So where to next?
I had initially planned to fly to Ørland ENOL, a joint-use military/civilian airport on the coast northwest of Trondheim. But who needs a 3,278 metre runway in a Turbine Duke?
Instead, I opted for Oppdal ENOP, about 50 miles southwest of Trondheim. It doesn’t have any instrument approaches, but with clear skies along the whole route, that wasn’t going to be a problem.
The airfield has an interesting history. It was established in the 1980s but then fell into disuse due to lack of maintenance. In the year 2000, Norwegian billionaire Kjell Inge Røkke was building a holiday home near the airfield and financed its renovation and reopening, and later an extension of the runway to its current length of 1000 metres.
Route
ENMS/33 BNN M609 NONVU P5 OSMUM VFR DCT ENOP/07
I planned a route that would take me down the coast, over Trondheim airport and then on down to Oppdal, with a flight rule change to VFR at the OSMUM waypoint.
Getting ready to depart
I fired up the PT-6s, then programmed the GPS, and discovered that Oppdal isn’t contained in the database. Not to worry – I entered it as a user-defined lat/lon waypoint instead.
Initial climb
I departed Mosjøen on runway 33, initially climbing out to the northwest along the Vefsnfjord until I was clear of the surrounding terrain, then turning on course.
Overhead the town of Mosjøen
The fine weather made for a relaxing flight and great views, so I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking from here.
Beautiful views on the climbout
Overhead Namsos
Overflying Trondheim airport
The city of Trondheim
Approaching Oppdal
On final
We’ve arrived
I got into Oppdal around 10 pm and secured my prearranged spot in one of the hangars painted in traditional Falu red.
Next stop will be Sandane ENSD. It will be a short leg, only just over 100 miles, but I can’t leave out this airfield with its picturesque surroundings and challenging approaches.