Oz to USA in a Jabiru

[Steve L]

Hi guys,

 

well after a couple of years studying the route from here to America Via Indonesia, Japan, Russia I now believe it possible. Some of you may remember my previous posts where I received valuable info. on this. It has been a personal achievement of mine for a while now and I wish to do it before I get too old haha!. Being a fairly large sponsor of Camp Quality in the past I see fit to support them again in this venture, negotiations are well under way.

 

Some of you are going to say " oh no not in a Jab" but I really cant see a problem with them. Icing is my only concern mainly through the Russian region but any plane could suffer that. Already I am negotiating with people in the Phillipines then Japan where I can presend oil, filters and any other service gear that would be too heavy to carry. Also I'm thinking of documenting and filming the flight so maybe a film can be made, hopefully Ben L. can shed some light on that.

 

Once again I appreciate any help and advice on making this possible especially for C Q. After this I wish to registrar myself and an aircraft with Angelflight.

 

regards

 

Steve L

 

 

[fly_tornado]

sounds like an epic journey

 

 

[facthunter]

Indeed it will be an epic flight. PLANNING is the key to a venture of this nature, and a strict regard for weather conditions ahead. As you say AVOID icing and be up to scratch with your meteorological knowledge. Do you know anything about supercooled rain drops for instance and warm fronts. ( you don't often get them in australia).. Good luck Nev

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

Steve

 

Do you mean "possible" in the sense of a route where no leg exceeds your aircraft range (with suitable/sensible reserves) ?

 

Or do you mean that you know how to get permission to fly a (presumably non CoA), VFR, single engine piston aircraft without a pilot licence through all the countries en-route AND you can afford to pay the costs of these permissions AND compily with each NAA's restrictions on such aircraft AND use suitable points of entry/exit for each country AND get/afford suitable fuel where necessary ?

 

I don't want to sound negative but if the answer isn't the latter, you have a lot more to sort out than finding places to mail stuff ahead to or deciding which charity to support.

 

Cheers

 

John

 

 

[slartibartfast]

Have you checked out the amazing around the world (via Oshkosh) journey 2 Sth African guys did in their Sling in 2009?

 

Check the route here.

 

They flew legs of up to 21.5 hours behind a Rotax. They also had external weather support and (dodgy) IFR capability.

 

The beaurocracy involved in each country was the hardest part.

 

They also had their share of luck.

 

To read their news/blog entries from the start - go here.

 

 

[Jack Tyler]

Steve, can you share a bit more detail for us on the routing you are planning and the work-up you've done so far. I think it would be an interesting topic - actually, a set of inter-related topics, from the regulatory to the flying to the meteorology - for us all to hear a bit more about.

 

I did dig up Dazza's earlier reply to you, from a magazine article he dug out of his shed, but it was thin on details. I would suspect that one of your key allies in any such endeavor will be amateur flying enthusiasts based in the countries you are planning to visit. Another group that would have useful info for you (accessible on-line and via email exchanges) are the Earthrounders, if you haven't already begun digging in that direction. (http://www.earthrounders.com/) A good example of how helpful this can be is to consider the Circle done by the Sling co-pilots, Mike & James (see http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/default.asp). Their routing for the longest leg (San Diego to Hawaii) was reshaped after they arrived at Oshkosh and were able to talk to Carol Ann, an Earthrounder pilot who had done a Circle in her Mooney. (However, don't get too carried away by that LSA a/c doing a Circle; the Sling had massive fuel tanks, had a much heavier fuselage/landing gear structure to handle the weight, and was no doubt registered as and in reality a true Experimental).

 

We probably each see your goal thru our own lens. In my case (a transocean sailor), I think one of your biggest challenges will be the weather across the N Pacific. Foreign friends can help you thru the regulatory maize; it is hard to overestimate how rapidly weather systems change in the N Pacific at the latitudes of Russia & the Aleutians (your stepping stones). That would be where I would expect your most serious challenges to lie.

 

Please lay out your plan as time (and plans) permit. Personally, I think it's an exciting goal and one worth researching seriously. And remember: Peter Garrison (one of the Flying columnists for many years now) did the reverse flight to Japan from Alaska some decades ago, in a small experimental and with his wife (and without GPS, of course), and that's the reverse route against the prevailing winds above 35N.

 

Jack

 

 

[eightyknots]

Wow: quite an ambition, Steve! I hope all the preparation and planning goes well. When were you thinking of doing this?

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Had a look on Google Earth yesterday and tried to envisage your route. I see quite a few options, dependent on your fuel available/usage. Can you give us your thoughts right now, even if they're to change in the future. I'm not sure how, but you can lay it out on GE and create a file we can down load and set on our pc's. That way, we might be able to take some of the searching off your hands or at least, suggest alternatives.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

looking forward to following your preparations and the eventual trip. I do hope you can turn it into a doco. should not be to hard if they make some of the crap they are putting up now.

 

When you just mentioned Russia and the cold temps they can experience it flash a memory of the Aussie, just can't remember his name off hand, that flew over the south pole and had a windscreen crack on him. how would the Jab screen go in really cold temps?

 

ozzie

 

 

[eightyknots]

It was Jon Johanson from Adelaid who went in an RV-4. He flew to the North Pole with his stock Vans canopy. It suddenly developed a large crack so he replaced the canopy and

 

used oversize holes and grommets...no further problems. He went to the South Pole after this and had no further problems.

 

For more info on Jon's three round the world flights, go to: http://www.wingnet.org/rtw/RTW009D.HTM