Finally, it worked. I have wanted to take part in the Aero Festival in Villarrica in Chile for three years, but something always got in the way. This year, Martin and I were able to spontaneously take a few days off and found a great flying companion at short notice, Wolfgang from Germany. In just a few days, preparations were in full swing. First, the bureaucratic hurdles in Argentina had to be overcome. And then came the new experience for Chile. Has the plane been disinfected? Has the entry been approved? Phew, there was a lot to consider. I studied both paper maps and digital versions, including Google Earth, over and over again to find the best route, including alternatives, for crossing the immense mountain range, the Andes. Write down frequencies, collect links to weather information sources, pre-fill GenDecs (General Declaracion) for border crossings and in Argentina also for national flights, but with a different form, please… and so on. And then we were off 🙂
Fortunately, the entry into San Fernando, the international airport for general aviation in Buenos Aires, went relatively smoothly. We were able to fly on to Macachín, an airport in the middle of the Argentinean Pampa, in just an hour and a half. The aeroclub members there know what pilots need when they are passing through: Avgas, something to eat and drink, and internet for further flight planning. We were looked after excellently on both the outward and return journeys, and the schnitzel sandwiches in particular are legendary. The next day a thunderstorm front passed through our route, which is why we left later and only encountered isolated showers on the way. When we arrived in Neuquén, we prepared everything for the next day. One more sleep and then it was time. We took off for our first flight over the Andes!
The weather was kind to us and everything went according to plan. We climbed to flight level 105, which our CX-PBO mastered with ease, and initially flew for about an hour over a desert landscape like I know from Namibia. Nothing in sight. And then the mountains began, coming closer and closer to us, from the front and from below. At the highest point in the terrain we flew 1500 feet above ground and could already make out the first volcano in the distance. There was a little snow here and there and shortly after crossing the border we flew past the Sollipulli volcano, whose crater is covered in snow. Then we began to descend, landing at Villarrica airport 25 minutes later.
The festival was excellently organized. A marshaller showed us the way to the parking area, then we went straight to the authorities to enter Chile. We looked around in fascination, let ourselves drift over the area and decided to take a sightseeing flight around the active Villarrica volcano in the late afternoon. Another highlight of this trip.
The following day we enjoyed the festival, looked around the pretty town and organised our departure for the next day. With luck and negotiating skills we managed to leave on Sunday afternoon via Pucón airport. Because of the late hour we were expecting some turbulence in the mountains, but at FL115 we were able to fly quickly with a strong tailwind to Neuquén, where a heavy thunderstorm awaited us. In fact, it took less than five minutes after the hangar door closed before it went black outside, with heavy thunder and storms. We had just made it. On Monday we flew to Carmelo via Macachín and Rosario. Our crew was exhausted, but happy to be back home.
