Required to have an HF Radio

[solpilot]

Some may think this is a dumb question...but here goes.

Are you required to have an HF radio to fly from Canada to Greenland, then to Iceland and on to Ireland?

 

[pilot error]

http://www.letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=blue+spruce+routes

 

[stratman560]

Some may think this is a dumb question...but here goes.

Are you required to have an HF radio to fly from Canada to Greenland, then to Iceland and on to Ireland?

No. If you take LOACH intersection coast in and fly at FL 300 or above on the route depicted on the Atlantic Orientation Chart, you will have VHF comm the duration of the route. I'll be doing it sans HF in February in a C560, so I'm hoping that's the case!

 

[Tgaug6300]

Aircraft without an operable HF can transit the N.A. via certain Special Routes. For specific route details and minimum altitudes for VHF reception, look for the block titled "North Atlantic Communication Requirements" on the North Atlantic Orientation Chart.

 

[Fly91]

Some may think this is a dumb question...but here goes.

Are you required to have an HF radio to fly from Canada to Greenland, then to Iceland and on to Ireland?

No, just did that crossing 3 weeks ago. Delivered a Lear 24 to Finland.

Goose Bay, Narsarsuaq, Keflavik, Norway, then to Helsinki.

Piece of cake and you don't need to do anything special if you have no HF. Every controller did ask us if we had it, we always simply said, negative. No problem.

 

[solpilot]

Fly91

how were fuel prices along the route?

 

[Tgaug6300]

Solpilot,

Is this your first time across? I see you fly the 525B, will it be in that? I flew one over and back a few months ago.

 

[solpilot]

Yeah, It will be my first time. And yes it will be a 525B. I'm not sure of the dates but it's looking like sometime this Summer. Considering this routing: CYYR-BGBW-BIRK-EIDW. Any input?

 

[Fly91]

Fly91

how were fuel prices along the route?

Well, we used "IFR" for all the planning and all the fuel was paid for with fuel releases, so I really never knew what the prices were from everyone. I do believe though that the fuel in Narsarsuaq was like $5.30/gal.
Not 100% sure though.

It was friggin expensive for IFR to do everything, $4,300, but the buyer of the plane paid for it all, made the entire trip easy and go so smoothly. Its easy to do yourself too. All the FBO's along the way are great, awesome customer service. At least it won't be -17* when you do the trip.

CYYR-BGBW-BIRK-EIDW
When you go to Narsarsuaq, make sure its not a Sunday, Greenland airports are closed on Sunday, at least they were for the past 3 months. You can pay a big fee and you can do it. Also if you go to Narsarsuaq (BGBW) make darn sure the weather is forecast to be very nice, like crystal clear, it can go bad there in 30 minutes. I've landed there before and the weather was pretty good, after fueling the plane it was horrible. The alternate "BGSF" is pretty far up north. You could plan for BGSF (Sondre Stromford) if the weather is forecast to be "iffy" at BGBW and when you're coming up abeam BGBW you can call for an update and simply make a right turn and go direct to it if they say its clear. I've been there when it was bad...no good and I think its a VFR only airport. Here's a video of our approach a few weeks ago, beautiful weather that day. We flew for about 4 miles 50-100 feet above that terrain, it was too nice to stay high, then dropped down to about 50 feet above that frozen river to the runway.
http://s300.photobucket.com/albums/nn13/slipperyls1/?action=view&current=MOV01618.flvhttp://s300.photobucket.com/albums/nn13/slipperyls1/?action=view&current=MOV01618.flv
(and before anyone asks why I landed to the left of centerline...the centerline was all ice. A departed 737 reported it about 20 minutes before we got there.)

Can't help you with Dublin, haven't been there in ages, we went to Norway from Keflavik. We weren't allowed into Reykjavik because of noise. It was a Lear 24.