Spitsbergen - Norway Mainland - Svalbard to Rossvoll
Spitsbergen - Norway Mainland
Spitsbergen, the largest and westernmost island in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, is one of the Nordic region’s most renowned, and little-known, regions. It is a mysterious arctic world steeped in the history of exploration and scientific inquiry that remains virtually untouched by humanity.
The starkly beautiful island, which measures 250 miles north-to-south and 150 miles at its widest, is located just under 1,000 miles from the North Pole at the juncture of the Arctic Ocean proper, the Norwegian Sea, the Barents Sea, and the Greenland Sea. The name “Spitsbergen” translates to “pointed mountains” in Dutch and is evocative of its physical nature, which is characterized by mountains, glaciers, and fjords. More than half of the island is covered by glacial ice and the highest point, Newtontoppen (Newton Peak), stands more than a vertical mile above sea level at 5,620 feet in elevation.
Spitsbergen was discovered in 1596 by Dutch Explorers and eventually was used as a base for whaling operations. Today, it is the only permanently inhabited island in the Svalbard archipelago. Its first settlement, Longyearbyen, was established in the early 20th century to serve the coal mining industry, which remains the primary mainstay of the island’s economy to this day.
Spitsbergen is perhaps most renowned for research and geographic exploration. In 1926, American explorer Richard Evelyn Byrd used the island as a base for his 1926 attempt to reach the North Pole in a Fokker F.VIIa/3m tri-motor aircraft. Also in 1926, Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen launched his airship, the Norge, from Spitsbergen on a flight that successfully crossed over the North Pole and traversed the entirety of the world’s arctic latitudes. Scientists have used the island for decades for a wide variety of research, notably for work to understand arctic environments, weather, and climate.
The Spitsbergen Bush Trip explores the southwestern coast of the island, then crosses the eastern extremity of the Norwegian Sea near its boundary with the Barents Sea, and ends with a journey along the northern reaches of mainland Norway.
Special considerations:
Ensure proper familiarization with instrument navigation of the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX.
Attention to fuel level is critical! Refueling is only possible at airports that offer fuel.
Maximize the aircraft’s efficiency and range by adjusting power settings accordingly.
Total Legs: 4 Total Distance: 1017 Total Time(125kts): 8 hours 8 minutes
Leg 1
Svallbard-Airport to Banak
Leg Distance: 563.63 Approximate time at 125kts: 271 minutes.
Svallbard Airport(ENSB) to Festningen Geotope Protected Area(POI1)
Distance: 25.27NM Bearing: 233° 12 minutes
After lifting off from Svalbard Airport, begin a circular climb up to 2,500 feet above sea level to gain a full view of the region in which the airport is located. Svalbard Airport lies on the southwest coast of Adventfjorden, a small fjord that opens to the south side of the 66-mile-long Isfjorden, the second longest fjord in the Svalbard Archipelago.
Longyearbyen, the administrative center of Svalbard and its largest population center, lies tucked into the head of Adventfjorden, just to the southeast of the airport. The airport is built at the base of Platåberget, a flat-topped mountain that rises to an altitude of just over 1,500 feet above sea level where the Adventfjorden and Isfjorden fjords meet. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a secure seed repository for more than one million of the world’s crops, is built into the side of Platåberget directly above the east end of the airport’s runway. The Svalbard Satellite Station, which is critical for communications with polar orbiting satellites, was built atop Platåberget due to the unique combination of its northerly location and the obstruction-free field of view its summit provides.
The fjords of Spitsbergen, notably Isfjorden, are some of the most dramatic in the world. Fjords form over millions of years as a result of glaciers weathering and eroding bedrock over which they flow, forming U-shaped valleys that are then partially submerged. Continue flying along the southern edge of Isfjorden on a west-southwest heading and sight its opening to the Greenland Sea. Pass the mouth of Grønfjorden, a small fjord that connects to the southern side of Isfjorden, to reach the Festningen Geotope Protected Area, which protects the geologic component of the area’s ecosystem, including a line of cliffs at the southern edge of the fjord.
Festningen Geotope Protected Area(POI1) to Bellsund(POI2)
Distance: 32.18NM Bearing: 163° 15 minutes
At the opening of Isfjorden to the Greenland Sea, turn to the south and track the coastline. Cross the 11-mile-wide Bellsund (Bell Sound) where it meets the Greenland Sea. The Bellsund, although called a sound, is actually a fjord. It was created by a glacier that formed by the merging of two smaller glaciers to the east. The northerly of these two glaciers formed the modern-day Van Mijenfjorden, Svalbard’s third longest fjord at 52 miles in length, and the southerly of these glaciers formed Van Keulenfjorden. Both of these fjords feed into the Bellsund.
Bellsund(POI2) to Hornsund(POI3)
Distance: 43.59NM Bearing: 140° 21 minutes
At the southern end of the Bellsund, turn into a southeast heading and follow the general trend of the coastline, remaining inland of it. This region, the southern portion of Spitsbergen, is protected by South Spitsbergen National Park. The region is a wonderland of glaciers, jagged peaks, knife-edge ridgelines, fjords, and other glacial features. It is also renowned as an important bird habitat, with a variety of species using it for breeding grounds. Pass over two small bays and then gain a visual on and fly over the opening of the Hornsund, the largest fjord in southern Spitsbergen at 7.5 miles wide by 19 miles long.