Page 16 - Nov21T

A Ferry Tale: Icing in Iceland by Joe Casey
Ilove f lying international fer- ry f lights. Flying outside the United States and seeing new cultures is always an adventure.
Not to mention, none seem to go per- fectly, which also adds spice to the whole event. (If you like as-planned, on-schedule f lights, don’t become a ferry pilot).
Often, I have a list of fellow pilots who want to go with me on these pop- up international f lights and occasion- ally it works out to take them along. For the particular adventure in this story, Josh Best, who works with me at Casey Aviation, got his ticket punched to join (and his personal commentary can be seen in italics). This recent mission took place in a Piper Meridian from Texas to France. It was in an air- plane I was intimately familiar with, and I was excited to fly this trip with
14 • TWIN & TURBINE / November 2021
Josh. But, like most flights that have trouble, all went well until it didn’t. And when it didn’t go well, it really didn’t go well at all.
Josh: Not only does Joe know this Me- ridian particularly well, more important- ly, he understands the deice systems and their operation. His knowledge was much appreciated in the inclement weather and critical situation we encountered. As an instrument and commercial-rated pilot with 350 hours, I knew the trip was “beyond me” and my current experi- ence. However, I was still very excited about the opportunity, and I knew situ- ations would present themselves for me to grow as a pilot.
Across the Atlantic
It was a September flight, so the North Atlantic had not yet brewed its normal wintertime weather
Sunrise over northern Canada.
cocktail of strong winds, low temps, low ceilings and nighttime. But, where there was no ice on the ground, the North Atlantic was brewing what it could aloft, and I was about to receive an object lesson on airframe icing.
This was an eastbound flight, so the amount of limited daylight was going to be even more limited by f lying opposite the movement of the sun. We departed Montreal’s Mirabel International Airport (Heli- bellule is a fantastic FBO) at 6 a.m. in hopes of making Goose Bay (CYYR) by mid-morning. It was then on to one of my favorite stops along the “southern route” of the North Atlantic, the weather-finicky but very beautiful Narsarsuaq, Greenland (BGBW).
After an hour or so on the ground at BGBW, we climbed out in beautiful clear skies, perfect for climbing up