We will be running occasional posts in a guest series entitled "Aircraft of our Lives," featuring the favorite aircraft of pilots from around the globe. Today, Etienne M. shares his about his favorite aircraft. Etienne is an Air Traffic Controller ARR/DEP in Geneva (LSGG), Private Pilot, and fan of the New England Patriots. Enjoy today's flight on the AS-202 Bravo.
The sun was shining on this cold December morning as I was filing my VFR flight plan from Sion (LSGS) to Lugano (LSZA). It was 2009, and I was enjoying a full month of flying in Sion as part of my training to become an Air Traffic Controller in Geneva. Skyguide, my employer, believes it is a good thing for its trainees to learn the basics of flying, and I couldn't agree more!
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| AS-202 Bravo |
We had two AS-202 Bravos at our disposal, HB-HFH and HB-HFK. The Bravo - no connection to the Mooney M20 whatsoever - was designed and manufactured by Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) in eastern Switzerland as a trainer/aerobatics aircraft from 1969 until the early 90s. About 220 have been built, and most are still in use in flight schools. The Bravo offers two seats side by side in front, and an optional third seat in the back. Its fixed landing gear allows her to withstand some quite hard landings by the student pilots, but she is quite easy to handle, making such happenings a rarity. The Bravo behaves differently from the Cessna 172 I had flown in some previous flying experiences, so some adaptation time was required. She is equipped with a stick, and there is a throttle conveniently located on the left side of the cabin. This design proves to be very useful in the aerodrome circuit, as the pilot can fly "Hands on Throttle and Stick" very comfortably. The low-wing offers very good maneuverability while maintaining a good level of stability. The huge bubble canopy provides a great view of the surroundings, even to the rear. It really is a fun airplane to fly for training and sightseeing.
Sion airport is a wonderful place. It handles lots of GA, a growing number of business jets and a few airline flights during the winter. On top of that, it is a military base used by Swiss Air Force Tigers, Hornets and Cougars. The beautiful landscape - surrounding mountains over 10000ft high - makes it an aviation enthusiast's dream!
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| Bravo in-flight |
This will be the first time I cross the Alps to go to the south, and I'm excited. Sion Ground clears us to hold short of Runway 25, intersection Bravo. After the run-up, we contact Sion Tower, and we are cleared for take-off. Power set, I release the brakes and the propeller drives us through the cold air: we are airborne! We climb on downwind before exiting the CTR to the east of the valley. The winter has painted the whole landscape in white, and no clouds are in sight. We keep climbing to 12500ft in order to tour the Matterhorn at a reasonable altitude. Since we are pretty heavy, the rate of climb is quite modest, and the Bravo is letting us know that we're not going to get much higher than that! The mountain appears to us in all its majesty. Its shape and surroundings are breathtaking, and it deserves to be known among the most beautiful things on this planet. It is with much respect that we wander around it for a while, before setting course to the Simplon Pass.
The Simplon Pass appears under our wings as turbulences start to make themselves felt. The Bravo is shaken quite a bit, but she keeps us bravely high above the ground. You're never too cautious when overflying a pass, as downdroughts can be pretty strong. There is a building down there, managed by Canons. You can find shelter there if you're into alpine skiing or just to find some peace away from the city. On the other side, there is Italy. I initiate the descent into the valley, and the Bravo takes advantage of gravity to accelerate a little. She definitely is not a Mooney by any means, but she's my beloved airplane, and right now, it is the most beautiful in the world. The huge canopy gives me a wonderful sight of the surroundings, and down the valley I can already see Verbania, a jewel of a city right next to the Lago Maggiore, or Great Lake, in Southern Switzerland. In this part, the spoken language is Italian, as opposed to French in the West, and German in the North. This may seem weird to many, but the Swiss take great pride in being able to make such diverse cultures and languages work together.
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| Matterhorn, The Alps, Switzerland |
A few minutes later, we prepare to enter Lugano CTR via point W. Lugano is a small regional airport not far from the Italian border, where you can see mostly Saab 2000s and other turboprop aircraft. The approach for Runway 19, which is in use today, is quite tricky due to the height of the circuit. The Aerodrome Reference Point is at 915ft, and the circuit for aircraft up to 3000kg MTOW is at 2600ft. There is a high hill just below on the right on downwind, so we must maintain this altitude strictly. During the base turn and final, over 1600ft must be lost before touchdown. It is very important to be well configured and at the right speed, or else a go-around is a certainty. Luckily for me, my instructor has briefed me well, and keeps insisting on these points during the approach, so I'm able to land the Bravo softly, still a bit further than the desired touchdown point...
Sadly, we don't have much time to enjoy the Lugano sun, we've got to fly back to LSGS. We head swiftly to the "Bureau C" to pay the landing fees (yes, they are expensive in Switzerland) and back to the plane we go! No need for refueling, as we took enough Avgas in Sion for the return trip. This leg will take us north to overfly Lodrino, Ambri and the Nufenen Pass, then the Aletsch Glacier before landing in Sion. This time, the wind will be blowing against us, so the Bravo will need to work even harder.
I apply full throttle when cleared for takeoff, and as we leave Runway 19 the Lago di Lugano appears under our wings. In case of engine failure, we don't have many options other than attempting a "Sullenberger". Luckily for us, we won't be practicing this impressive feat today. The engine roars to perfection, and as soon as we can we turn left to the North to exit the CTR in the direction of Mt Ceneri. Just like during the first leg, we won't be entering any controlled airspace. The terrain is high, and airspace Charlie only starts at FL150 in this area. No need to contact the flight information service either, because the radio waves would have difficulties to meet us anyway. So it is in airspaces Golf and Echo that we wander around, climbing with difficulty up to 13500ft at some point. The navigation is made quite easy, as we are following a valley north-eastbound. The only tricky part is to identify the right pass at the end of the valley, because a mistake would be costly then. If we take a wrong path, the Alps are wide, and there aren't many adequate terrains to make a precautionary landing, or worse, an emergency one.
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| Aletsch Glacier |
With the Nufenen Pass in sight, I set course to the Aletsch Glacier. A few nautical miles later, it appears to my enchanted eyes. It is so magnificent, so peaceful and yet mighty and dangerous... Parts of it look very flat, others more bumpy. It is so huge! This is something a pilot must see once, although with proper altitude clearance.
After a few minutes of enchantment, it is time to head back to Sion. The descent is pretty steep, and entry point Echo 1 gets there sooner than I expected. The speed went way up during descent, and things are starting to pile up in my student pilot's little head. Flying, checking, briefing, communicating... Echo 2 is there, and the nice ATCO clears us for a straight-in approach. The long runway appears reassuring, and I calm down. On the right, the beautiful castles of Valรจre and Tourbillon, up on the hill, watch me bring the Bravo softly back to earth on Runway 25, exhausted but so happy. This was an incredible morning, and the things I saw I will remember for a long time. I can't wait to go back up there!
Have you ever piloted or flown in an AS-202 Bravo? Or, have you flown over the Swiss Alps? Share your stories and photos with us about this beautiful country and landscape!
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