Black Carbon Pollution Research
Green Light World Flight mission of 2018 has been performed over Middle and Far East including China and Russia. Flight mission was focused to detection of black carbon due forest fires in far East Russia.
The winter of 2018 in Siberia was long and cold, so the flight was a bit too early for forest fires. But GLWF team has detected significant amount of black carbon NW of Lake Baikal on the route from Ulan-Ude to Krasnoyarsk. After Krasnoyarsk the weather was bad and the crew was forced to fly very high above the clouds where the concentration of pollution was minor. Again West of Ufa were some spots of polluted air due to fires. Detailed report of the 2018 research is going to be published next year.
The team leader pilot Matevz Lenarcic flew to Russia earlier in 2002 and 2004:
«At that times obtaining permission was very difficult as CAA in Moscow did not want to be responsible for SAR (Search and Rescue) so I had to sign paper that SAR is not necessary. Last year was very easy with great help of MAK General Aviation Services and my friend Andrey Dubrovin who again flew with me all the way from Ulan-Ude to Moscow. The problem is that VFR flights are limited to Russian speaking pilots, and IFR flights with light aircraft could be dangerous some time if the weather is bad. And controllers are not flexible at all.»
For ultralight aircraft the fuel is not a big problem, says Matevz, if you are able to land at small airports and get fuel from city fuel station. If you land at big international airports you have to get special permission to get car fuel to the airport. Avgas 100LL is difficult to find and you have to prearrange delivery what is costly and sometimes complicated. Matevz told that last year everything went smooth due to MAK support.
Matevz Lenarcic shares his impressions about Russia: «Vast expanses, wild far East and nice and warm people, it is one of my preferred country to fly over. With a little bit of Russian speaking knowledge or Russian friends the flights are very easy and beautiful. No doubt one of the best flying experience in the world.»