Flight Log: Santiago de Chile SCEL -- Antofagasta SCDA 03.05.2018/04.05.2018

25/26 April 2018, flight from Hanover via Frankfurt; Sao Paulo to Santiago:



The first leg of our outbound flight turned out to have a few hiccups. When my carry-on baggage was screened in Hanover, the equipment appeared to identify organic substances so I had to open my case. And it transpired that the dollar bills looked similar to explosives. But of course I wasn’t to know that. I was then given an extra body search to ensure that everything was OK. I had to unpack each of the little tubes and creams from my wash bag and show each of them to the customs officer and baggage inspector. Interestingly, Kurt wasn’t checked very thoroughly but passed through without any problems. When the second inspector allowed us to go to the glass partition again to say goodbye to Aniko and Marie, we gladly did so. But a second inspector was totally opposed to the request and started to bark orders and told us we were to move away from the glass partitions immediately. I did so while Kurt didn’t seem to be too worried and took his time. 



We got into the plane unscathed and then again had to undergo more stringent screening once we arrived in Frankfurt. But this wasn’t so bad because a VIP vehicle was waiting to take us and our luggage to the connecting flight to Sao Paulo or rather the VIP lounge.



The flight to Sao Paulo was uneventful. We settled back into first class and looked forward to hours of sleep and a tasty breakfast. And we did just that, although there was some turbulence during the flight. We waited in the VIP lounge in Sao Paulo for two hours before boarding the plane to Santiago and flying over the Andes.



When checking out however, the procedure was similar to that in Hanover. Because first of all, a policeman turned up with a sniffer dog that fell in love with my luggage and I had to stop and let the dog have a good sniff. As a result, I had to open my case and justify its contents while Kurt stood there grinning. His case wasn’t opened, he wasn’t even approached, but treated as a fellow countryman more or less. 



Afterwards, we jumped into a taxi and headed straight for the Ritz Carlton where our drive to Santiago ended. We were welcomed with a big hello, shaking of hands, hugs and kisses. You could have been forgiven for thinking that we were coming home to Santiago. But it must be said that this Ritz Carlton is a very friendly hotel with attentive and amicable staff.

Goodnight!






26 April 2018, Santiago:



We had decided not to go directly to the hotel after leaving the airfield, but wanted to see Marie and head for the Aero servicio workshop.



We wanted to look at Marie straight away to see if anything needed doing. We were also greeted in a very friendly manner by the personnel there. We particularly liked Louis because he’s not just a fire officer but also Marie’s bodyguard and won’t let anything happen to her or us.



We opened the plane first, tidied up the inside and took everything out to make sure that we had everything we needed. Then we checked all the electronics including the Garmin, autopilot and transponder. Everything was OK, as far as you could tell on the ground. We then discussed carrying out a test flight the next day with Cesar, a local pilot who works at Aero servicio.



The same taxi driver then took us to the hotel where we had the very friendly reception already described. April 26 drew to an end.






27 April 2018, Santiago:



Today was all about the test flight with Marie so that we could inspect all the systems in the air. We’d previously had it confirmed that oxygen had also been refilled for our big flight over the Andes and that there was enough oil in the plane. Cesar registered the test flight and said that he was very familiar with this area. He had made the necessary arrangements with the tower and submitted a small flight plan.



We taxied to the runway and Marie took off the first time and my copilot Cesar read through the whole of the check list and was really impressed that someone who flies a Cessna took check lists so seriously. But that’s why they exist, to adjust and check all systems so that you don’t forget anything. Because otherwise the risk is huge.



We flew along the Andes to the south at an altitude of 4,000 feet. After about 10 minutes in an airspace, we were able to carry out all the manoeuvres we wanted to until the ground proximity warning system came on which triggers a command in the Garmin 1000 to pull up. We checked this and it was OK. The autopilot was working perfectly and the radio too. After circling a little longer and a bit of sightseeing, we turned back to the airfield and landed Marie on runway 19 as usual. That was a very positive test flight and a good day for us, which we could bring to a nice close by enjoying a lovely meal and of course the obligatory landing beer without which Kurt usually won’t move an inch after landing ...



Bye!






3 May 2018, flight from Santiago – Antofagasta:



The flight was scheduled for 9:00 local time, so we were already at the airfield at 7.30 to make all the preparations and check all the DEMCA’s systems. After a long drawn-out farewell with all our friends at Aero servicio, we were in Marie at last and taxiing to the runway. The instructions for the flight plan were easy to understand and carry out. However, the controller had obviously drunk too much coffee because she rattled off her instructions to us so quickly that we had to ask her to repeat them slowly. We were given permission to use flight level 120, or an altitude of about 4,000 m. After we’d reached an altitude of about 3,000 feet, we were able to fly over a mountain that usually has to be flown around by planes when taking off. Unfortunately, the autopilot packed in while we were in vertical flight. So we had to go on without it for now. Once we’d reached the flight altitude for flight level 120, I tried to restart the autopilot twice and it finally starting working properly.



On the flight from Santiago to Antofagasta we decided to test our own physical fitness at a high altitude in La Paz. We passed through flight level 120 without oxygen and observed how we felt in the process. It transpired that after about one and a half to two hours the blood’s oxygen saturation level drops significantly to just 83 all the way to 79%. It shouldn’t normally be under 85%. At the same time, our pulses rose steeply to up to 90 or even 95. Both are signs that the body is put under a lot of strain at a high altitude, particularly when there’s a very fast change from a low to a high altitude. If you compare the conditions during this flight at flight level 120 at a temperature of 7-10 degrees with the conditions in La Paz, there’s an actual density altitude of 15,500 feet there at the given temperature. That’s equivalent to approx. 5170 m. In other words, we would be in even thinner air in La Paz than on this flight to Antofagasta. This shows that you do put your health at risk if you want to fly to La Paz in summery temperatures. 



But we enjoyed the flight from Santiago to Antofagasta very much because of clear weather conditions. We could see the Andes on the right and repeatedly flew past volcanoes. A huge cloud of ash and moisture covered one of these. The weather reports had predicted that volcanic ash was to be expected in this region. After about six hours, we could see the approach to Antofagasta, the airfield at the edge of the Atacama desert. We then flew to the airfield according to the radar controller’s instructions to land on the desert airfield by taking a right curve. We checked out quickly and without any incidents. Our handling agent had already prepared everything and took us by car to the hotel without any further annoying controls. He also promised to pick us up the next morning.



However, we were forced to restrict our stay in Antofagasta to one day because we had to leave Chilean territory the next day on 4 May 2018. That’s because an immigration document presented in Punta Arenas stated that the plane was only allowed to be in Chile for three months. We weren’t allowed to extend the period at short notice. As a result, we had to leave Chile on 4 May. But as we didn’t have landing permission from La Paz at that juncture, we decided to fly from Antofagasta to Lima on 4 May. So a flight plan was quickly drawn up and approved for us to fly on to Lima the next day. It wasn’t clear whether we’d still get permission for La Paz at that point. 

 Bye!