Grabbing the opportunity between the Covid lockdowns of 2020, one intrepid pilot takes his 1955 Jodel D112 to the EAS fly-in at Langenthal, Switzerland
Words & photos: Perry Harris
Checking my emails over breakfast one morning in mid-July 2020, something caught my eye−an invitation to the EAS (Experimental Aviation of Switzerland−the Swiss LAA) Rally at Langenthal. I was interested, but my Jodel had only recently become airworthy and, due to a combination of the wet winter and Covid-19 restrictions, I had only flown her for seven hours since buying in October 2019. Additionally, the rally was in two weeks’ time, so it felt like a bit of a stretch. I forwarded the email to an experienced pilot friend with the message ‘sorely tempted!’ His immediate response, “Go for it!” was all the encouragement I needed.
I was no stranger to Continental flying. Within two months of gaining my PPL at the Halton Aero Club in 2016, I was flying a Cessna 152 through the Austrian Alps as part of the club’s annual flying expedition. Trips to Elba, Norway and Spain had followed, with a few personal incursions into France in between. However, these were mostly in large groups and never solo, so the fight to Switzerland on my own and in an unfamiliar aircraft would be much more of a challenge.
Planning the route Examining the charts, it was around seven hours flying time to Langenthal at the 65hp Jodel’s cruising speed of eighty knots. This meant a two-day journey comprising of roughly two two- hour sorties per day. I would plan to leave on the Thursday to arrive at Langenthal on Friday afternoon, and depart on Sunday to arrive back in the UK on Monday.
(You can view the full article in Pilot Magazine by clicking on the button below.)