This section contains all my trip reports, ready to take you out into the daily aviation business. From sightseeing flights through the fjords of New Zealand, to landing at the base of Mount Everest, to flying in rugged Alaska - buckle up and enjoy the ride...err, read!
I have a deep passion for flying on rare, small or old propeller and jet airliners - therefore, most reports will be centered around catching a ride on another of those types. If you're interested in the same stuff, make use of the aircraft column on the right to track down reports featuring your favourite type. Or use the map below to select a report!
While all reports are available in english, they were originally written in german - my mother tongue - and much of the humour may have been lost in translation. Therefore I recommend german speaking visitors to read them in their original language. A click on the flag will take you there.
Trip Reports
Seawings: Spectacular Dubai flightseeing in a seaplane
Zeppelin over Zurich: The Encore
Zeppelin over Zurich: A breath-taking experience!
Hey Porter!
Airbus A350 Inaugural Flight
Pre-Christmas Flight with the Junkers Ju-52
Iran Trip (English): Flying on the Boeing 727, Boeing 747SP and Antonov An-74
A beautiful flight around central Switzerland
Two Three-Engine farewells: DC-10 and Trislander
West Coast Puddle-Jumper Joyrides: PC-12, S-76, DHC-2
Time travel in Antonovs, Ilyushins and Tupolevs: A unique trip around North Korea
In September 2012, I had the chance to join a group of aviation enthusiasts for a week-long tour through North Korea. While the hermit kingdom with its many special sights was a positive surprise on its own, the aviation part of the tour was the true highlight: We got to travel on board all the old Soviet airplanes of national carrier Air Koryo! Experiencing living history aboard Buffalo's 70-year old DC-3
Yellowknife is home to the unique family-run airline named Buffalo Airways, which is also portrait in the TV show "Ice Pilots NWT". Its main business is moving freight and fuel to outlying communities using old airplanes. However, Buffalo also operates a single daily scheduled flight over Great Slave Lake to Hay River, and I got the chance to accompany the company's charismatic boss, Joe McBryan, on one of those runs in his 70-year old DC-3. The North Sked: With the HS-748 and the 737-200 through northern Canada
Almost daily, Air North's trusty old Hawker-Siddeley HS748 starts from its Whitehorse base on its "North Sked", the journey via the gold rush town of Dawson City and the remote eskimo village of Old Crow to the city of Inuvik beyond the Arctic Citcle. From there, I change onto Canadian North's beautiful Boeing 737-200, to take me on to Norman Wells and Yellowknife. On a Beaver ride in Ketchikan
Bush flights in the far north: Eskimo village run
Grumman Goose on the Aleutian Islands
In one of the westernmost communities of Alaska, Dutch Harbor on the Aleutian Islands, I undertake a flight in an old, trusty flying boat: The Grumman Goose, which takes me from Dutch Harbor to neighbouring Akutan and back - including two water landings and some heart-pumping cliff-hugging! An audience with the SeaKing
Hopping around the Antilles: Saba & St. Barths
Riding the Yak in Cuba
Alaska's Milkman Run
Crossing the Alps, Swiss Made
Lukla & Mt. Everest
Milford Sound revisited
After having visited New Zealand's stunning Milford Sound in 2007 flying in a piston Cessna 206, I returned three years later - in a turboprop Grand Caravan this time! Once again, weather and scenery were absolutely amazing! Air Chathams: Convair to the end of the World
There's one must-do for every aviation enthusiast visiting New Zealand: Flying in Air Chathams' 1953-built Convair 580 to the remote Chatham Islands, 700km out in the Pacific Ocean, past the date line. Island Hopping in Greece
First I jump on Olympic's ATR-42 from Crete to Rhodos (with intermediate stops, of course), on the way home I try out small carrier SkyExpress and their Jetstream 32. Buzzing around the Swiss Alps in a C172
Island Hopping in the UK
The first focus of this trip is the Isle of Man, where I fly Manx2's Let-410 and Dornier 228. Then the adventure continues on the Channel Islands, home of the Britten-Norman Trislander. Catching two rare birds on Curaçao
Jumpseat Ride on Olympic's ATR-42
Get a front row seat for a typical Olympic ATR crew's day in the Ionian Sea: Corfu-Preveza-Kefalonia-Zakynthos and back in one go! Just floatin' round: Twin Otter on Floats ex Corfu
AirSea Lines was a company providing services from Gouvia, Corfu, in Twin Otter on floats. A must-do for me! So join me for a sightseeing flight around the island, and a short trip to neighbouring Paxos Island. Barra: Otter on the Beach
I join the unique Loganair flight from Glasgow, Scotland, to the island of Barra, where the Twin Otter lands on the beach. The return trip uses the Jetstream-31 of Highland Airways. Riding the Shoebox: Dornier-228 to Sylt
On a trip to Copenhagen, I included a little detour and flew on LGW's trusty Dornier-228 from Berlin to the island of Sylt. From there, a complicated train odyssey through provincial Denmark to Copenhagen ensues... Hopping around New Zealand
During my stay in New Zealand, I fell in love with the world of regional aviation in all those Turboprops. Includes a Trislander ride, and a sightseeing flight to stunning Milford Sound, too! Sightseeing flight around Auckland
Taking the good old C-172 for a spin, we set out to check out Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, from the air, and catch a glimpse of its lovely beaches and islands. |
|
Select reports by aircraftIf you're interested in a particular aircraft type, select it here to only access reports featuring that aircraft. |
During recent Dubai holidays I splurged and booked a scenic flight with seaplane operator Seawings. The 40-minute tour covered all of the metropolis' major attractions and let me admire them from a truly unique vantage point. If you want to see what The Palm, The World, Dubai Marina and of course iconic Burj al Arab look like from the air, 
After my first Zeppelin ride had left me totally impressed, a second one was to follow soon. This time, I focused more on the details. If you fancy some beautiful bird's-eye views, this is for you! 
