Departing Martinique for
V. C. Bird International Airport, 5 miles northeast of
St John's, on the island of
Antigua, in the
Lesser Antilles. This short flight of 159 NM will pass directly over the islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe. Here are
some things to do in Antigua.
I got started late again, so it was well after sunset, before I was ready to taxi out for takeoff. Pretty purple skyline off to the west.
The taxiway at Antigua doesn't go all the way to the end of the runway 10, so I had to back-taxi on the runway, to get into position for takeoff.
Heading away from the runway, into a nearly-black sky, with a few low dark hills ahead.
Climbing through 4,500 feet, and turning onto the northerly course.
Hard to see through the sea haze at night, but the lights of Dominica are directly ahead.
Also difficult to see in these conditions, are the lights of Guadeloupe.
The simulator didn't support the real-world ATIS frequency for Martinique, so I checked real-world weather, saw the winds were from 100 degrees, and chose the RNAV approach to runway 07. Here I'm descending through 7,700 feet for 2,500, and heading toward the initial approach fix at GADES.
It's a little eerie, flying the final approach course on a dark night, and seeing nothing but a teeny double row of runway lights ahead, 5 miles off in the distance. On closer inspection, there are many indications of the lights of civilization around and beyond the airport, but they're difficult to see, compared with the bright airport lighting.
Just a little more than a mile out. The airport still feels like a little bright spot in a big black hole.
Rolling out on the runway at Antigua airport, with the airport terminal off to the left.
Parked in front of one of the airport buildings, with the control tower behind me. I was able to catch the control tower, as it was illuminated by the green beam of the rotating airport beacon.
Looking forward, after shutting down the engine and refueling, and planning my next flight - to British Virgin Isles!
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