Posted by After a busy weekend in Germany, we were quite glad to make just a short hop north into Denmark rather than flying all the way to Norway. We had visited Copenhagen before and were interested to explore a regional city on Jutland.
After departure, it was a VFR flight with a slight initial route to the east to reduce the time spent over water. We remained with Langen Information, changing frequency to a different sector, then across to Copenhagen Information at the border. We saw several more of the Friesan islands including Sylt, which I hadn’t realised slightly extends the Germany/Danish border to the north around it. The terrain in this part of the world really is very flat and populated with many wind turbines. I routed close to Skyrstrup and quickly gained a transit clearance, likewise with Billund.
Approaching Aalborg, I was cleared for a left downwind join for runway 26R not above 3,500 feet. A Cessna 182 was inbound at a similar time and was slightly ahead of me. However we were both pipped at the post by a commercial airliner on the instrument approach and had to orbit for a few minutes. The wind was quite strong and gusty on approach, 12 gusting 20, so it was one of those landings where you almost touch down then find yourself struggling not to climb before the wind drops again and you land.
After vacating the runway and being cleared to the GA parking area, I then contacted the operations team by radio who sent a marshaller out in a follow-me car and direct me to our spot. The GA apron was completely empty and the main terminal building itself only had one airliner docked, so there wasn’t a lot of distraction. After tidying up and putting the covers on, we exited via GA admin office area into the main terminal. An electric bus service runs into town every 20 minutes and fortunately can be paid by phone or card – I had no Danish currency and no intention to get any.
Aalborg
The city itself spans a large river and is fairly industrial. There is a lot of concrete around and not many older scenic buildings, but one or two remain. We stayed in a comfortable hotel near the waterfront (courtesy of Booking.com) and walked around to see the sights; it was pretty quiet being a Sunday evening. I then spent most of the evening revisiting the plans for the days ahead.
I wouldn’t say this was one of the highlights of the trip, but if you wanted a convenient stop for refuelling (or just a break), then it’s definitely worth considering. The landing and parking fees were very reasonable, and fuel is available from a fixed point using any credit card. I don’t believe PPR is required, although I did email the admin office in advance just to make sure.
I was also able to rectify a major oversight for the trip. I left my coat in the car at Gloucester, so while it was comparatively warm here (about 18C), this would be a problem further north with a forecast of 3 to 6 degrees.
I spent some time in a couple of shops trying on various waterproofs, but then we stumbled upon a charity shop that had a few different sorts of coat. One fitted quite well and was of a good brand, so I snapped it up and it proved very warm and weatherproof. This was undoubtedly the bargain of the trip at less than 10 Euros.
PIC today: 2:10
Total PIC: 2026:45
Total Time: 2239:55