AeroTexas Aviation International

 

NORTH ATLANTIC TOUR

The North Atlantic Tour visits 11 countries on a 6784 nautical mile journey across the North Atlantic Ocean. This 14-leg tour starts in Presque Isle, Maine and crosses the Atlantic via Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. You then traverse the United Kingdom with stops in Stornoway, Belfast and London. Turning Southward you will visit France, Spain and Portugal before heading back across the Atlantic via the Azores, where you will begin the longest leg of the tour - 1326 nautical miles from Lajes to Gander.

Leg 1 - Presque Isle (KPQI) to Goose Bay (CYYR) 494 NM
Your journey starts only a stone's throw from the Canadian border at Northern Maine Regional Airport at Presque Isle. Your destination is Goose Bay Airport, which is operated as an air force base by Canadian Forces Air Command, and is the site of NATO tactical flight training in Canada. Fortunately it is also used by civilian aircraft, with civilian operations at the base referring to the facility as Goose Bay Airport.

Leg 2 - Goose Bay (CYYR) to Narsarsuaq (BGBW) 674 NM
On the second leg of your journey you will depart the Newfoundland and Labrador coast and make your first flight over open water - the icy Labrador Sea. Life jackets and roofed dinghies for all onboard is recommended. Probably the best route would be direct via GPS, but a rhumbline heading of 070 will get you there if you can account for winds. Tune NQ VOR (111.85) for final bearings. Narsarsuaq is a small community with a population of 200. Most everyone in Narsarsuaq works at the airport, which is an independent facility with its own power station, harbor and workshops. In the surrounding inlets a few hundred people make their existence, mainly as sheep-farmers and fishermen. Narsarsuaq Airport in Greenland has one runway, RWY 07/25, which is concrete and 6000 feet long.

Leg 3 - Narsarsuaq (BGBW) to Reykjavik (BIRK) 667 NM
Departing to the East you will cross the Denmark Strait on your way to Reykjavik in Iceland. Like leg 2, this flight is almost all of it over deep, blue, icy water - the Northern North Atlantic! The magnetic rhumbline heading is 096, but the shorter option is to use the GPS and fly a great circle route (though the difference is negligible for this distance unless fuel is an issue). Approaching the Western coast of Iceland tune 112.0 for the Keflavik VOR. Reykjavik Airport is the main hub of Air Iceland and Eagle Air. Of the three runways, currently only two are active all year round, the smallest runway, 06/24, is usually only used in the winter. Takeoffs from 24 are allowed, landings on 24 and 06 are allowed, but takeoffs from 06 are forbidden because of safety and noise. Runway 19 has ILS CAT I/NBD-DME approach and runway 13 has LLZ-DME/NDB-DME approach.

Leg 4 - Reykjavik (BIRK) to Vagar (EKVG) 416 NM
Located about halfway between Iceland and Scotland are the Faroe Islands, consisting of 18 major islands some 400 miles from the coast of Northern Europe, between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. The islands are rugged and rocky with some low peaks and the coasts are mostly cliffs. Your destination is Vagar Airport, one of the deadliest and most dangerous airports in the world and the only airport in the Faroe Islands. Flying at the islands is difficult because of the weather conditions, the mountainous terrain, and the small airport. To get there fly east across the southern part of Iceland to the ING VOR (112.4), which will put you almost halfway, then turn toward Vagar for the last 275 nautical miles or so. For the initial approach tune MY NDB on 337 KHz. Vagar has a LLZ/DME approach for each runway with LLZ course and runway centre line offset by 2° (rwy 31) and 14° (rwy 13). Torshavn, the capital, and only town boasting any kind of hotel is 75 km away, and on a separate island.

Leg 5 - Vagar (EKVG) to Stornoway (EGPO) 233 NM
On this leg you turn south toward the Outer Hebrides and fly across the North Atlantic to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. The rhumbline heading of 179 magnetic should get you easily within range of the STN VOR (tune 115.1). Previously home to the RAF Stornoway, the airport is the base of HM Coastguard Search & Rescue, which uses the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter. The approach to the airport is over the VOR at 3000 feet, then fly outbound on R321 and descend to 2000 feet. 14 miles outbound turn right to intercept the R338 inbound (heading 158) to intercept the approach. Runways 18/36 at 7217 feet long have an ILS (tune 110.9).

Leg 6 - Stornoway (EGPO) to Belfast (EGAC) 216 NM
Departing the Isle of Lewis fly heading 198 for 106 nautical miles, skirting the eastern edge of the Hebrides to TIR VOR (117.7), then fly heading 151 for 76 nautical miles to MAC VOR (116.0). The last bit, over the North Channel, is on a heading of 208 to BEL VOR (117.2) for only 50 nautical miles. Belfast City Airport is on the northeast side of town on the south end of Belfast Lough. The runway length for RWY 04/22 is 5852 feet.

