Qobby, Dorita, Annette and I escaped to Montenegro for a flying week at the end of the summer season.
Montenegro is relatively small country (pop 600k) trying to join the EU and competing with nearby Croatia for the tourist dollar and coming second. The coast to the north is reasonably well developed but the rest of the country still asleep.
With regular tourist airline connections to Dubrovnik from Glasgow and Edinburgh are relatively cheap followed by a three hour, two border crossing to Budva, Montenegro. My first experience with the package holiday (Thompsons now Tui) met expectations. Direct flights are to commence 2018.
Budva/Kotor – are the main destinations with plenty of off flying activities to entertain.
Flying
The daily flying envelope is relatively short as one needs to wait for the sea breeze to kick in around 1100 and dies about 1600. So you are basically flying the lee side thermals.
Braijici is 15km from Buvda – 760m top to bottom. Airspace restriction 1500m.
Braijici takoff with the landing in sight. Jeff’s Beach Bar – Closed for the season.
Although only 15km from Budva – extensive road works with lengthy road closures limited us to one takeoff per day from this sight. A large take off frequented by a few locals and the tandem guys. The takeoff can easily support two wings and there is ready lift in front of the takeoff.
The takeoff is just to the right of the risers above the road.
Comfortable flying, however the absence of alternative safe landing options carries the caution from the local pilots – “if you get more the 200m below the road head for the coast”.
The XC from here is a 40km coastal route to Bar and return. The first 10km is challenging as there are virtually no safe landing options until you get further south.
The local tandem - twin brothers were helpful – language challenges included would run you up the hill for 5E in a Mercedes that has seen better days.
The second takeoff – Buljarica. 642m top to bottom is a small rocky take off and much better positioned for the XC to Bar as there are numerous landing options away from the intense building on any land near Budva, with beaches, paddocks etc. Many areas which initially look like fine opportunities are reed beds. Difficult to get to with a very narrow overgrown track to the take off some 27km from Budva.
Here we landed in a motor camp with a beach restaurant nearby.
Qobby at Buljarica takeoff above with flight views below.
Summary.
As far as flying destinations in Europe there are much better options close by.
