taoftedal

Did you make it to Travis Bosss? Looking forward to the report ... did I miss it?

From far off GUCY welcome to ZGGG jgf ... well done!

Airbasil ... another long haul from the past ... South African A340-300 l Cape Town to İstanbul. A Piper she is not ...

Well ... I didn’t make it ... but the U.S. Army did! Talk about one rugged STOL Bush Machine! Macro ... you trying to bump us all off ... ?

Very nice alanp ... put some Turtle-Pac's in her and with a tailwind you'll be surprised at what she'll do ... New York to Paris!

Not sure what to report as I set my cruise altitude and let Otto do the flying. Past Cairo the landscape never seemed to change. Down below I assume is nothing but sand and rocks ... and dehydration ... but at the same time there is a touch of mystery and wonder ... Discretion being the better part of valor I pulled out the charts and plotted my progress via the VOR’s just in case the GPS had other ideas ... lots of time to think about what could happen. Landing at Aguenar (DAAT) I fill the tanks and get some lunch and rest before the final leg. Life below eventually emerges again before landing at Gbessia (GUCY), and after a half-hour or so of paperwork, I turn over the keys and my job is done. Other than that first leg ... I hope Antoine de Saint-Exupéry would have approved. Thanks, defaid!

An early evening fight from Doval-Andrews and they park me who knows where (at least the place seems well secured)! A big place Andrews but they are nice enough to shuttle me back to the office. There they ask me a few more questions but once convinced I was with you ... all they wanted to talk about was the Lancaster. I promised them a tour Bosss so need a little help ... with that I’m off to the hotel and after breakfast in the morning ... a day at Air and Space.

So true defaid. After that first leg I checked the charts and numbers and found that I should never have made it over that land of snow (hopefully Conway (Lost Horizon) would have found me). Curbing my enthusiasm (after the reality check) and climbing again to join the track west, I settled in at FL240 to enjoy the view ... keeping a close eye on the fuel burn. The mountains leave as you enter Pakistan but return in Afghanistan. Nothing like the Himalayas but sill ... mountains are mountains. They disappear for a little over Iran but return until you cross into Iraq. Soon the ‘Fertile Crescent’ is under and off the starboard wing and I set the TBM down at El Arish (HEAR) to end the day. Tomorrow ... Wind, Sand and Stars ...

Sounds like a fun trip defaid. I’ll be flying west from ZGGG delivering a TBM to GUCY. Probably not a good idea to go direct ... across those Himalayas but hey ... I’m a ‘Ferry Pilot’ baby and if I arrive early there’s a bonus in it for me ... and I need the cash! With a lot of help from a tailwind (50 kts) and a careful eye on the fuel I just make it into Srinagar (VISR) with little left in the tank ... but with a quick cat nap and full tanks I’ll be off again ... after all ... I’m a Ferry Pilot!

Just wonderful Bosss! Thought I might track along side as you cross North America. In doing so and keeping with the 'British' theme I pulled out my Hawker 800XP (with a pedigree all the way back to the Jet Dragon days) and flew the Goose Bay-Dorval leg. Even at FL340 it was a pretty trip through the late afternoon following the St. Lawrence into Montreal.

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Hey you kids ... load up the wagon and let’s get going. I’ve got the picnic basket and don’t forget the cooler and charcoal. Grandma ... do you want to ride shotgun or sit with the kids in the back? Put those phones down and check out this beautiful valley. Okay ... everybody out! The parks just down by the river. It’s a burger-meister day in Innsbruck! Rupert ... how do you want your burger? (Sorry Rupert ... just too beautiful to lower that ceiling and we're ready for summer here in the Upper Midwest ... but kept the bird below 3,500 ... and yes ... just as beautiful in the winter. Thanks)!

'Not to worry Max ... here we come! Never mind ... I know you don't see the lighthouse ... abandon your sinking vessel and climb on board. Now ... hop on out and let's get some fuel in this bird.' A nice little flight. Two (2) bridges and a cruise ship straddling the canal ... oh well ... so be it for default scenery. Thanks Macro!

I made it! Can't say my flying was as beautiful as the scenery. Good thing that C-185 is as back-country rugged as the terrain. Thanks Rupert!

I've been doing a little short haul work with Mike Stone's Caravelle ... very pretty bird. Hey Bosss ... how are you coming on your new RTW ... ?