Again, unable to take off early. This time, the fuel arrived late, and I had also to prepare several things in the aircraft. Tactics to be followed are: Refuel upon arrival, and have the flight plan ready.

Also there is the time change, and the days are shorter for me. Results are that the aircraft has long range capability but it is restricted by my poor organization. I always arrive late at the destination. Very late at the hotels and later even to go sleeping, as I have to do my communications as I am doing right now. I get up early (0630) but it is not enough: I have to take off at 0630. Taking off at 1130 as today, limits my flying time ( today sunset was at 2007 PM), and also my range.

The paper work were easy at Kerkira (Greece). People are nice and supportive. Each place has a different procedure and it is funny to discover them. The fuel supplier suffered again from my seat fuel tank. I hope not to come back again there those days if I want to have fuel….

Temperature was high, around 30 Celsius. The take off run looked like a B52. I needed, maybe, 2000ft! Climb is painful and a never-ending story.

I use a little bit of flaps to climb better. I estimate a 5 degrees setting, speed around the sixties. I got the first problem: The yaw trim was out and the aircraft needed quite of right rudder to have everything centered. All the flight I had to keep right pedal in !

It happened to me the same problem once, and the reason was a bad lock on the tail wind, the one rest forming and angle with the longitudinal axis and acts like a trim tab. Upon landing, I checked the tailwheel and I fixed the problem. Next time. I will push the aircraft in the ground forward to be sure everything is OK.

The first part of the flight was over flat lands. Some water, some flat land again. From Kerkira control I was transferred to Preveza, a military one. I proceeded from KRK VOR to ARA (Araxos). From there to DDM (Didimon). There the fun started with 6000 ft mountains generating some future CBs. I did use the advantages of slope soaring to get some more altitude and speed. I love flying very, very close to the slopes, but it is necessary to pay a lot of attention. Those mountains and villages there looked pretty close to the Spanish ones; maybe less people were living there. When free of the mountains, at DDM ( the GPS position is incredible), I got a cross wind that required a 37 degrees correction. I was feeling that I wasn’t able to reach Larnaka destination. What I did was descending to check if wind intensity was lower (it wasn’t) so I climbed again (and again painfully) to 6000 ft. Wind was strong and just from the abeam , so I did turn a little bit right, even going off course, to get a higher GS. Also climbing was a possibility to find winds blowing from some degrees counterclockwise. Maybe later the situation changes and I get better winds, I thought. I was lucky this time. Arriving at Rhodes, winds shifted to a better tail component.

SO many islands were insight and so particular, that it is not hard to imagine Ulysses down there. I really think that people living there are not so different from those of Homer’s.

The islands are dry, rocky, and the sea is blue, dark blue, transparent at the shore…what a nice combination!

In and out of those clouds (islands) in the sky (sea) some sail boats were sure enjoying their stay at some remote places.

Several times I freed my mind. It was so peaceful up there that I was really resting. The continuous islands appearing in my eyes were soon giving way to new ones, and new ones again. Never stopping, like our lives.

My estimates were telling me every time that I was arriving at Larnaka after the sunset. Full power in the engine (5400 to 5500 rpm), some thoughts about deviating to Paphos, that was 50 NM closer. Finally the Nicosia control helped me taking the decision, I was proceeding to my new destination…

Paphos airport is in the middle of nowhere. Some clouds were hiding the field and sun was low. Everything was perfect. Besides, coolant temp was showing 260F, and didn’t want to decrease.

When I landed at 0811 PM, and parked the aircraft, I also discovered that I have some light oil traces at the landing gear and cargo pod… I will check that tomorrow.