Mooney Round The World Flight Project Amelia Earhart 1937 2017

[cliffy]

Yes but the lines are better than a ziplock bag!!!

There was always Max Conrad and his Comanche  Or am I going back too far for some.

[peevee]

23 minutes ago, TCC said:

Absolutely love when people do an RTW trip. With technology today, being able to watch it in real time is great.

Doing a circumnavigation by air or sea is in my bucket list.

I am fascinated by the ability to book a cabin on a cargo ship and travel that way. It's slow, and probably boring but cheap and when I'm retired something I'd consider.

[Piloto]

One way to see a country in detail is to travel by train. Like the Eurostar (London - Paris) or the TGV in France. I took my family from London to Paris by train (before the Chunnel but hovercraft) and was very impress with the TGV speed and comfort. The big windows view is impressive and the food delightful. The train drops you right in the center of Paris so you just take a cab to your hotel. We stop at Le Bourget for the Paris Air Show and then went to Montpellier via TGV to switch trains to Barcelona and Madrid. We had a real good time.

José

Edited June 11, 2017 by Piloto

[gsxrpilot]

My wife and I almost travel full time. We've been to over 70 countries and all 7 continents. I've done 16 countries and 216,000 air miles so far this year. It's been all business and I don't work for the airlines. I gotta fund the Mooney habit someway.

[Guest]

16 hours ago, cliffy said:

Yes but the lines are better than a ziplock bag!!!

There was always Max Conrad and his Comanche  Or am I going back too far for some.

Don't you know that this is a Mooney forum and we should never speak of other brands?

Clarence

[peevee]

1 hour ago, M20Doc said:

Don't you know that this is a Mooney forum and we should never speak of other brands?

Clarence

Especially those Pipers named after Indians. Don't you know they fall apart mid air?!?

[cliffy]

What if I mentioned Lindbergh and his wife flying all over the world and I won't mention what kind of biplane he flew is that OK? :-)

[Guest]

19 minutes ago, peevee said:

Especially those Pipers named after Indians. Don't you know they fall apart mid air?!?

I read that somewhere, however the proof seems a little lacking, along the same lines that all Mooneys leak fuel and corrode, but that's easier to prove!

Clarence

[peevee]

1 hour ago, M20Doc said:

I read that somewhere, however the proof seems a little lacking, along the same lines that all Mooneys leak fuel and corrode, but that's easier to prove!

Clarence

If it didn't ooze a little, how would I know when my aux tanks are full?

[Jerry Pressley]

actually...coming from a man who has made a life of damaged airplanes, #1 for inflight failures is V tail Bonanza.  Remember the joke they developed for preventing failure of the stabilizer? little cuff on the tailcone.  Didn't work.  and #2 for inflight failure is Cherokee 6.  JerryP

 

[cnoe]

Looks like Brian's safely on the ground in Chad now. Awesome!

[BCrystal]

3 hours ago, cnoe said:

Looks like Brian's safely on the ground in Chad now. Awesome!

Are "Safely" and "Chad" supposed to go together in the same sentence?   

Chad is 8th and Sudan is 5th (tied for 5th place with Syria! ) on the FSI (Failed State Index).
Nearby South Sudan is 1st on the list, followed by #2 Somalia, #3 Central African Republic, #4 Yemen. 

The route really runs the gauntlet of conflict zones.

Edited June 12, 2017 by BCrystal

[cnoe]

Hopefully Pinky will get fuel, a good night's sleep, and be in more hospitable territory by this time tomorrow!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Bob_Belville]

Extra 100 gallon fuel tank, 2 large O2 tanks, etc., etc... what is his all in T.O. weight? Airframe and gear stock 231?

[cliffy]

Its pretty cool to watch this almost live!

[carusoam]

MS is such a learning experience...

Today's lesson is Modern geography. Out of Dakar, passing through Gambia...

Brought to you by Pinky, and the letters M20K...

The Sahara has a tendency to make interesting weather patterns...?

I am happy to see the progress using flight aware...  http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N916BL

Keep up the good work, Brian!

Best regards,

-a-

Edited June 12, 2017 by carusoam

[HRM]

Just incredible! 

