FLIEGER67 From Bulgaria, joined Sep 2003, 4423 posts, RR: 56 Posted (5 years 1 week 22 hours ago) and read 5795 times:
First time on the Gippsland Airvan and the Meyer Cruise-Ship-Yard
Hello, dear readers,
welcome to a new story.
This time something special,
a scheduled flight on the single German registered Australian built Gippsland Airvan
and also some pix from a visit at the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.
Meyer holds a 30 % market share in building cruiseships with for example the Aida Cruisers, ships for Destiny cruises and
Disney.
I´ve spend four days in the area with my son.
Dubai, ah, sorry, Bremerhaven was our place to stay:
The Atlantic Sail City:
The old lighthouse:
We decided in perfectly wheather conditions to fly scheduled to the island of Borkum and return by ferry.
History:
January 2006: Delivered to OLT
Leg no. 1 on the Airvan
We reached Emden airport at around noon.
I´ve done no reservation while we do not know when we will be there.
So I´ve asked a friendly female at the single office in the airport building for available flights later in the day.
A possible opinion was to fly on the 01.30 pm service to Borkum and return at 4.00 pm with the ferry.
There was a combi-ticket available. That was not bad, so finally booked.
OLT operates this route five times every weekday, impressive.
At around 12.30 a OLT plane arrived, but it seems it was not our machine, the agent told me that the Airvan operates our flight.
Note the impressive fence!:
Airport building:
Arrival OLT:
Taxi:
The interisland freighter:
Finally short ahead to 1 pm our plane arrived from Borkum, a full load of pax deboarded and the pilot goes for some coffee.
Arrival OLT from Borkum:
Taxi:
The female agent there told me some minutes prior to departure that there will be no other pax beneath us.
So a private plane for us.
I´ve asked the pilot if it´s possible for my son to take the right hand seat, no problem, he answered.
So, up on the way to Borkum, enjoy the pix:
Some explanations for the FO:
This guy seems well known:
Power:
Cabin shot:
Taxi:
The runway 07:
Ready to go:
Speed:
Departure:
And again:
Instruments:
Reaching the coastline:
The dike:
Mud flats:
Mud flats again:
Everything ok?:
Approaching Borkum:
More mud flats:
Borkum in sight:
Sandy beaches:
Approaching Borkum:
Some green island:
Shadow:
Passing the airfield:
Some more green:
Finals 05:
Tree hopping:
Touchdown:
Slowing down:
Well done, Mr. FO:
And again:
At BMK:
Deboarding:
Deloading:
Bye-Bye:
And finally by public transport to the ferry harbour:
We spend some sunny hours there, returned by the ferry, catched a sunburn while sitting on the ferry deck there and returned by taxi from the
ferry harbour to the airfield Emden.
All in all a very nice day.
Some more pix from the Meyer shipyard, an impressive experience.
The entrance:
Toylike, built a cruiser:
Welding:
And again:
Sideview:
Engine testrun:
More:
And more:
And once more:
Dedicated to Philip, OA260, the Celebrity Olstice, pre-opening view:
Airbuseric From Netherlands, joined Jan 2005, 4068 posts, RR: 51 Reply 1, posted (5 years 1 week 20 hours ago) and read 5745 times:
Markus,
wow, that would've been a great experience. Although a short moment onboard that minilflieger to Borkum, just 15 minutes . As Emden is not far away from my country, it might be interesting for a daytrip ... we'll see if it's possible for me.
You recently added some interesting flights to your logbook! Well done, and nice pics.
btw, did your son like the cookies?
Schöne Grüsse,
Eric
"The whole world steps aside for the man who knows where he is going"
Reifel From Germany, joined Feb 2005, 1153 posts, RR: 1 Reply 3, posted (5 years 1 week 18 hours ago) and read 5669 times:
Hi Markus,
what a great trip! Your son will have great souvenir pictures of his childhood when he will be grown up
Ahh Meyer Werft... I work for a cruise company and a lot of our ships were built there. What a great sight when they pull it out of the hangar on the Ems river to take them up to the Sea... Unfortunately the new ships will all be bigger and none will be built in Papenburg anymore, since they wont pass that River anymore.
