Planned 2018 Transatlantic Trip Summary
Welcome to my 2018 Transatlantic Flight Blog.
Here I will chronicle the prep, planning and execution of my solo VFR flight across the Atlantic to the UK in August 2018.
First, I need to do some catch-up for you because the actual idea and prep for the flight started in Apr2017, and today is 02Sep2017.
Starting in April, can't remember date, I got the idea to make the flight. I guess the actual idea started back in 2011 when I read the article "Fear Of Dunking" by ferry pilot Bill Cox. Bill described some of the requirements for an ocean crossing, and some of the dangers. My primary personal attraction to piloting is the planning. I try to plan every flight meticulously, I believe most pilots share this attraction. Flying from Seattle to the UK is an extreme example of flight planning for an average GA pilot, especially flying VFR. I guess doing it at night would be the absolute extreme, but I'm not that crazy.
I'm in the Seattle area and it's long been a goal of mine to fly across the northern US. Flying on to the UK seems like a natural extension of this goal.
My first thoughts of the flight were about research. Who's done it, when and how. It turns out that many pilots have made the flight solo VFR. There are many good aviation forums and articles written about the subject. Typically it's done in August because of the mild weather and winds. I found a useful site 220kts.com that describes several Atlantic crossing routes. The route I settled on is "Atlantic ferry flight route via Goose Bay to Keflavik", except that I'm planning on Reykjavik instead of Keflavik because it was recommended to me by another pilot that's familiar with the area - reasoning is due to Reykjavik's proximity to major services - food, lodging, etc.
Here's a map I copied from 220kts.com:
Another valuable site I found is Polar Pilots. The wealth of information they have compiled has been very helpful. The site needs a few links updated, but overall it's useful.
Here's my currently planned route (subject to change):
I plan to do the trip over 3 weeks, only flying about 5 to 6 hours per day. I'd like to start each day at 6 AM local, and fly to noon. This gives me nearly a half day at each stop to visit the surrounding area. Weather, of course, will dictate the actual times. So will unforeseen mechanical problems and things like fuel availability - I will verify fuel availability before leaving each day.
For flight and weather planning I like NOAA Aviation Weather, NAV Canada, allmetsat, Icelandic Aviation Weather, DUATS, Sky Vector Aeronautical Charts.
The "how part" of the flight involves many considerations - plane, avionics, permits, insurance, survival gear & training.
Although I belong to the Boeing Employee Flying Association (BEFA), I didn't even ask if a club plane could be used for the trip (probably not possible due to insurance and ferry tank requirements). It's better to buy a plane and outfit it with the avionics and survival gear that would make a safe flight of this magnitude possible.
After much consideration, I have settled on buying a Cessna 172 XP (like shown on right), probably a 1977 or 1978 model year. This is because I have over 400 hours in various 172 models, out of my 550 hours total flight time. This should make it easier to get coverage from an insurance carrier for the trip. The 172 XP is a special edition by Cessna. It has a Continental IO-360-KB fuel injected engine rated at 195 bph. It has good payload and climb speeds. Running it at about 70% cruise I should be able to get 10.1 gph fuel burn. Although I'm planning for 130 kts right now, this is probably only possible heading east with a 15 kts tail wind at my planned altitudes of 6000 to 9000 MSL. When I get the plane and it's fully outfitted I will perform endurance tests to determine the true fuel burn and cruise speed. I plan to purchase a plane around Jan-Feb 2018. I'm still researching avionics that I want in the plane, I'll discuss that in a future post.
For survival gear I'll rent what I need - 4 man raft, immersion suit, EPIRB (Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon). I'll also need a high-frequency radio, and plan to carry a SAT phone. All will be discussed in future postings.
One thing I'm fairly settled on is the ferry tank that I'll buy and have installed. I like the Turtle-Pac 100 gallon collapsible fuel drum. The 172 XP I buy will probably have 49 usable gallon tanks, and with one of these rubber drums filled to 55 gallons I'd have over 100 gallons usable fuel on board. Looking at the table above, 810 nm is my longest leg. So I could have as much as 36 gallons of reserve - nearly 3.5 hours of flight, which is well above my personal 2.0 hour safety margin. My son Tom is an A&P/IA, he's offered to help with the ferry tank install.
