Trip Across to Indonesia

[Guest keanlim]

Has anyone done a trip across water to islands in Indonesia before in a light sports aircraft (LSA)? I am doing my Pilot's Licence at the moment and was wondering if it is possible to fly out of Australia (via Darwin) to Kupang for example?

 

 

[Guest pelorus32]

G'day Kean,

 

someone will know the answer about whether it's been done. It is a distance of 444 nautical miles - Darwin to Kupang in Timor.

 

Regards

 

Mike

 

 

[Guest keanlim]

mike, Thanks for the info. 444nm seems like a good 4 hours flight. It sure doesn't look that far on the map. Kupang is the closest immigration point for Indonesia from Australia.

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

Trikes have flown from Kupang to Aus on at least 2 occasions - what LSA do you have mind ?

 

John

 

 

[Guest keanlim]

I haven't thought of the specific LSA as yet, but I am sure there are quite a few LSA that will have that endurance of 4 to 5 hours. I am just toying with the idea at the moment, and would like to find out what are the clearance procedures for such a trip. Any experience dealing with the Indonesian immigration and air traffic controller, etc. would be helpful. Oh, also the avialability of quality fuel in Indonesia.

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

I've no first hand experience of Kupang but immigration & customs isn't usually a big deal on international flights (provided you land at an airport of entry). You'll doubtless be hit for a variety of handling, airport and other charges which can mount up though friendly negotiation is sometimes worthwhile.

 

I believe Avgas is available there so fuel wouldn't be a problem if you can use that (should be relatively cheap too).

 

Your biggest bureaucratic handle is likely to be the plane - generally only aircraft with a full certificate of airworthiness are allowed to fly in foreign airspace without prior written permission. Ultralights, microlights etc registered in 1 country don't have an automatic right to fly in the airspace of another country and have to apply to the relevent national authority (CASA equivalent). I'm not sure how this applies to LSA category aircraft though. Also an RAA pilot certificate is only valid for Australia and is not automatically recognised in other countries which need to grant an exemption for this.

 

Permissions are normally given for a limited period only Ie you have "cannot arrive before" and "must leave by" dates - this can make multi-country trips a bit of a stress when the weather doesn't cooperate ! There are a number of companies which will handle obtaining permissions on your behalf if you don't want to tackle it yourself.

 

If the plane is RAA registered, I think you need CASA permission for flying that far from land and there is also controlled airspace to consider if you don't hold a PPL.

 

So quite a lot to consider even without the actual flight planning and preparation ! (for now suffice to say that there is a lot more to that than an overland flight of the same duration)

 

Hope that helps

 

John

 

 

[Guest keanlim]

Hi John

 

Thanks for the info. Do you know of the company in AUstralia that provides the service to handle foreign permits? May be interested to talk to them more. At this stage it looks like I need to finish up on my PPL (which was my plan all along). Only thing left is to choose the right aircraft for the trip.

 

I read somewhere that flying across water (i.e. Victoria to Tasmania) will also require permission. But I am not sure how or who or what I need to do to apply for the permit.

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

Only thing left is to choose the right aircraft for the trip.

There are quite a few other things I would be considering if it were me !

The only companies I know of are overseas - maybe there aren't enough flights from here for an Aussi business to provide the service.

 

Not sure about Vic to Tasi - legally it depends on your glide distance and the equipment you are carrying. It is flown regularly so doubtless somebody else on the forums can advise. If you need permissions try your local CASA office as a start point.

 

John

 

 

[Flyer]

Keanlim,

 

I dont know that you do need permission to fly to Tassie. The furtherest distance from land is only about 40nm providing you island hop. You could fly at 9500' over and 8500' back. I understand that rec aircraft aren't allowed over 5000' unless it is an operational requirement...

 

I would contact the CFI at Tooradin Flying School and seek his wisdom as he does the crossing weekly.

 

He would know the traps and pitfalls for sure.....and the legalities.

 

My thoughts and opinions only....

 

Regards

 

Phil

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Hi Phil,

 

Have read in previous travel logs that there is a lot of support for private recreational aviation in Indonesia and that the Indonesian Airforce also supports it. Have no contacts, but if you do a Google on "Lido Lakes" Ultralights or Microlights you may come up with some useful contacts who could assist to point you in the right direction.

 

Rgds,

 

Glen

 

 

[crazy diamond]

Best bet would be call Ray Clamback.

 

 

[youngmic]

Hi Kean,

 

I have done the Denpassar to Pt Headland or Broome route a couple of times bringing aircraft back from various parts of the world.

 

If you are just at the stage of finishing off your PPL I would strongly recommend you consider the wisdom of the idea. I know it sounds great in principal but it can have all sorts of hidden traps, maintenance being one, in addition to being expensive and somewhat hard work.

 

My last trip involved a 10 day wait in Bali due to a Avgas unavailability.

 

Both trips had communication holes for about an hour in the middle even with HF (Indon. HF can be next to useless). And at Flight Levels.

 

If you have a problem you could be on your own.

 

Crezzi's comments are worth reading twice.

 

But if you must then you must.

 

This is the email of the fellow you need to deal with, he is one of lifes true gentleman's and he handles all our commercial overflights. he will take care of everything for you. You just give him lots of your money.

 

[email protected] or [email protected]

 

Dude is his name, pronounced Do day. the second email address is for his right hand man Naya.

 

Good Luck

 

Mick

 

 

[Guest keanlim]

Mick, Thanks for the advise. Bali to Port Hedland is far greater distance than Darwin to Kupang, but I am sure the bureaucracy in Indonesia will be the same. Having lived in South East Asia before, the rules and regulations has a tendancy to change depending on who you end up talking to as well. I was hoping that there is a flying club in Indonesia that can help arrange arrival and departure in Indonesia.

 

I do not plan to do this trip at this stage of my training, but would like to do it one day in the future. So I thought I would try to compile all info ahead of time.

 

 

[eightyknots]

keanlim, did you ever make that flight to Indonesia?

 

 

[matt walsh]

HiKeanlim,

 

I note in the "Simliar threads" section at bottom, an entry from a new member from Jakarta Indonesia(I've pasted in this thread below). Seems like this chap could respond to many of your queries about an Aus/indonesia trip. Might be worth contacting him, Cheers Matt Walsh,

 

New Member from Jakarta Indonesia

 

Hi All,

 

My name is Philip Soelistio. I fly Jabiru J-Ul, J430, Searey and Lancair 235 from Pondok Cabe Airfield, Tanggerang, Indonesia. I am a member of FASI (Federation of Aero Sport Indonesia) and vice chairman of the Experimental Aircraft Division. I believe we have to learn a lot from RAA especially in terms of rules and regulations for sport aircrafts because the existing regs apply for commercial flight operations and have limited knwledge regarding sport aviation. So I welcome any comments or advise on how we can develop our own organisation such as RAA in Indonesia.

 

I would like also welcome any Aussie RAA members to visit our airfield whenever they happen to be in Jakarta.