Fouga flight Leg

Just for a safe flight do not plan a trip more than 300NM one way because you could run out of fuel before arriving at destination if you are planning a leg of more than 300NM.

A 1700NM trip

I was contacted to performed some maintenance on a Fouga who was bought, did not flew for some years, and had it ready with the help of a friend and his girlfriend in flying status again on a scheduled date agreed with the owner to bring his Fouga back to his home base.

California - Georgia 1700 nautical miles trip.

First trip KL71 to K40G California City to Vallee Airport

Departure under IFR flight plan and contact with Edwards Air Force Base for transit to the restricted areas, altitude 21000-23000 and landing at Vallee Airport.

Be carefull about the high altitude airport with short runway because you need to touch down faster and if you use too much the toebrakes, they becoming ineffective. Last option emergency breaking.

We was welcomed by Larry who helped us and told us that they was awaiting after a load of JetA because due to the fires the helicopters came and the tanker was empty, dry like a bone in the desert.

We had a option: 100LL in case of emergency is accepptable for the Fouga but under certain restrictions. Or since we had around 50USG left in the airplane and had to fly to Flagstaff 32NM away, to be on the safe side I went to the Gas Station and bought 50USG of diesel fuel .


Next short hops to KFLG Flagstaff :

VFR flight but haze due to the fires. Nice Airport
Time to fill up the fuels tanks and be ready to go to KABQ Albuquerque under IFR flight plan.

During that leg we encontered rim ice at 21000ft so we asked to go to 23000 and the contol was very helpfull to us



Leg KABQ with thunderstorms not to far from the airport at arrival

When you are used to land on a 60ft wide runway when you land on a 150ft wide runway you have tendancy to flair a little bit too high



Next leg KAMA Amarillo with the help of my backup NAV Ipad with GPS and synthetic vision.

Helpfull infos for a cheap price and accurate.

$200.00 for one year



Parked closed to military helicopter we decide the owner and myself to do the last leg of the day to KLIT Little Rock under night IFR flight plan .

On final at Little Rock passing 4000ft fog/condensation came out of the ACM outlet in the cabin an the owner with a perfect knowledge of the proceduresand improvised procedures urned the pressurization off and it cleared the condensation/fog within few seconds.

When we was taxiing to the general aviation parking we had to open the canopies and look outside becaused all canopies and windsheld was fogged out.

Next Morning KMSL Muscle Shoals or direct to KCZL Tom B David

The problem was that a direct flight to the home base was 360 NM and it was no safety margin for error.

After part of the trip done to KMSL and computation of the fuel burned we would have been short of 20USG of JetA to arrive at final destination for the direct flight to KCZL

So with the IFR conditions improving in KMSL we decided to aim for that airport.

During our decent to KMSL, we could see that all the airports to the north was VFR and the control told us the KMSL was still IFR.

So change of plan and ask to divert to Savannah Airport.

I helped the Lady on charge of the airport to refuel the Fouga and we was ready for the last leg to the home base.

The owner was happy to be on the last leg to his home base airport .

This time we going VFR.

After the climb to 15500 we was looking on the GPS the time before arrival...24minutes 15minutes 9minutes 3minutes and over KCZL airport. We stayed a little bit to perform some aileron rolls, maneuvers, like we did not wanted to land the Fouga and fly in freedom.

Finaly the fuel gage recall your attention that it is not forever. Downwind, 140kts gear down, 130kts Flaps 15 degres, base 120kts flaps 40 degres, final 110/120kts gear down, 3 green and touch down speed brakes out, power retarded nose up, 40kts nose down, brakes, and back up RWY35 to go back to the hangard.

Nice flight Ron