Back in the year 2017, we decided to do a trip with the Diamond DA20 C1 Eclipse, to Corsica and Elba island. The Diamond DA20 C1 is a small but fast aircraft, with a speed of about 135kt. So on June 24, we started our trip in Birrfeld LSZF. The weather at this time wasn't very good, but the forecast for the western region was much better. The first stop was planned in Chambery to do the customs for France. It was a short and uncomplicated airfield. After Chambery, we departed south to the airfield Gap, a small uncontrolled airfield. There we had to refuel our Diamond. After refueling, we departed for Cannes, a famous controlled airfield in the Mediterranean Sea with a lot of traffic - with helicopters and business jets. We decided to stay one night in Cannes to see a little bit more of this famous city. There you can see a lot of big private yachts.
The day after, we unpacked our plane and continued our trip south to Corsica island. It was the first time for us to cross the Mediterranean Sea with a small plane with only one engine. It was a strange feeling and only with a life jacket on. After an hour and a half over the open waters without complications, we had Corsica island in sight. It was absolutely breathtaking! We could see the clear blue water and the endless sandy beaches. It was an absolutely perfect feeling to fly low along the coastline. I will never forget this and I hope I can do this once again.
After the landing in Figari, we parked our plane next to the big ones and took a rental car to the hotel. We stayed in Corsica for three nights before we left for Elba island.
Elba is also a very nice island. The special thing is, Elba is already an Italian island. The approach to Elba is very steep and absolutely special.
After three days on the island, we wanted to leave but we had very strong winds and thunderstorm activities. We had to wait for the perfect moment to leave between two moving fronts. We had luck and the timing was perfect. We flew towards the east and arrived in Siena five minutes before the rain started pouring again.
Siena is always worth a visit - with it’s old buildings and the arena from the middle ages.
It was now time to go back to Switzerland. After two days, we left Siena northbound, along the coast to Genova and back to Locarno for the inbound customs. The last leg was back from Locarno to Birrfeld. This was a very interesting and impressing flight through France and Italy that I will never forget. I'm already planning the next trip to Corsica!
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