EMPOA Trip 2022: Karlovy Vary and Krakow

At last COVID-19 seemed to be behind us all and a trip like in the years before was possible again. So David Kromka and Britta Hasskerl took over the organization of this year's fly-out to Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic and Krakow in Poland. Unfortunately the virus hadn’t given in completely - one crew had to cancel due to an infection - nevertheless the trip was a complete success. A first thank you to David and Bri here! And fortunately, those who fell ill made a full recovery by now and are back in the air with their Mooney.

Karlovy Vary

In the best of weather, 18 Mooneys flew to LKKV. Under ideal conditions, the flight posed no problem for any of the crews, so everyone enjoyed the reunion over snacks and drinks in the terminal building. Also quite a few new faces could be warmly welcomed by the board and all participants.

After the transfer to the hotel, the first tourist highlight was the Jan Becher Museum, dedicated to the famous Czech herbal liqueur. Charmingly, the Mooney pilots were informed about the history and manufacturing process of the supposedly very healthy drink. Particularly appreciated and well received was the opportunity for extensive tasting of the now quite diverse range of Becherovka products.

Only a very few could bring themselves to take a water cure afterwards. Those who did it nevertheless, described it as little pleasant.

Some also found time for a short stroll through the very worthwhile city.

The big evening event was a typical Czech meal washed down with liberal quantities of excellent beer at the "Soldat Schweijk" restaurant. Afterwards, many of the crews still enjoyed the warm summer evening in small groups with a nightcap in one of the sidewalk bars.

Krakow

Most participants refrained from having a long breakfast on the second day of the trip - convective weather was forecast. Many crews decided to face the clouds VFR, others tackled the flight under IFR. Before noon, everyone had landed safely in EPGL, albeit a bit shaken up in places.

The bus wasn't ordered until the afternoon, but Bri and David not only managed to move the departure forward a bit, but organized cold drinks to shorten the wait for the dehydrated pilots.

After checking into the very nice hotel, some went sightseeing in this spectacular city, others took it a bit easier and left it at a short visit to the hotel bar, although this could not be considered pure sightseeing in all cases.

The evening began in summer temperatures at an excellent Polish restaurant. The air conditioning was getting a bit to its limits, but this in no way affected the excellent mood and the enjoyment of the good food.

As before in Carlsbad, many members enjoyed the evening afterwards in smaller or larger groups in various outdoor venues. However, these nice rounds came to an end when the thunderstorms, which the crews had escaped in the morning, had caught up with the Mooneys again.

The first item on the program for the final day was a visit to the Krakow Aviation Museum. Under the very enthusiastic guidance of a young staff member, the Mooney pilots were introduced to the history of more than just Polish aviation.

For some, this was probably too much aircraft, and instead of the museum tour, they made up for the city walk they had missed or deliberately skipped the day before.

Once again united, the whole group went to the Wieliczka salt mine in the afternoon. The attraction, listed as a World Heritage Site, proved to be the tourist highlight of the trip. There was a fascinating world to visit that miners had driven deep underground for centuries. Not only were there many tunnels for salt mining to be admired, but also works of art made of salt and even an underground cathedral.

The culinary finale and further highlight was the evening meal at the Michelin-awarded "Pod Nosem". Not only the excellent food will stay in the minds of many, but also the first contact with Polish wine will probably be remembered by many on the positive side.

As usual with EMPOA trips, a social gathering - this time in a cellar bar - formed the conclusion of the event.

In the feeling of deep friendship, the last pilots finally found their way back to the hotel at a late hour.

The following day, after breakfast, the transfer to the airfield was on the agenda. After a somewhat awkward refueling process, the 18 Mooneys dispersed again over Europe.

In the gallery: (almost) all participants and their Mooneys:

Finally, thanks again to Bri and David for organizing this happy and successful trip!

Tina Haug, with material from Gina Bieber and Gunter Haug