It's incredible that one can find such a traditional cruise liner building site in the middle of the land, a lot of kilometers away from the coast.
Santhosh From India, joined Sep 2001, 542 posts, RR: 1 Reply 4, posted (5 years 1 week 11 hours ago) and read 5586 times:
In between all those inter continental trip reports, the small remote cross country trip felt sweet .The photographs were also good, however the biggest thing is your little one’s experience which would last in him for a long time.
DALCE From Netherlands, joined Feb 2007, 1596 posts, RR: 7 Reply 5, posted (5 years 1 week 8 hours ago) and read 5522 times:
Hi Markus,
What a nice surprise to read such a trip.
Must have been a great experience for Mini-Flieger to sit on the F/O seat.
With this flight you have added a rare aircraft type, which is always nice.
Thanks for sharing.
Viele Grüse,
Joost
flown on : F50,F70,CR1,CR2,CR9,E75,143,AR8,AR1,733,735,736,73G,738,753,744,319,320,321,333,AB6.
Rogerbcn From Andorra, joined Sep 2006, 1140 posts, RR: 19 Reply 6, posted (5 years 1 week 6 hours ago) and read 5460 times:
Hallo Markus!
Thanks again for this TR. Really interesting to see those little hidden places in Germany.
I am sure you had great moments there; BTW, the weather looks much nicer than the one we have had in BCN this last month, not a single day without rain. For some time it was warmer and sunnier in Berlin and all over northern Europe than here in Spain.
Some of the ships built there must be the ones on BCN harbor taking cruises along the Mediterranean... really interesting!
Salut!
Roger
"At reise er at leve" H.C. Andersen (Travelling is Living)
Cookies, cookies, what cookies?.
It seems you mean that, only one day after arrival, gone empty box with real good dutch special cookies (former) inside. Delicious!.
Have a nice weekend and do lot´s of pix!
PlunaCRJ:
Quoting PlunaCRJ (Reply 2): And nice to have the whole plane to yourselves, eh?
For sure, the top around the special feeling!
Reifel:
Quoting Reifel (Reply 3): Ahh Meyer Werft... I work for a cruise company and a lot of our ships were built there.
You can´t believe how big these ships are and how you felt yourself small beneath that
cruisers. Real impressive.
George:
Quoting Santhosh (Reply 4): .The photographs were also good, however the biggest thing is your little one’s experience which would last in him for a long time.
Thanks for your kind words.
Joost:
Quoting DALCE (Reply 5): Must have been a great experience for Mini-Flieger to sit on the F/O seat.
He´s done a pic with the non-digital camera while the pedal´s in front of him working.
For sure a great experience.
Roger:
Quoting Rogerbcn (Reply 6): BTW, the weather looks much nicer than the one we have had in BCN this last month, not a single day without rain. For some time it was warmer and sunnier in Berlin and all over northern Europe than here in Spain.
We talked about earlier, do you remember. Only one day at home between Gran Canaria and Bremerhaven, no difference, sun is shining all the time.
Ok, the temperatures a bit lower, but real nice weather there around our stay.
Quoting Rogerbcn (Reply 6): Some of the ships built there must be the ones on BCN harbor taking cruises along the Mediterranean... really interesting!
BA319-131 From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2001, 8276 posts, RR: 56 Reply 8, posted (5 years 6 days 19 hours ago) and read 5297 times:
Hey Markus, cool trip!
Looks like MiniFleiger was enjoying his job as the co-pilot, it's funny as this is so similar to my recent Piper flight, though I was in the left seat!