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Swiss leisure airline Edelweiss Air has chartered a Zeppelin airship for pleasure flights above several regions of Switzerland. Zurich was first, and I managed to secure a seat on the very first day of operations. Read on for some of my most stunning bird's-eye views of the Lake of Zurich and Switzerland's largest city.
Together with a group of friends, I chartered the Swiss workhorse of the skies for a flight, the Pilatus PC-6 porter. The one-hour trip around eastern Switzerland included some magnificent views, and a typical steep approach to finish the day. A whole lot of fun! 
Taking part in the Airbus A350's inaugural passenger flight, carried out by Qatar Airways on its route between Doha and Frankfurt on January 15th, 2015. See the brand-new cabin, the modern flight deck, the fantastic views enroute, and some spotting shots from Abu Dhabi and Dubai. 
Flying the mighty 1939-built Junkers Ju-52 of Ju-Air from Zurich Airport over the city of Zurich and some mountains of central Switzerland.
A 6-day trip to beautiful Iran, where we fly on Iran Aseman's Boeing 727, the Boeing 747SP of Iran Air, and the Antonov An-74 of the Iran Revolutionary Guard. 
The weather forecast called for lots of clouds and spells of rain - still, we decided to go flying. Look just how much this decision paid off! I can easily say that this was probably the most beautiful VFR flight in my life!
Welcome to a trip report that spans seven time zones, includes ten flights on five different airlines, and most importantly, bids farewell to two iconic three-engined planes in passenger service – the Douglas DC-10 and Aurigny’s Britten-Norman Trislander.
On a trip around the Western US, I made good use of the ample possibilities to escape the Airbuses and Boeings, and used smaller, more interesting aircraft instead. Enjoy scenic rides on a Pilatus PC-12, a Q400, a S-76 helicopter and the mighty DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver!
In Ketchikan, southeast Alaska, I accompany a floatplane pilot of Pacific Airways on one of his fjord runs in his 60-year old DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver. It takes me over endless woods and stunning bays to the small communities of Thorne Bay and Hollis, and back to Ketchikan.
From Anchorage I embark on a daytrip up to Alaska's northernmost tip: First it takes three beautiful flights over the icy Tundra in an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 to reach the city of Barrow. From there, I hop onto one of the local bush flights and join a Cessna Caravan on its run to the surrounding Eskimo village.
The British Isles are full of surprises. What was meant to be a weekend trip to London first, finally included riding the Sikorsky S-61 Sea King, the Twin Otter and the BN-2 Islander to the amazingly beautiful Isles of Scilly off England's western coast.
During a stay on St. Maarten I simply had to explore the neighbouring islands, too - both are hotspots of aviation. I experienced the dreaded downhill approach into St. Barths on a Grand Caravan, and touched down on Saba's 400 meter runway in a Twin Otter!
Russian aircraft are still happily buzzing around Cuban skies. So, on a recent trip to Havana, I just had to include a round-trip on Cubana's Yak-42 to Santiago de Cuba. Follow along on this Yak ride!
Follow along on a typical Alaska Airlines flight serving many remote communities, departing from Seattle in a 737 and heading up the coast all the way to Anchorage, landing in narrow fjords and overflying majestic glaciers!
Darwin Airlines is a small Swiss regional airline using Saab 2000 between Zurich and Lugano in southern Switzerland. Seeing great weather forecasted, I couldn't resist but go for a ride over the beautiful snow-capped Alps!
A true adventure in one of the most dangerous places to fly: Follow along as I join a Tara Air flight to unique Lukla Airstrip high up in the mountains, and see pictures from a Mt. Everest sightseeing flight on the Beechcraft 1900D of Buddha Air.
I had the chance to join a good friend during his flight training. Flying in a Cessna 172, we set out from Berne, had a quick look around the Valais and Bernese Oberland regions and took a break at lovely Saanen airfield.
Planning a trip to Curaçao, an island located some miles off the coast of Venezuela, something caught my eye: With one roundtrip to neighbouring Aruba, I could add two new and rare birds to my list: The Shorts 360 and the Embraer 110. Let's go!
