 34 - Karachi to Jaipur

Once arrived to Karachi, I don't find any passenger or cargo to be taken towards the Himalaya, but I hear that some work is available from Jaipur to Nepal, so I don't doubt a second and decide to fly towards Jaipur. The weather was not expected to be good in a while, so I decided to make a full IFR long flight. It is actually the longest leg I have flown until now, covering 560 nm. The previous longest one was from Misrata to El Beida (500 nm), in VFR. Let's see how the Baron behaves now.

 

There is not much to say about this trip, besides the fact that we crossed the border towards India, finding a combination of stunning desert formations in Pakistan and huge green fields in India. Many mouths to feed.

 

The Baron did a great job, technically a great flight, without any incidence. And finally I meet the passengers that I will take to Nepal. Things might get more interesting from now on.

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Technical details:

OPKC - VIJP

25L PUNA3A PUNAM R462 (DCT) UUD A347 UKBAB W124 JJP ILS-Z 27

Distance: 560 nm

Average GS: 190 kt

Average alt.: FL130

METAR:

 

OPKC 211300Z 24010KT 6000 BKN020 34/23 Q0998 NOSIG

 

VIJP 211530Z 18007KT 2000 HZ SCT030 FEW035CB BKN100 29/22 Q1001 NOSIG