Flying over Kebnekaise – the highest mountain in Sweden – was our top dream for this tour. We didn’t know whether it would be possible, and we didn’t have any experience of mountain flying. But we wanted to go for it!
Flemming and I met with Thomas from the local flying club before the airport in Kiruna opened, in order to get ready for the flight. The airport is only open for a couple of hours a day (and closed on Saturdays), and we wanted to get the most out of our flight. Thomas got us in, and we asked all our questions about mountain flying. Thomas is a very experienced Arctic pilot, and he shared his tips generously. He also outlined the tour for us, and explained the best way of flying it.
We took off as soon as the tower announced the airport was open.
The views were simply breathtaking.
We were so overwhelmed with this stunning Arctic beauty of Sweden that we almost didn’t talk.
We took over 1,000 pictures during this 2-hours flight! But we couldn’t get any decent selfie because of the turbulence.
I was also filming with my GoPro camera, and at one point I placed the camera down. What I didn’t notice was something that could end up in a disaster. Whilst placing GoPro down, I unintentionally hit the engine key. Luckily, the engine key only turned a little. We lost all electrical power, and we noticed that immediately. Flemming headed away from the mountain and back to Kiruna, and I quickly looked through the instruments. Turned the key – and the electricity came back instantly. Later on from another camera, l could see that the episode took around 20-30 seconds. If the key had turned fully by the hit, so that the engine stopped, we would probably not have the time or mental available resources to look at the instruments and do the troubleshooting. Loosing an engine at 1,000 – 1,500 feet over the mountains, I would most likely focus on finding a place to land first – and there wasn’t any…
After the flight, we had a debriefing where we discussed lessons learned, and how to avoid similar situations to happen in the future. And if they happen, how to react in a correct way. We did everything right, but again – we had the time to react.
We continued our flight, and flew over Abisko national park, before turning back to Kiruna.
Whilst in the mountain area, we used local air-to-air frequency, which all pilots use when flying there. We exchanged our positions and weather information with helicopters flying in the area. Some of them warned us about strong turbulence and high winds in a particular area, and we stayed clear of that.
We didn’t know that, but Thomas on the ground followed our flight, and listened on to the radio communication on the frequency. It was very kind of him, to keep an eye on our safety. He also asked the tower to help us out of the airport after we’d land.
Going back to Kiruna, we flew by the LKAB iron ore mine near the city. It is the largest and most modern iron ore mine in the world. It was closed for visiting due to COVID-19, but at least we’ve seen it from air:
We landed, and parked the aircraft:
The tower kindly sent a car to transport us to the gate:
We took our car, and drove back to our hotel:
In the evening, Flemming invited out to celebrate our flight over Kebnekaise. He had booked a table at “Spis” (English: Eat), the best restaurant in Kiruna.
We began from a glass of champagne:
Gin marinated trout for a starter was mouthwatering:
We enjoyed the food, the atmosphere, and each others company. Discussed plans for the next day – we were going to visit Abisko national park.
For a main, I had a sea-food stew; it was delicious:
Flemming went for a steak, and he also loved it:
It was a really good place, with attentive service and great food.
What a terrific day we will remember! Whilst we flew over the mountains, I was thinking whether something better really existed? Those unbelievable views when you fly yourself… and not to forget the lessons learned!
Now I’m dreaming of moving to Lapland, turning my aircraft into a sea plane during summer, and flying on skies during winter time… Let’s see! 🙂