Today it will be a long day, today i will fly over the Italy from Switzerland to Malta with my bird for a trip of more than 800 NM.
FLIGHTPLAN - IFR FP3627/FPAMR OE-FBD LSGS-LMML Sion (Sion/Switzerland) to Malta (Luqa/Malta) ------------------------------------------------------------------- DEP: LSGS ALT: FL210 STOP AT : LIRA to REFUEL and Oxygen ARR: LMML F/P DIST: 828 NM PAX: 1 CARGO: 101 ZFW: 3718 TOW: 4422 ALTN: LICJ / LICD ETE: 05:45 TIME 30/08/2018 07:30z --> 13:25 ------------------------------------------------------------------- FUEL CORR ENDUR CRUISE 483 ........ 04:05 TRIP 522 ........ 05:48 EXTRA 102 ........ 01:00 FINAL RESV 176 ........ --:-- RELEASE 665 ........ --:-- ------------------------------------------------------------------- ATC ROUTE: SID: (ROCCA.2U) MOBLO UM135 LURAG T293 LOGDI Y663 EKDIR DCT LOMED L995 AMTEL Y510 GITOD Y106 TIBER DCT PEMAR M726 LAT Q58 SOR M742 PAL L12 GZO STAR: () ------------------------------------------------------------------- WEATHER BRIEFING ------------------------------------------------------------------- LSGS 300620Z VRB01KT 9999 SCT030 BKN080 17/14 Q1020 LMML 300615Z 34005KT CAVOK 24/19 Q1016 NOSIG LICJ 300550Z 01003KT 340V020 9999 FEW030 24/20 Q1016 LICD 300550Z 31002KT 9999 FEW020 24/20 Q1016 ------------------------------------------------------------------- ALL WEIGHTS IN POUNDS (LB) ------------------------------------------------------------------- ROUTE SELECTED -------------------------------------------------------------------
So now direction the sun and Malta ! But a long day will come before to relax and take some sunbath. I arrive early to the airport, the weather is cloudy and while i m preparing my flight and keep last weather information the local weather on departure getting worst with a fog out of the runway.
I am checking a last time my checklist of long trip preparation :
GA long haul checklist preparation 
I leave Sion airport in following the SID ROCCA.2U to pass near to MOBLO fix and following the UM135 airway.
Passing LODGI fix, i am almost at 50% of my 1st part of trip, Oxygen level is correct 73%, i should arrive on Roma with a reserve around 40%. For fuel i have 60% of my main tank, without count my security in auxilliaries. All fine.
No luck with the controlers.
Passing AMTEL it’s time to have a look on my fuelstop approach on LIRA (Roma). The weather forecast when i take off from LSGS on LIRA was the following :
METAR : 2018/08/30 08:50 LIRA 300850Z 22004KT 150V270 CAVOK 26/17 Q1016 TAF : 2018/08/30 06:22 LIRA 300500Z 3006/3106 VRB06KT CAVOK
I would have a STAR over GITOD.1F descending at FL150 to decrease my oxygen consumption and passing GITOD initiate my descent to FL100 according to the STAR over TIBER. After that i will engage on the ILS X RWY 15 the wind is from 190°
But the reality on terrain is a bit different, the weather is heavy but indeed the visibility is correct under the 4500 ft and i am continuing my landing on the ILS 15 , on my left i see the NDB URB place.
Leaving the clouds, on the final rwy 15 the weather is much better, offering a nice view.
After this morning, it’s time to relax our bodies a little, and quickly eat something to the MacDonald’s while airport crew are refueling and replacing the oxygen bottles (53% used during the first part of this trip). That would not take so long …
I made a departure on SID PEMAR.5Z rwy 15. On my left the Albano Lake . I leave the SID at RA502 fix to join back my leg to LAT via the airway M726.
Leaving italy for Mediterraenean sea now, direction Sicilia ! FL210, engines verified , experience to fly with one engine only, all should be good to fly over Palermo !
It’s time to prepare my descent to Malta, there is no STAR available for Malta but i see that the approach is situated at 3000ft, so a quick calculation give me a TOD around 50 NM before the VOR GZO, so if i take as reference the VOR COM (113.45) near to Ragusa in Italy with a QDR of 74° that would give me my TOD with a rate of 1000 fpm.
After passed the VOR GZO i turn on rigth to be able to enter by VEMOL/VEDIK. The couds floor is at around 3500ft.
Finally Malta in final 05 ! … but i was expecting a better weather and sun 🙁 I will land and lets my aircraft run peacefull to the end of runway as the General Aviation parking is on left at the end.
While i am talking to the ground crew i see that my taxi is arrived, such a good timing as i arrived with 2 min in advance !
