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IFFR Sc Vilnius Fly-In, August 8 – 11 2019

Few things in life are as pleasant as meeting old friends and making new ones. There you have two good reasons for coming to our annual Fly-In, this year held in Vilnius, Lithuania.

We were 54 persons attending from at least 13 different countries – a true display of the Rotary Spirit.

The weather forecast was not very promising – rain predicted for the entire stay! But it turned out to be much better than expected even if it started off with showers and strong winds on Thursday. In fact, a large number of IFFR-friends arriving on their own wings got stranded in Gdansk and Visby, waiting for better weather conditions, before they could finally arrive later in the day.

So, eventually, we could all gather for a traditional Lithuanian dinner on Thursday evening when we also got treated with a presentation of the annual Lithuanian Young Pilots Glider Camp. The Camp have hosted almost 100 youngsters during the years – who have not only learned to fly a glider, but also learn a lot about other things while getting new friends.

The Scandinavian Section of IFFR have decided to contribute 1000 Euros to help support next years Glider Camp, and together with additional contributions from other IFFR Sections and individual Rotary Clubs, we are planning to submit an application for a District Grant with The Rotary Foundation. Hopefully we will be able to raise the 3-5.000 Euros which is needed to finance next year’s Glider Camp.

Friday and Saturday were filled with a lot of activities! It started off with an all-day tour of the city. We went to see impressive churches, the university, the former Jewish community and it´s part of the Holocaust as well as the KGB Museum. The latter two being a more depressing part of Lithuania’s history during and after WW2.

On Saturday we found ourselves on an inland lake – visiting an old fortress and trying to make sense of the art of traveling by the wind. We occupied 8-10 small sailing boats and went out to sea. Fortunately, we were not alone – there was a knowledgeable captain in charge – but many of us got the first experience of sailing that day.

Thanks to Janis Andersons, our Section Activity Leader for 2019, it was a truly well-organized Fly-In. Pleasant excursions, nice meals and the good company of Flying Rotarians made it a very memorable get-together.

Hopefully we will all meet again next year!

Roland Johnsson

SC IFFR 2019-1

IFFR Scandinavian Vilnius 8-11 August 2019

General information for participants flying to Vilnius International, EYVI with their own aircraft;

EYVI is a good airport for general aviation, both VFR and IFR, everything is quite straight forward. The total landing, parking and handling fee is normally 100-120 EUR.

Please note there is ONLY JET A1 at EYVI Participants will be informed about AVGAS airport in the area in good time prior to our meeting.

No PPR is required.

Lithuania AIP is free in on WEB.

Lithuania is a EU country, using EURO and a part of Schengen Area. Participants planing to use airline service are recommended to make reservations early to get good offers.

There are many airlines flying to Vilnius so please check carefully for the best offers.

Information – IFFR Scandinavian section annual meeting is planned on the 9th of august 17:00 at Congress Avenue Hotel.

Checklist
1. Send the registration form
2. Make the hotel reservation
3. Plan the travel Welcome to Vilnius the capital of Lithuania!

For any assistance: Janis Andersons Rotary PDG, IFFR Tel +371 28 68 08 88 morke@euroskor.com

2019 Vilnius Program r1

2019 Vilnius Reg Form

Fly-In och årsmöte i Bodø Norge

Bodø, Norge var basen för årets skandinaviska Fly-In. Bodø ligger norr om polcirkeln nära Lofoten. De flesta av oss kom på torsdag den 4 augusti som var en varm och trevlig kväll. Fly-Inet sammanföll med den årliga musikfestivalen och några av oss fick uppleva Orchestra Academy of St Martin som gav en stor konsert i den lokala teatern.

Vissa verkställande kommittéledamöter att ha kul

Ellen och Peter redo att segla

Bodö är en speciell stad att vara ett lokalt centrum med en upptagningsområde på nästan 250 km som omger staden. Flygplatsen har stor betydelse för staden, men också som bas för det norska försvaret. Norges Luftfartsverket har sitt   högkvarter i Bodö och där finns också det norska flygmuseet. Vi gick på ett seminarium om utvecklingen av staden där projektplanen för att flytta flygplatsen något för att göra plats för utbyggnad av staden förklarades. För en gångs skull fick vi intrycket av att flygplatsen sågs som viktig del av infrastrukturen och inte en bullriga nödvändighet. Efter lunch ett besök vi den lokala Newton Flight Academy var som har flera flygsimulatorerer.
Följande dag deltog vi i den officiella invigningen av musikfestival. Hela staden serverades tårta och kaffe.

Tårta för staden

DG Helge och WP Svend

Visa till Lofoten på 11:20 pm

Tollef och Peter tittar på en ny stuga-klass

Stenåldersboplats

Stenåldern Lunch

Lunchen intogs senare en stenåldern grotta där vi serverades en bra vinprovning fisk skålen med korn. Lokala gamla öl bryggs på honung var urvalet, men inte konsumeras i större mängder.
Bodø ligger mitt i den fantastiska norska naturen. En särskild företeelser är malström genereras av tidvattnet vid in- och lämnar några av fjordarna. En båttur att se det krävs speciella överlevnadsdräkter, vilket i sig skapat ett antal bra fototillfällen.
Vårt möte också märkt det 30-årsjubileet av den skandinaviska delen. Festligheterna kombinerades med lokala rotary klubbar 70 års jubileum så firade vi kollektivt ett 100 år av Rotary. Nordic Aviation Trophy tilldelades din verkligen, en ära som jag är djupt rörd och mycket mycket tacksam till mina kolleger för skandinaviska IFFR.
Tack till organisera teamet: Per Strømhaug, Ole Hjartøy och Svenn Larsen.

Scandinavian trophy… Bo och Svend

The INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF FLYING ROTARIANS welcomes all Rotarians who share an interest in aviation. You do not have to be a current pilot, or even a pilot at all. Your interest in aviation and being a Rotarian is all it takes to be a member.

The IFFR is an international organization enjoying the support of over 1,000 members world-wide. IFFR is divided into four regions Americas, Europe, Australia-Asia, and Africa.

The fellowship was formally established through the efforts of a dedicated Rotarian, E. Edison Kennell, of Seattle, Washington, in 1965.

The activities of IFFR bring together flying and non-flying Rotarians alike all over the world. Many members have flown their private aircraft over the oceans of the earth for conventions, fly-in events, Rotary service projects, and various other home club and district programs. International understanding has and will continue to benefit through the Fellowship.

The Scandinavian section of IFFR gathers about 100 members from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Norway and Sweden. Every year in connection to the Annual General Meeting the section will arrange a Fly-In where members from all over the world are invited to attend.