Ndebele From Germany, joined Apr 2001, 2895 posts, RR: 24 Reply 12, posted (5 years 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 5128 times:
Thanks for posting your second OLT trip report, this one covering an even more special aircraft and route. In fact I can only find one similarity between the two flights: the number of passengers on board. But well, I guess for a small Airvan the load of two passengers is sufficient. This plane looks so nice, definitely a special way of flying! As you know, I once flew on OLT's Islander Bremerhaven - Helgoland, however "your" aircraft was even smaller. Well done, I always like reading about those island flights!
FLIEGER67 From Bulgaria, joined Sep 2003, 4423 posts, RR: 56 Reply 13, posted (5 years 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 5115 times:
Hi, Alex,
another nice reply, thank you.
Quoting Ndebele (Reply 12): But well, I guess for a small Airvan the load of two passengers is sufficient.
Absolutely ok for the two of us
Quoting Ndebele (Reply 12): As you know, I once flew on OLT's Islander Bremerhaven - Helgoland, however "your" aircraft was even smaller. Well done, I always like reading about those island flights!
I remember. Helgoland was also an option, but for plane/ferry combination Borkum sounds better. Btw, the Islander is also still missing in my log!
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 25121 posts, RR: 60 Reply 16, posted (5 years 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 5035 times:
Hey Markus ,
What better combination!! Planes and cruise ships ..... That was one cool trip. Excellent experience for you and your Son. The photos are amazing.
I regognised the ship before the end LOL..... It is going to be an amazing ship when finished and I will be taking a trip on it . Many thanks for the dedication.... I know some people who will be very interested to see those photos !!
If you want to see what it will look like you can see here :::
FLIEGER67 From Bulgaria, joined Sep 2003, 4423 posts, RR: 56 Reply 17, posted (5 years 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 5032 times:
Hey, Philip,
thanx for your nice reply.
Quoting OA260 (Reply 16): I regognised the ship before the end LOL..... It is going to be an amazing ship when finished and I will be taking a trip on it . Many thanks for the dedication.... I know some people who will be very interested to see those photos !!
I thought you might be interested in that pre-pre-opening pictures and it seems
I´am not that wrong
And BTW, thanx about the link!
That will be a great cruiser entry to the market.
Contact Air From Germany, joined Apr 2001, 1154 posts, RR: 14 Reply 18, posted (5 years 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 5030 times:
Hi Markus,
great report of a really special flight. Flying with these small aircraft to an island is always a special experience, with the low flight level offering terrific views to the coastline and the sea. I have done two "island flights" so far, one together with Ndebele on OLT from Bremerhaven to Helgoland, an other one in Ireland with Aer Arann from Inverin (near Galway) to Inishmor, one of the Arann Islands. Both were operated with Islanders by the way. The Gippsland Airvan is an even more special aircraft, of course.
The combination of flight and ferry sounds interesting; like that, you also get some direct impression from the sea.
FLIEGER67 From Bulgaria, joined Sep 2003, 4423 posts, RR: 56 Reply 19, posted (5 years 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 5025 times:
Hi, Christoph,
thanx for your nice reply.
Quoting Contact Air (Reply 18): Flying with these small aircraft to an island is always a special experience,
Much more real flying than anything else from my point of view!.
Quoting Contact Air (Reply 18): Ndebele on OLT from Bremerhaven to Helgoland, an other one in Ireland with Aer Arann from Inverin (near Galway) to Inishmor, one of the Arann Islands. Both were operated with Islanders by the way.
Well, the islander, a soon to catch target for me!.
Quoting Contact Air (Reply 18): The combination of flight and ferry sounds interesting; like that, you also get some direct impression from the sea.
True and exactly what we searched for, around our days at the north sea coast.
Infodesk From Switzerland, joined May 2006, 1256 posts, RR: 33 Reply 20, posted (5 years 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 5022 times:
Hi Markus,
What a special trip report and a great experience for you and your son. Certainly a memory for both of you to treasure. My first ever flight was in a heli from Penzance to the Isles of Scilly, but unfortunately I don't remember too much about it.
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. As Emden is not far away from my country, it might be interesting for a daytrip ... we'll see if it's possible for me. 
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