We got to Stans, in Switzerland today (Sunday 19th August), a process that took around 30 hours from when we started in Adelaide.

Three flights, lots of walking between terminals, two train rides (Zurich-Lucerne-Stansstad), and a nice walk to the Hotel Winkelried.

In the afternoon, Pete Tippet (ferry flight PIC and my instructor) and I went on a trip to visit nearby Mount Pilatus (a 7000 ft summit that overlooks the Pilatus Aircraft factory).

Mount Pilatus features two hotels (at the summit), lots of walking trails, a cable car down one side (toward Luzerne) and one of the worlds steepest cog-driven rail systems on the other side (toward Stans).

The trip on the Pilatus-Bahn takes about 40 minutes each way, on a journey that rises up the 2000 metres to the summit at grades of up to 48% (!).

After an early dinner, we have retired to catch up on sleep and try to reset our brains into the local timezone properly, ready for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is when we arrive at the Pilatus factory to see my aircraft at last, to get a factory tour, to line up one or two local flights, and to start gearing up toward our ferry flight home.

Meantime, here are some photographs from our day of travel and tourism on a warm summery day in Switzerland… click on the photos for more information about them: