Terceira, Azores (Portugal)

Woke up to heavy mist and rain - it seemed like a good day to leave England... Our crew checked out of the Gateway (Air Force) Inn early and we left Mildenhall Air Base on time.  Overall, it wasn't a bad start to the day - we got lots of help from the London controllers (I guess they didn't want us on their airways) as we flew towards the Azores.  At one point, we had fuel concerns - fortunately, everything worked out. Best part of the first leg was seeing the green coasts of Terceira. Flew in on a visual approach (rare) and had very little wind (even more rare). Great turn around on the ground - some problems with flight plan, but quickly fixed. Weather said to be OK in Canada, so left for Gander again. About 3/4 of the way there, we started to hear that the weather was not good at all - right at minimums. Sweated our way to about 100 miles and still heard no good news. Thunderstorms in St. John's kept me on track for Gander - and we broke out of the clouds around 400 feet. Believe me, we were happy to have even that ceiling (not much fuel for a "fun" divert)! Another great turn here - the place is slowly growing on me... Trip down to Hampton Roads was pretty easy - except for a huge thunderstorm in the first 30 minutes. We dodged it OK and then had nice views of Cape Breton, Cape Cod & the Islands, Long Island, Sandy Hook (NJ), Cape May and DELMARVA. Could see downtown Norfolk from 50 miles! Had to wait for a crew to drive over to take the aircraft from us (we reached our crew time limit) - that took a few hours. Finally got to my car around 1830L (2330 in London). Very tired... Glad to have this trip opportunity - definitely one to remember!

London, England (United Kingdom)

Unbelievable day! Started in the wee hours (continuing flight from 31 MAY). On the NAT, we saw lots of other east-bound aircraft - nearly flying in formation - throughout the night. Some stayed close all the way, but others blew us away with their speed while we conserved fuel... Saw fringes of light on the northern horizon all night and then a brilliant orange crescent of moon around 0500L. Didn't feel tired until the sun came up and shone in our faces for the last two hours. Weather was beautiful on the western Irish coast - could see Galway Bay, Arran Isles and other terrain features that are usually obscured. Weather degraded, though, until we landed in Mildenhall Air Base around 0730L. Glad we made it in - it would have really sucked to have to fly for much longer. Took a nap for about three hours after getting checked into the Gateway (Air Force) Inn. Met the rest of the guys around 1300 so we could try to get to London. When we left, I really didn't think it would work out. However, the directions from the friendly locals were great: a nearly 30 pound taxi to the Ely train station (saw the pretty cathedral on the way); a 14 pound round-trip train & Underground pass (best deal when we bought four tickets); a one hour and 15 minute train ride to King's Cross/St. Pancras; and a "Tube" ride to Tower Gateway station ("Mind the Gap!"). We were in the city, walking near the Tower of London, in less than two hours! Very misty. We walked for a bit in the financial district (all closed) and found a nice pub that served all the local beers and had fish & chips. After awhile, we walked around the Tower and enjoyed the Thames views of the Tower Bridge. Most of the attractions were closing by this point, but it was nice to walk. Later, we took the Tube again to Westminster. Came out on the "Houses of Parliament" tunnel and got a view of Big Ben from about 30 feet from the base! Really spectangular angle! Could see the London Eye, but thought better of using our precious time to visit it. Instead, walked around Westminster Abbey (closed for church services) and then down to where we could see 10 Downing Street. Continued over to Trafalgar Square. At this point, I found a map on the ground and we learned that we were near the St. James Park and Buckingham Palace. Enjoyed a stroll with much improved weather (sun was actually poking out of the clouds by this point) down "the Mall" (parade route for the Royals). Reached Buckingham and Victoria monument around 2000. Enjoyed a little more of the parks nearby before heading up to Piccadilly for some quick shopping. Finally went over to Green Park Tube station - only to discover they were working on the trains. Luckily, another train went back to King's Cross/St. Pancras. Our train left about an hour later - had a good sandwich in the station. Train ride back to Ely was long - and I was exhausted by this point... Fortunately, cab was waiting at the station and we had a quick ride home. Driver told us about the local area (good story about the "island of eels"). Bed around 2300. Whew!!!!!