[cliffy]

How many of us would even have the guts to attempt this?  3%?  WOW

[BCrystal]

Brian Lloyd posted some commentary while in Dakar:

"The day was spent at the Aero Club de Dakar working on Spirit. I did not realize when I went there just how much history I was entering. The Aero Club de Dakar was already an aviation fixture in the 1930's before Amelia Earhart reached it. So I got to stand in the same space that was occupied by Amelia Earhart and other pioneering aviators such as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who was a member. The writings of Saint-Exupéry are legendary, and include the well known not-quite-children's book, "Le Petit Prince" (The Little Prince). But it is his writings about aviation, e.g Vol de Nuit (Night Flight), that are classics for all pilots.

So Spirit got her oil changed, plugs cleaned and re-gapped, and the engine fully inspected with the cowl off. I was lucky that people like Zak, Alain, Michelle, and Tafa took me under their collective wing to help me along.

For the first time Spirit has a full load of fuel. I need to be able to fly 1900nm to N'Djamena and then on to Khartoum without refueling. There is no avgas to be had in N'Djamena. For the pilots out there, I am loaded right to aft CG. This means that I have to be careful not to over-rotate on take-off. A long runway, less nose-up trim, a light touch, and patience will make it all work out. It will also tell me if a non-stop flight from Fiji to Hawaii will be possible or if I will have to make a stop at Christmas Island.

Alain and his lovely wife took me out to dinner tonight. He opined that I may be one of the last people to ever be able to make this flight as the world of general aviation is disappearing. Unfortunately I agree with him. The world has become too regulated for people to just head out on an adventure around the world. Yes, I am probably safer than Amelia Earhart was due to the modern technology but the bureaucratic rigidity can be just as daunting.

Here are some pictures from today. I hope you can share a bit of awe and reverence for the pioneers who proceeded us and spent time in this place."

Spirit oil change in hangar of Aero Club de Dakar Senegal 10Jun2017 ©2017 Brian Lloyd CC-BY

 

Brian Lloyd and Tafa the mechanic change Spirit oil in Aero Club Dakar hangar Senegal 10Jun2017 ©2017 Brian Lloyd CC-BY

 

The historic door of Aero Club de Dakar at the airport in Senegal 10Jun2017 photo ©2017 Brian Lloyd CC-BY

 

Aero Club de Dakar sign Senegal 10Jun2017 photo ©2017 Brian Lloyd CC-BY

 

Tafa the mechanic cleans Spirit spark plugs in Aero Club Dakar hangar Senegal 10Jun2017 photo ©2017 Brian Lloyd CC-BY

 

Spirit gets fully fueled with avgas at Dakar airport Senegal 10Jun2017 photo ©2017 Brian Lloyd CC-BY

Edited June 12, 2017 by BCrystal

[cliffy]

It is true, we may be viewing the final chapter of this kind of aeronautical history in the making. 

We can all say, "we were there!"

[carusoam]

Odd question...

What kind of Spark plugs is Spirit running for this trip?

Good luck on the next leg!

We'll be watching...

Best regards,

-a-

[peevee]

that aux tank is neat, where is it plumbed into? Teed into one of the fuel tank lines behind the seat maybe? I have always sort of wondered how they did that.

[gsxrpilot]

16 hours ago, BCrystal said:

Are "Safely" and "Chad" supposed to go together in the same sentence?   

Chad is 8th and Sudan is 5th (tied for 5th place with Syria! ) on the FSI (Failed State Index).
Nearby South Sudan is 1st on the list, followed by #2 Somalia, #3 Central African Republic, #4 Yemen. 

The route really runs the gauntlet of conflict zones.

I think these lists are done to give scared and gullible American's an excuse to stay home. I've traveled to more so called conflict zones than I can count. (BTW always as a private citizen, never a govt employee of any kind.) I've never felt afraid or worried in any of them. I was just in Ethiopia last night, and actually traveled to the south where that orange circle is, with my family. We had a wonderful time. We're in Kenya now and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. The kids and I are heading home tomorrow night and my wife is continuing on her own to Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, then back to Kenya before getting home at the end of the month.

Shit can happen anywhere, but for some of us it's much more important to get out and see the world. And kudos to Brian for fearlessly taking his M20K right around the world regardless of silly travel advisories and warnings.

[yvesg]

Speed check for Brian: at 15:53:23 Z he is at 144 knots.

Yves

[HRM]

2 hours ago, gsxrpilot said:

...kudos to Brian for fearlessly taking his M20K right around the world regardless of silly travel advisories and warnings.

Amen. A salute to Brian for having incredible courage and fortitude. I have "The Viking Route" to Europe on my bucket list, but what he is doing is just, well, Earhart/Lindy worthy!