The Munro dash

Derek Pake set out to fly over – and ‘bag’ from the air – all 282 mountain summits above 3,000ft in Scotland… and all in 24 hours!

I’ve always fancied trying the Pooleys Dawn to Dusk Competition. I love flying but also have a passion for the great outdoors. I regularly enjoy mountain flying in Scotland, where the views on a fine day can be truly breathtaking, but with a healthy respect for the mountains, on land and in the air.

Local weather conditions can change instantly, but this all adds a rewarding challenge to making a safe flight.

Combining my two interests created a challenge to fly over all the 3,000ft high summits in Scotland, collectively known as Munros, in a day.

My passenger would be mountaineer and sustainable and renewable energy investment expert, Adam Forsyth, and so another strand to our challenge would be to promote the decarbonisation of aviation during our trip. After all, flying around burning avgas for several hours over wild and unspoilt landscapes might be seen as environmentally unfriendly by some, so we wanted to help show that work is being done to develop and introduce low or zero carbon fuels for aviation.

The Munros

Sir Hugh Munro was a mountaineer and in 1891 published a table of 33,000ft high Scottish mountain summits. Completing the ‘Munros’ remains a challenge for hillwalkers and mountaineers, with the ticking off of summits called affectionately ‘Munro Bagging’. Today there are 282 Munros on the official list published and maintained by the Scottish Mountaineering Club.

Sustainable fuel

We all know of the challenge to find fuel that is not only producing low or zero carbon, but is also sustainable and moves us away from fossil fuel dependence. Such fuels are under development and may be available commercially in around five years’ time, which gives us hope that General Aviation will have an option for continued operation, via electric power, hydrogen power, or by using synthetic or sustainable versions of avgas products.

Dr Massimiliano Materrazi, based at the University College London, specialises in leading bioenergy and biofuels research, and kindly agreed to provide us with a small blend of ‘sustainable avgas’ to use during the challenge, helping to highlight this development work. To meet current regulations, the amount of fuel added was of course very small, but nevertheless symbolic of the future. Needless to say, there was no noticeable difference to the operation of the aircraft engine during the challenge.

Charity fundraising

The challenge was also about charity fundraising too, with the chosen charities reflecting aviation and the mountains, so we chose aeroBILITY, the disabled flying charity, and the Search and Rescue Aerial Association (SARAA), which provide drone training and equipment for mountain rescue teams. To date we have raised more than £3,400, split between the two charities.

Our aircraft

We would fly the challenge in G-WEEV, a Van’s RV-8 and affectionately known as ‘Wee Vans’. Built by former RAF and airline pilot Bob Ellis, originally as G-JBTR, she first flew in 2012. Bob and ‘TR’ also won the Royal Aero Club British Air Racing Championship in 2015. G-JBTR has also appeared in LAA brochures. In 2017 she came to Scotland and in 2019 she was re-registered as G-WEEV, and a new paint scheme applied.

The RV-8 is a capable tourer with a cruise speed of around 150-160kt and so an ideal platform for a Dawn to Dusk Competition. Powered by a Lycoming IO-360-M1B engine with inverted fuel and oil systems, normal cruising fuel consumption is 31 to 35 litres per hour, and with 158 litres fuel capacity, endurance is four hours plus 30 minutes VFR reserve.

Above Paper planning charts and guidebook. An electronic database and SkyDemon were much easier to use!

Mission planning

For route planning, an Excel database of the Munro summits provided us with each summit name, height, and most importantly for navigation, the latitude and longitude.

Looking at Munro specific publications and the CAA half-mil charts did not particularly make planning a route easy, but with the database imported into the SkyDemon App as User defined Waypoints, I now had 282 little circles which I could then join up. A natural order of completing the summits fell out of this process, along with optimum airfields for fuel and crew breaks.

Departing Prestwick with a solo flight to Fife Airport, I’d brief and collect crew member Adam, plus fill the aircraft with fuel, not forgetting to add our ‘sustainable avgas’ sample of course! We would then fly over the Lindertis Estate, Kirriemuir, and tip a wing in salute to Sir Hugh resting at his family’s ancestral home, before covering the Eastern, Central, and Southern Munros, with a fuel and lunch stop in Oban. So, onwards to Glencoe and Ben Nevis, across to the Monadhliath Mountains, and back west to zigzag up the west coast and the Isle of Skye, to Ben Hope, the most Northerly Munro, before heading to Inverness to end the challenge.

The planned legs were based on a cruising speed of 150kt and a fuel burn of 35 litres per hour with a 30 minute reserve and 5% contingency (below).

Weather

Scottish weather was always going to be the most unpredictable factor, and one over which we had absolutely no control. Scotland’s geography has its own weather generators, such as turbulence and cloud formation over high terrain, regular precipitation in the west from Atlantic weather systems, and summer fog and low cloud on the east coast as a result of haar, or sea fog, coming off the cold North Sea. We would need a lot of luck.

