Sunday, July 29, 2012

Reflexions on the 2012 RTW Journey

I am back home, I left Palm Beach Gardens on May 4th for Orlando, to meet with Nori-san and Hiro-san for the first leg of our adventure.

I switch plane in Japan for the TBM.

An amazing journey of close to 26,000 nm, 27 countries, fantastic flying, new friends every where and enough material to write a least one book.....

I am prepping up already the 2013 Journey Around the World.

New Itinerary, New Program, New Pace etc.....

I will keep you posted.

Thierry
Palm Beach Gardens, July 29, 2012











  
42 segment path:25091 nm
    KMCO (28°25'46"N 81°18'32"W)KRIC (37°30'19"N 77°19'11"W)19.3° (N)579 nm
    KRIC (37°30'19"N 77°19'11"W)CYQB (46°47'28"N 71°23'36"W)23.5° (NE)616 nm
    CYQB (46°47'28"N 71°23'36"W)CYVP (58°05'46"N 68°25'37"W)7.9° (N)688 nm
    CYVP (58°05'46"N 68°25'37"W)BGBW (61°09'39"N 45°25'32"W)65.5° (NE)720 nm
    BGBW (61°09'39"N 45°25'32"W)BIRK (64°07'48"N 21°56'26"W)64.4° (NE)670 nm
    BIRK (64°07'48"N 21°56'26"W)ENZV (58°52'36"N 5°38'16"E)99.2° (E)845 nm
    ENZV (58°52'36"N 5°38'16"E)LKPR (50°06'03"N 14°15'36"E)146.6° (SE)607 nm
    LKPR (50°06'03"N 14°15'36"E)LEIB (38°52'22"N 1°22'23"E)224.1° (SW)869 nm
    LEIB (38°52'22"N 1°22'23"E)LEGR (37°11'19"N 3°46'38"W)249.1° (W)264 nm
    LEGR (37°11'19"N 3°46'38"W)GMMX (31°36'25"N 8°02'11"W)213.5° (SW)395 nm
    GMMX (31°36'25"N 8°02'11"W)LEIB (38°52'22"N 1°22'23"E)44.1° (NE)634 nm
    LEIB (38°52'22"N 1°22'23"E)LMML (35°51'27"N 14°28'39"E)102.0° (E)652 nm
    LMML (35°51'27"N 14°28'39"E)LGSR (36°23'57"N 25°28'46"E)83.3° (E)535 nm
    LGSR (36°23'57"N 25°28'46"E)LTFJ (40°53'55"N 29°18'33"E)32.5° (NE)324 nm
    LTFJ (40°53'55"N 29°18'33"E)LTAZ (38°46'19"N 34°32'04"E)116.1° (SE)273 nm
    LTAZ (38°46'19"N 34°32'04"E)OJAQ (29°36'42"N 35°01'05"E)177.3° (S)549 nm
    OJAQ (29°36'42"N 35°01'05"E)OEMA (24°33'12"N 39°42'18"E)139.2° (SE)393 nm
    OEMA (24°33'12"N 39°42'18"E)OMDB (25°15'10"N 55°21'52"E)83.9° (E)855 nm
    OMDB (25°15'10"N 55°21'52"E)OOMS (23°35'36"N 58°17'04"E)121.2° (SE)188 nm
    OOMS (23°35'36"N 58°17'04"E)VAAH (23°04'38"N 72°38'05"E)89.4° (E)793 nm
    VAAH (23°04'38"N 72°38'05"E)VIAG (27°09'21"N 77°57'39"E)48.8° (NE)379 nm
    VIAG (27°09'21"N 77°57'39"E)VECC (22°39'17"N 88°26'48"E)112.9° (SE)632 nm
    VECC (22°39'17"N 88°26'48"E)VTCC (18°46'01"N 98°57'46"E)109.5° (E)635 nm
    VTCC (18°46'01"N 98°57'46"E)VDSR (13°24'38"N 103°48'46"E)138.1° (SE)425 nm
    VDSR (13°24'38"N 103°48'46"E)WMKL (6°19'47"N 99°43'43"E)210.1° (SW)487 nm
    WMKL (6°19'47"N 99°43'43"E)WSSL (1°25'01"N 103°52'04"E)139.6° (SE)384 nm
    WSSL (1°25'01"N 103°52'04"E)WARQ (7°30'58"S 110°45'25"E)142.3° (SE)675 nm
    WARQ (7°30'58"S 110°45'25"E)WADD (8°44'53"S 115°10'02"E)106.0° (E)273 nm
    WADD (8°44'53"S 115°10'02"E)WBKK (5°56'14"N 116°03'04"E)3.5° (N)878 nm
    WBKK (5°56'14"N 116°03'04"E)RPVM (10°18'27"N 123°58'46"E)60.5° (NE)539 nm
    RPVM (10°18'27"N 123°58'46"E)RPLB (14°47'40"N 120°16'17"E)321.3° (NW)345 nm
    RPLB (14°47'40"N 120°16'17"E)VHHH (22°18'32"N 113°54'53"E)322.1° (NW)577 nm
    VHHH (22°18'32"N 113°54'53"E)RCTP (25°04'40"N 121°13'58"E)66.2° (NE)436 nm
    RCTP (25°04'40"N 121°13'58"E)RJOB (34°45'25"N 133°51'19"E)45.6° (NE)875 nm
    RJOB (34°45'25"N 133°51'19"E)UHSS (46°53'19"N 142°43'03"E)26.2° (NE)831 nm
    UHSS (46°53'19"N 142°43'03"E)UHPP (53°10'04"N 158°27'13"E)52.3° (NE)714 nm
    UHPP (53°10'04"N 158°27'13"E)UHMA (64°44'06"N 177°44'29"E)32.7° (NE)911 nm
    UHMA (64°44'06"N 177°44'29"E)PANC (61°10'27"N 149°59'53"W)88.8° (E)899 nm
    PANC (61°10'27"N 149°59'53"W)PAJN (58°21'18"N 134°34'35"W)103.1° (E)496 nm
    PAJN (58°21'18"N 134°34'35"W)KBFI (47°31'48"N 122°18'07"W)140.5° (SE)786 nm
    KBFI (47°31'48"N 122°18'07"W)KRAP (44°02'43"N 103°03'26"W)97.4° (E)832 nm
    KRAP (44°02'43"N 103°03'26"W)KFLD (43°46'16"N 88°29'18"W)86.4° (E)631 nm
Total:25091 nm


On our Way to Oshkosh

We are getting closer, but we still have some distance to fly


and we still have 1500 nm of fly 

Distances
From  To  Initial
Heading
  Distance  
2 segment path:1464 nm
    KBFI (47°31'48"N 122°18'07"W)KRAP (44°02'43"N 103°03'26"W)97.4° (E)832 nm
    KRAP (44°02'43"N 103°03'26"W)KFLD (43°46'16"N 88°29'18"W)86.4° (E)631 nm
Total:1464 nm
The choice of Rapid City was made to take a look at the Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse.


TBM 700KV and its RTW Crew




The IPad is a nice addition to the cockpit and L.A. admitted...he is finish with paper


On our day to Mt Rushmore we are been watched by a Dinosaur


here we are


Pretty amazing site





One tourist among many many others]


Doug and Megan enjoying the site


Annie and L.A. doing some postcard work


A side view from the road





Typical Western toen on our way back to Rapid City










A tour od the Boeing Factory in Everett

A visit was schedule to the Boeing Plant.

Home of the 767, 787, 747 what a sight....no photos allowed so I am using stock photos found on the internet.


Largest building on earth....amazing


6 millions parts are needed for the 747





The 787 is brought in piece to the plant from different part of the world and it takes 3 days ( THREE DAYS) to make one up.

Boeing is the Ford Assembly line of the 21st century, O am not over the 3 days ....

Seattle, back to the world we know......

Time now to leave Alaska and fly to the 50 lower states.

In keeping an eye on the weather system, we elected to fly down to Seattle in one day and to make a refueling stop in Juneau to avoid the rain in Ketchikan.

We have blue skies and tail winds on the take off from the Busy Anchorage Airport






For the first leg I have the back seat of the TBM to Juneua


and then the co-pilot seat, our Captain without uniform, is like every flight preparing the "Collation" with cafe and apple


On arrival in Seattle we are greeted by the Mt Rainier


Imposing display in the background


Areoflight FBO is our home for the next 3 days.

With the Museum of Flight on the filed, you do not have to guess what was on our agenda.

What a place.




The Corsaie engine....what a piece of engineering


Finally, I seat down in an SR71 cockpit


L.A. is doing the same


A nice paint job


Victor is display 


One of the 2 707 Air Force One plane


A visit of Seattle is not complete without a sinner on top of the needle, Built in 1962 it is rather small these days within the skyscraper os Seattle


But the dinner was pretty good and the dessert out of this world

And the next day a quiet visit on a sail boat in the Seattle Bay:









Anchorage

After 3 days, 2 nights in Russia, we are ready for some local delicacies that we have missed for quite a while.


This was a great Mud Pie


Our hotel, the Millennium is right next to the most busy seaplane base in Alaska and at very time of the day or dusk we have a constant interaction of water and plane, an amazing site



The Instruction board give you all what is needed to know