We already wanted to fly to Aarhus end of May 2022 to visit my niece. But as DEEBU was grounded for a long time, I had to look for alternatives. Luckily, DEOWC, a neat 1982 Turbo-Arrow was available for a couple of days in mid-June. As it has been almost 5 years since I last flew DEOWC, and since especially the turbo handling requires some attention, I took two training hours with the owner to get familiar again.
The Turbo Arrow is a bit faster than the Cherokee 235, it is also a bit larger especially in the legroom, which I highly appreciate. However, it has less MTOW, so with three adults on board, one has to plan fuel capacity carefully, especially for a trip that can take up to 4 hours, depending on the wind.
We started early on June 12, as the weather at the destination was expected to get uncomfortable with CBs piling up and gusty winds forecasted at least temporarily:
TAF AMD EKAH 120800Z 1208/1306 24008KT 9999 BKN014
BECMG 1208/1210 SCT025
TEMPO 1210/1217 22015G25KT SHRA SCT025CB
TEMPO 1303/1306 SCT025CB=
Goal was to arrive before 10:00Z. I planned an IFR route and our actual routing was more or less direct on FL90 – FL100 between EDFM and EKAH. The trip was totally relaxed, with some tailwind, good weather and especially good mood among crew and passengers.
After approximately 3 hours and 10 minutes we arrived at our IAF IBEKO for the RNAV 28L approach and the biggest problems was a quite fast and steep descent to reach our FAP at the proper altitude. As forecasted the weather was getting worse and the final approach was quite bumpy.
5 minutes after touch down a descent shower forced us to stay in the plane a littler longer before refuelling.
Airport EKAH
EKAH is a typical European regional airport. In busy times there can be quite some airliner traffic, but most of the time it is quiet and empty. It has a great infrastructure, and especially the coach which takes you to the city of Aarhus in 50 minutes for about 10€ is very convenient. It doesn’t have a fixed schedule but instead leaves and arrives according the airliner schedule. So watch for arrivals ( and departures ) of the big airliners to plan your own departure or arrival.
Prices are very moderate with about 25€ for the landing and three nights parking. Fuel is available, no self-service, but the operator arrives at the fuel station real quickly.
Other than that everything is easy and simple, the staff is very helpful and friendly. It is a little walk from GA parking to the GA Terminal, but really not an issue.
Aarhus
Aarhus itself is definitively worth a visit. It’s a lively city with many students, restaurants, bars and a lot of cultural sightseeing spots. Some fotos I have taken