Pre-flight prep

Multiple weather sources indicated that although the south of Scotland and the rest of the UK was basking in high temperatures and sunshine, a weather front running from south-west to north-east over the west and north of Scotland, was giving low cloud and precipitation, albeit it was moving slowly north-eastwards. On the day of our challenge, initial low cloud was forecast to burn off, but some haar might linger on eastern estuaries and coasts, and there was also a chance of low cloud and fog forming in isolated areas in the evening. This was much better than we could have hoped for, and it looked very much like the mountain tops would all be in the clear.

Refuelling would take place at Fife, adding our sustainable fuel sample, with a further fill up at Oban to give us enough endurance to complete the challenge before landing at Inverness.

Flying over large areas of inhospitable and rough terrain also focuses the mind on possible diversion airfields in the event of unforeseen or emergency situations, especially with relatively few airfields in northern Scotland. Personal experience helped produce a diversion list of around 10 airfields, which we hoped not to use.

Leg 1: Prestwick-Fife

With a few hours weather delay, I got airborne from Prestwick at 0916L in CAVOK. Arriving overhead Fife there was solid cloud below, however about three miles south of the airfield was a large east-west hole in the cloud. The ground was clearly in sight below it with an 800ft ceiling, so I dropped down for a look, knowing I had several miles of VMC to climb back out if required. Fife was clearly visible and I landed at 0948L.

Leg 2: Fife-Oban-Glenforsa

At Fife I added 105L of avgas plus our small sample of Sustainable Fuel, which was put into one fuel tank only to give a degree of redundancy should there be any problem, departing close to max take-off weight of 1,800lb at 1137L. We passed over Sir Hugh Munro’s family estate, with a couple of orbits over the woods where he lies, to pay our respects before we continued to our first of the planned 98 Munros on this leg, Mount Keen (3081ft), the most easterly Munro. Then it was west and then north covering the Angus, Perthshire, and Cairngorm range summits. After a few summits were overflown, I quickly learned that it made sense to anticipate the direction of turn required for the next peak and then turn in the opposite direction shortly before the summit so that the turn on track to the next one took us directly overhead. This helped reduce the number of steep turns that were required and made for a much smoother flight for Adam in the back.

Continuing onwards in perfect flying conditions over Schiehallion (3,553ft), which holds a place in geographical history as it was used by the Astronomer Royal Nevil Maskelyne in 1774 for an experiment to estimate the mass of the Earth, as well as work done by his mathematician assistant Charles Hutton, which brought about the system of contour lines on topographical maps, the Ben Lawers range was next. We took in some of the southerly outliers afterwards, including Ben Lomond (3,196ft), towering above the famous Loch. The fantastic views and freedom to cross from peak to peak made us think of the magnificent work that aeroBILITY do in providing access to flight for disabled people and allowing them to experience similar feelings and emotions in the air.

Over the Arrochar Alps, we spied quite a few climbers on the summits before we passed over the Crianlarich Hills, including Ben More (3,822ft), which has unfortunately had three fatal aviation accidents on its slopes over the years. The mountains in Scotland may not be very high, but they still demand respect and awareness at all times.

The Breadalbane Mountains were next, by Rannoch Moor, before Ben Lui (3,707ft) and her sisters. Close to

Oban Airport, we came to the ‘hollow mountain’, Ben Cruachan (3,694ft), so called because of the massive hall excavated deep within it which houses a huge hydroelectric generator station. Our plan was to land at Oban but there is arguably a better class of lunch served at the Glenforsa Hotel on the Isle of Mull, so we made the 10 minute transit to our second Ben More (3,169ft), the only Munro on the island. With summit number 99 conquered, we touched down on the Glenforsa grass at 1419L, with food and friends waiting.

Leg 3: Glenforsa-Oban

Lunch consumed, we were airborne at 1518L for the short hop to Oban for fuel, landing at 1528L.

Leg 4: Oban-Inverness-Easter-Glenforsa

Filling our tanks with 96L of fuel, we prepared for the final leg.

On our Fife-Glenforsa leg, actual flight time was 20% higher than calculated by SkyDemon, possibly because all turns over waypoints are expected to be instantaneous. When making 100+ turns then even 10 seconds extra per turn is going to increase flight time by 16 minutes, so it was something to factor in.

I called Inverness to confirm our fuel stop. Haar was reported, as forecast, but reports from other airfields in the vicinity indicated CAVOK to the North, giving us several diversion options at the end of the challenge. This was academic though as there was limited avgas, so it was only available to based aircraft. Inverness with no fuel was not enticing so I called the nearby and always helpful Easter Airfield, which confirmed avgas availability, albeit there was intermittent haar.

We would follow our plan, with the option for a break at Plockton, and continue around to now finish at Easter. Elapsed time to Easter was three hours and 24 minutes, but with our previous flight timing experience, a more realistic time was estimated at four hours and five minutes, giving us 25 minutes reserve.

