Page 42 - Cross Country Travel Guide 2019

NORDIC LANDS

Towing in Finland
Finland has some fantastic flatland XC flying.
Kauhava Airfield is a 2,700m former military

airfield that has been delighting the Finns with
a series of 200-300km flights in recent years.
The military left in 2014, so it is now home
to recreational aviation including a winching
operation: Juoni Makkonen flew 337km from
here in May 2018.
The town of Kauhava is about 400km
northwest of capital Helsinki, perfectly
positioned to take advantage of post cold front
NW’ly airstreams. Getting there is easy by
train from Helsinki, or it’s a five-hour drive.
There is a a pink motel (www.lentohotelli.fi)

where you can rest your head. A paramotor
pilot runs the local cinema, so there is even
something to do on rainy days.
The best flying season is May if you want
to fly really long XCs. June is also good, with
the added benefit of longer days. Midsummer
festivities can be fun.
ilmasotakoulunlentokerho.com
Photo: Sami Pitkäkoski

Voss, Norway

Famous for the Ekstremsportveko (Extreme
Sports Week) at the end of June each year,
Voss is getting a new gondola that will take
pilots directly from the train station to
launch. What’s more, that launch can take
any wind direction but N and NW.
To get there fly to Bergen and then take a
two-hour train ride through some incredible
scenery. This is a land of fjords: deep lakes,

steep cliffs and tumbling waterfalls. The
flying here is suitable for all levels; there is
an acro scene too. Landing is lakeside in the
middle of the village.
Top of the ticklist is a 20-40km easy XC
along the world’s longest fjord. XC potential
also includes out-and-returns, triangles
or big 200km flights crossing fjords and

mountain plateaus. A manageable O/R takes
you to the spectacular Nærøyfjord. Despite
deep valleys, fjords and massive glaciers the
conditions are good for most levels of pilots.
ekstremsportveko.com, vosshpk.no
Photo: Jan Richard Hansen / Pilot: Robin Larsen

42 CROSS COUNTRY TRAVEL GUIDE 2019 NORDICS