Above the clouds … sightseeing flight over the Main valley near Miltenberg

What luck! The weather cooperated and so nothing stood in the way of a sightseeing flight over Churfranken. It was an experience I won’t soon forget.

We reached Mainbullau airfield in the morning. Here at the commercial airfield with a 700-metre runway, gliders, helicopters, motor gliders and microlights are allowed to take off and land. From here you can take sightseeing flights over the area between the Odenwald and Spessart, get flying lessons or take off for parachute jumps.

The plane

We enter the grounds and stand right next to the airfield. So from here it should start right away.

Curious, I look at the small aircraft. A four-seater DA 40 Diamond Star light aircraft was waiting for us at the edge of the tarmac. It is not big … but, we are assured, due to the weather little or no turbulence was to be expected. The sightseeing flight should be pleasant.

Two passengers at a time can join the pilot Peter Duffek in the plane, and I decide not to get in until the second round. That way I can watch the take-off and landing in peace.

I climb over the wing onto the back bench of the small plane and wait to see what’s coming.

My sightseeing flight over Churfranken

First I fasten my seat belt and put on my headphones. Immediately I perceive the world around me only dully, until our pilot Peter Duffek and my fellow pilot Andreas from the blog Jungwandern start a short microphone check. I understand everything loud and clear, they understand me too. But to be clear, I didn’t talk during the flight. I was much too busy soaking up the impressions of these 15 minutes and storing them under the experience “it’s so beautiful!”

We taxi onto the runway – I have the feeling I can feel every wave, every bump in the ground. The tower gives the go-ahead for take-off and the plane picks up speed. 700 metres, then the plane must be in the air.

Yes, and then we take off… Very soft, no big steep climb but rather flat, we float away over the surrounding forests.

I notice how I relax when I realise that the plane is really hardly shaking. I have experienced much greater turbulence in large commercial aircraft. From this moment on, I can hardly take my eyes off the beautiful landscape below me. Wooded hilltops, steep slopes full of vines, fields and meadows create a varied landscape through which the Main meanders.

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We see places from a bird’s eye view that we have hiked in the last 2 days. What strikes me as a former geography student is the so clearly recognisable urban structure in the places. If I had seen this live once in my studies, I’m sure many things would have been clearer.

As we fly a turn, I notice that, strangely enough, I don’t mind it in this small plane. In the big planes, I hate looking out of the window during a turn. I always have the feeling of losing my orientation. It’s completely different in this light aircraft, much more relaxed. And so I can enjoy the flight even more.

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After 15 minutes, we set down again for landing. Our pilot set the plane down on the runway as smoothly as butter and then drove back to our starting point. It’s a pity, I would have liked to fly further and see much more of the region from the air.

For me, the sightseeing flight was one of the most exciting, thrilling and memorable impressions I have gained on my travels so far.

Those who wish can book this experience during a visit to Churfranken on the airfield’s website.

Disclosure: The sightseeing flight was an item on the programme of the press trip to the Churfranken region. Many thanks for this great experience! The article is exclusively my own opinion.