Omitting Plockton or landing at a closer diversion airfield would restore the reserve to 30 minutes. Time to

Departing Oban at 1604L and running a little late, we’d also need to keep an eye on the daylight too. Night flight was not an option…

Overflying the spectacular Argyll summits, Black Mount, Glencoe, and the airy ridge of Aonach Eagach was breathtaking. The scenery became even more superlative as we crossed the Mamores to the highest mountain in the UK, Ben Nevis (4,413ft). A quick orbit over the summit and a victory roll overhead the deep valley, which splits ‘The Ben’ from its neighbour, Carn Mor Dearg (4,003ft). We hoped it wasn’t premature…

Crossing the Grey Corries, and the wild, remote, and uninhabited lands around Corrour, we ‘bagged’ the remaining Badenoch summits and the Monadhliath plateau. The haar lying over the Moray Firth was visible in the distance, but was CAVOK either side of it. A command decision was made to divert to Easter and pick up some fuel now, giving us more options, before rejoining our route in reverse at Ben Wyvis (3,432ft), and backtracking until we reached the last Munro we left behind, Geal Charn (3,714ft). Heading north, we could clearly see the oil rigs lying in Nigg Bay near Cromarty.

Brushing the top of the 500ft thick haar layer, the wind turbine 1nm off the Easter threshold was visible, however, as we got closer there was no sign of the airfield and descending in a gap below the 200ft ceiling haar would be foolhardy. Climbing again, we set course for Ben Wyvis.

Reducing power to 2,200rpm, leaning for best range, day, but we’d come this far. Or we could continue, with regular GO / NO GO decision points based on fuel burn, actual fuel remaining, and time to our best diversion airfield. With 116 litres of fuel remaining, the EFIS (Electronic Flight Information System) calculated an endurance of four hours 48 minutes with no reserves, or slightly less if you include 5% contingency. We continued to our first decision point, Ben Hope (3,041ft), the most northerly munro, and the furthest point from wherever we would finally land. Replanning Glenforsa as final destination gave an estimate of two hours 14 minutes to the final summit, and two hours 40 minutes back to Glenforsa. However, that was based on a speed of 150kt instead of 120kt and also did not factor in the multiple turns percentage increase required. I used a factor of 20% to do a quick mental speed recalculation and a further 20% for turns, giving a new Glenforsa estimate of three hours 44 minutes. It would be tight, but possible.

Reaching Ben Hope, all potential destination airfields were within range if required. Remaining daylight and elapsed times also looked good. Our next GO / NO GO point would be at the Fannichs, but first we overflew some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen as we tracked to the rugged Ben More Assynt (3,274ft), highest point in Sutherland, and Conival (3,238ft), with hundreds of lochans and weird shaped mountains in the area. You can see why low flying military pilots call this place ‘moon country’.

At the Fannichs, all was well, and next was the magnificent An Teallach range (3,486ft), arguably the most impressive mountain scenery in the UK, before passing Slioch (3,219ft) towering above Loch Maree.

The Torridon Mountains were equally jaw dropping, formed from some of the oldest rock on the planet. Beinn Eighe (3,310ft) lays claim to being the starting point for the formation of RAF mountain rescue teams. In 1954 a maritime patrol Lancaster failed to return from a mission and was located two days later in a gully on the mountain.

Due to winter weather conditions and the treacherous location, it was over six months before the crew could be recovered. Once more we thought about one of our chosen charities and the differences that SARAA can make today. Eastwards to Glen Cannich, then the Strathfarrar Four, this our nearest point to divert to one of the airfields on the Black Isle. As all calculations were still good, we continued towards Glen Affric, the Five Sisters of Kintail, and the Forcan Ridge. Meanwhile, Scottish Information was liaising on our behalf with Glenforsa Hotel to try and find us accommodation.

We had seen a ‘No Vacancy’ sign on our lunchtime visit. Soon Brendan Walsh at Glenforsa confirmed we would have rooms and dinner on arrival. Bravo!

Our ETA for Glenforsa was now 2107L, exactly sunset. Over the sea to Skye, which also has the most difficult Munro to ‘bag’, the Inaccessible Pinnacle (3,234ft). This 150ft high fin of rock with sheer drops on either side is not for the faint hearted. Assuming you make it to the top, there is then a 60ft abseil to get off the peak.

Traversing the peaks of Moidart, Loch Quoich, and Loch Arkaig, fuel checks remained good. Passing Creag Meagaidh (3,701ft), we soon reached our final summit, setting a direct course to Glenforsa on a 66nm final approach. The sun was descending quickly in the West, adding a wonderful red glow to everything around us. Touchdown was exactly as the sun dropped below the horizon, with 25L of fuel remaining. Phew…

The hotel was busy with a buzz about it, and we were buzzing in our own way, of course. We had just spent over eight hours in an RV-8, not really designed for the ‘first class, long-haul’ cabin experience, but definitely had views better than any inflight movie. We had flown over all 282 Munro summits in a single day in weather which we could not have possibly dreamed about.

Our charity donations were rolling in and there was genuine interest in what we had done and why we were doing it. Finally, we had overcome the challenges that had been thrown at us, by adapting our plans, operating the aircraft in a manner which made it as efficient as possible, and by not giving up.

Pooleys Dawn to Dusk competition, it should be on every pilot’s bucket list! ■

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