Leg 7 - Belfast (EGAC) to London City Airport (EGLC) 327 NM
Your next stop is the busy and bustling metropolis of London. Civilization at last! But first there are a few lonely miles across the Irish Sea, over the Isle of Man, and then it's Liverpool and the mainland. The first bit to the Isle of Man is on a heading of about 130 from the Belfast VOR. Tune Isle of Man IOM VOR on 112.2, which is on the southwest tip of the island. Leaving Isle of Man fly heading 137 to SWB VOR (116.8), which is just north of Shrewsbury, then tune London's LAM VOR on 115.6 and fly heading 125. You'll have a blast landing at London City Airport. Time for some chips!

Leg 8 - London City Airport (EGLC) to Brest, France (LFRB) 252 NM
You leave London flying southwest across the English Channel, over the Guernsey islands, and then not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula lies the pretty little port town of Brest. Brest Bretagne Airport has a 10,171 foot runway (8R/26L), and positions you for a trip into Spain and Portugal before turning west across the cold Atlantic Ocean.

Leg 9 - Brest, France (LFRB) to San Sebastien (LESO) 252 NM
You could make this flight to this Spanish city in the north of the Basque Country a couple of different ways. The most direct route is...well, direct using GPS. Another option is to fly along the western coast of France, and do some touring along the way - stopping perhaps at Nantes and then in Bordeaux for a day or two. Either way, you'll look forward to your flight to San Sebastián's picturesque coastline, with its hilly surroundings on the southern coast of the Bay of Biscay. San Sebastien is on the border of France and Spain, and the airport runway stretches right along the Bidasoa river that separates these two countries.

Leg 10 - San Sebastien (LESO) to Lisbon (LPPT) 431 NM
Stretching across northwest central Spain and into the heart of Portugal, this flight is one of the few that does not cross any water. Portugal shares the Iberian Peninsula with Spain, although it is only about one-sixth as large. Portugal is bounded on the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and on the north and east by Spain. The Portuguese coast has some very nice beaches and you must fly over the Algarve, which is world famous. The capital of Portugal is Lisbon, and the airport is just 3 miles or so north of the Castle of São Jorge. The airport has two main runways, capable of accommodating large-size aircraft such as the Boeing 747, including runway 3/21 which is 12,484 feet long! Enjoy your stay in Lisbon, because your next flight brings you back to the vast srtetches of the Atlantic, but with a stop on the beautiful Portugese island of the Azores.

Leg 11 - Lisbon (LPPT) to Santa Maria (LPAZ) 766 NM
You depart the coast of Portugal with Azores as your destination. A relatively longish flight and all over open water, you can fly direct via GPS or use a magnetic-corrected rhumbline heading of 268 (don't forget to correct for winds aloft though). Santa Maria Island is located in the eastern group of the Azores archipelago and is known for its white sand beaches, unusual chimney formations, and dry warm weather. Built by US troops in order to maintain supply lines to Europe, Santa Maria Airport has the longest runway of the entire archipelago, the 10,000 foot long runway 18/36. One of the delicacies here is the turnip soup - yum! Be wary of Mount Pico Alto, which has claimed the lives of aviators.

Leg 12 - Santa Maria (LPAZ) to Lajes (LPLA) 141 NM
This short flight traverses the entire length of the Azores from east to west. Officially designated Air Base No. 4, Lajes Airport is home to the Portuguese Air Force and to a United States Air Force detachment. It is located on Terceira Island. Lajes Airport served as one of two main stopover and refueling bases for the first transatlantic crossing of blimps! It is anticipated that the airport will continue to play a vital role in rescue support of shipping lanes across the atlantic, and as a safe haven for medical or mechanical emergency situations occurring in aircraft crossing the atlantic.

Leg 13 - Lajes (LPLA) to Gander (CYQX) 1326 NM
This is the longest leg of this international tour. The flight from Lajes to Gander nearly completes your tour of the North Atlantic, and returns you to the saftey and comfort of North America. Gander International Airport is located at the epicenter of the Great Circle Route between Europe and the Americas and it is ideally positioned as a transatlantic transhipment center and technical stop. The prevailing winds are westerly in direction and averages 11 knots, and the . incidence of fog is considerably less than in many coastal locations, so you should have good access to a welcome landing!

Leg 14 - Gander (CYQX) to Presque Isle (KPQI) 559 NM
Your final flight completes the series with a return to Northern Maine Regional Airport at Presque Isle. Your last overwater legs venture across the Cabot Strait and the Gulf of Lawrence, before turning home to the United States. Congratulations, you have completed the North Atlantic Tour!