Sola/Stavanger (Norway)

Flew (with Charlie W.) from Sicily to Mildenhall Air Base today - what great weather and pretty countryside! It looked like a pleasant place to stay, but we didn't have time.  During our arrival and departure, we could see from the Irish coast (near Belfast) all the way down to Cornwall. The Isle of Man was easy to spot and we had aerial views of Manchester, Liverpool and London.  Luckily, we had maps with us to find Big Ben!  After our turnaround, we departed to the northeast with our passengers.  The flight from England to Norway was interesting [join up by RAF ?] and, once again, we were blessed with great weather for the scenery.  Our destination was Sola/Stavanger, a city in Norway.  Sadly, we weren't on the ground long, but it was a nice day to see the area from the air. We saw lots of inlets (fjords?) and lakes with low hills - there were also some pretty mountains visible to the east. The weather was pleasant and I kept thinking that the area would make a great vacation spot.  [Uneventful flight back to Sicily (route uncertain).  Spent the night in the NAS Sigonella Bachelor Housing.]

Shannon (Ireland)

After a nice morning at the Headland Hotel (Newquay), we flew from St. Mawgen to Shannon (Ireland) for fuel.  The flight from Dublin to Newfoundland was uneventful - it was very cold in St. Johns! After getting fuel, we took off for Norfolk and arrived in the late afternoon. Paperwork took a little while, but home before dinner. I made it just in time for the kids' spring break, so we'll leave for a trip tomorrow...

Newquay, England (United Kingdom)

Our Detachment ended today!  When I was returning the rental car to the Europcar counter (0920), another member of the Detachment staff told me he'd gotten a ticket in Taormina.  Since the violation occurred while I was in the Middle East, I wasn't too worried about the situation.  Also, he gave me cash to pay the fine to the rental car company.  Still, this "shared" vehicle scenario was bound to lead to some kind of issue eventually...  After resolving the issue, I headed to the flight line.  Once all our Det equipment and personnel were packed up in our mighty C-9B, we departed Sigonella for home.  Unlike our usual, Rota/Lajes/Newfoundland (or Shannon route), this was a very special and unexpected overnight RTB - we were able to stop in Newquay (Cornwall) for about 24 hours! We stayed in the Headland Hotel - an old place on the scenic Cornish coast. It is amazing to see the names on the map around here - they are the same ones from New England that I was used to as a kid. I guess people wanted something to remind them of where they came from... In the afternoon, I requested a traditional Cornish tea (scones and tea with Cornish milk) during Tea Time at the Sand Bar (hotel pub). It was a nice touch!  My room, which was quite small, still seemed comfortable as I drifted off to sleep...

Keflavik (Iceland)

Checked out of my room at the NAS Sigonella Bachelor Housing early and met the crew on the flight line.  We soon departed Sicily - bound for home!! Stopped in England for fuel (Mildenhall Air Base).  This was just my second time in the UK. The countryside was very pleasant looking - lots of fields and livestock - from the air (during arrival and departure) and the flight from the Channel coast wasn't too long. Unfortunately, we only stopped for a short time, so I don't know much else about the area.  Maybe I can return again another day...  We next flew to Iceland and landed at NAS Keflavik very late in the afternoon. Our detachment officer-in-charge soon sorted out our lodging situation while Erik got a rental car. We then got transportation (BSK Bifreioastoo Keflavikur) to our hotel, Flughotel (Icelandair Hotels), located at [Hafnargata 57]. Despite the availability of the car that Erik had obtained, no one else except me wanted to go to see the capital, Reykjavik. Their loss... When we got there (2000L), we bought some souvenirs. As it got later, I expected some darkness - but it never came. Meanwhile, we had a nice dinner (finished at 2100L ?) and then walked around the city for a while. Bought a few more souvenirs and then rode with Erik down to the coast. We were out until close to midnight and, by then, it was still as light as day! It didn't even seem time to head back to the hotel, but we went back anyway (arriving close to 0100 ?). As I was getting ready for bed, I marveled at the room in my hotel: it was geothermally heated, with a bed sitting directly on the floor (i.e. no box spring). The midnight sun outside the window as I dozed off was stunning!

London, England (United Kingdom)

Flew mission (from Sicily) with Jamie. We landed at Stansted Airport, located on the outskirts of London.  We got a good view of the city when we were in the air. I had never been to London or the UK, and talking to the handler gave us all a feel for how fun it would be. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay...  On the way back to Italy, we saw Paris (pretty after dark). We stopped in Naples to drop off our DV and then continued on to Sicily.  We arrived "home" very late.  Staying the night at NAS Sigonella Bachelor Housing.