Sigonella, Sicilia (Italy)

Up early (0500) to ensure we got an early start. It was a good thing - most of our passengers were late for the bus. Eventually, we departed the Royal Sun Hotel. By the time we got back to the airplane, it was 0700.  I was already annoyed about the two hour transportation issue - it makes flight preparation difficult. Despite such problems, we still took off from Souda Bay Air Station about a half hour early (whew!).  We then flew across Egypt and Saudi Arabia without problems until we got close to Bahraini airspace. At that point, we encountered some confusion about our routing - fortunately, we ultimately made it into Qatari airspace OK. We got held up high for awhile (controller wasting time?) but landed early. Another frustration began as soon as we were on the ground, though - the stops there are very slow because the ground crews are not efficient.  Knowing this in advance allowed us to plan for nearly two hours of sitting. This lessened the annoyance a bit... Finally got everyone aboard but then had some problems with fuel and aircraft gross weight calculations. When we finally got rolling on the runway (at nearly 40 degrees C), I was very glad the runway was long... "Old Nellie" got us airborne safely again and the return flight was pretty easy. Food made by the crew still impressing - they love surprising me!  Another pleasant element of the trip: flying with Bob M. has been great!  I was hesitant to try to do such an aggressive mission with only two pilots but we have done well as a team.  We arrived over Crete in the daylight and even got to fly down the north coast of the island instead of doing the entire approach. After we landed at Souda Bay Air Station, the crew told me that there might be a problem with the aircraft. Luckily, we knew it would be possible to get some repairs done in Sigonella - we swiftly departed Greece and flew to Sicily (it took about an hour and a half).  Even with all the delays and difficulties today, we still arrived about a half hour early (compared to our mission documents)! On the ground, we were met by some old maintenance friends - it was good to see them (especially since we needed repair!). After about an hour, the plane was fixed. Checked into the NAS Sigonella Navy Gateway Inn and made a beeline for Jox Club nearby. Got to hang out with three or four groups of people I know - it was fun to visit with them and I bought a lot of drinks. Finished the night a little late - everyone in very good spirits after a great day!