I'll need permits from the aviation/border administrations of several different countries for the trip - United States, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom. I haven't yet fully researched the permits, but will report on this in a future posting. I've flown the US - Canada border crossing a few times, which AOPA has good information available. I'll also report in a future posting when I actually start the US - Canada planning.
Forums that I've, so far, received help from are Cessna Owner Organization, and Flyer UK. The COO forum has arranged for me to talk with Bill Cox, professional ferry pilot and aviation writer. I look forward to speaking with Bill soon.
I posted the topic "I'm Looking for Northern England Aerodrome Suggestions for Future Transatlantic Flight" on the Flyer forum and within days received more information than I ever expected. I'm using the information now to plan my northern England stay. Some very friendly UK pilots have sent me private email on places to visit, and offering to help with lodging and ground transportation. I guess friendly pilots are an international phenomenon, not just in the US.
That's as much information as I currently have. I will add more postings as I progress.
Thanks for Reading!
Bob Carpenter
ASEL, ASES Ratings
VFR Only
Here I will chronicle the prep, planning and execution of my solo VFR flight across the Atlantic to the UK in August 2018.
First, I need to do some catch-up for you because the actual idea and prep for the flight started in Apr2017, and today is 02Sep2017.
Starting in April, can't remember date, I got the idea to make the flight. I guess the actual idea started back in 2011 when I read the article "Fear Of Dunking" by ferry pilot Bill Cox. Bill described some of the requirements for an ocean crossing, and some of the dangers. My primary personal attraction to piloting is the planning. I try to plan every flight meticulously, I believe most pilots share this attraction. Flying from Seattle to the UK is an extreme example of flight planning for an average GA pilot, especially flying VFR. I guess doing it at night would be the absolute extreme, but I'm not that crazy.
I'm in the Seattle area and it's long been a goal of mine to fly across the northern US. Flying on to the UK seems like a natural extension of this goal.
My first thoughts of the flight were about research. Who's done it, when and how. It turns out that many pilots have made the flight solo VFR. There are many good aviation forums and articles written about the subject. Typically it's done in August because of the mild weather and winds. I found a useful site 220kts.com that describes several Atlantic crossing routes. The route I settled on is "Atlantic ferry flight route via Goose Bay to Keflavik", except that I'm planning on Reykjavik instead of Keflavik because it was recommended to me by another pilot that's familiar with the area - reasoning is due to Reykjavik's proximity to major services - food, lodging, etc.
Here's a map I copied from 220kts.com:
Another valuable site I found is Polar Pilots. The wealth of information they have compiled has been very helpful. The site needs a few links updated, but overall it's useful.
Here's my currently planned route (subject to change):
I plan to do the trip over 3 weeks, only flying about 5 to 6 hours per day. I'd like to start each day at 6 AM local, and fly to noon. This gives me nearly a half day at each stop to visit the surrounding area. Weather, of course, will dictate the actual times. So will unforeseen mechanical problems and things like fuel availability - I will verify fuel availability before leaving each day.
For flight and weather planning I like NOAA Aviation Weather, NAV Canada, allmetsat, Icelandic Aviation Weather, DUATS, Sky Vector Aeronautical Charts.
The "how part" of the flight involves many considerations - plane, avionics, permits, insurance, survival gear & training.
Although I belong to the Boeing Employee Flying Association (BEFA), I didn't even ask if a club plane could be used for the trip (probably not possible due to insurance and ferry tank requirements). It's better to buy a plane and outfit it with the avionics and survival gear that would make a safe flight of this magnitude possible.
After much consideration, I have settled on buying a Cessna 172 XP (like shown on right), probably a 1977 or 1978 model year. This is because I have over 400 hours in various 172 models, out of my 550 hours total flight time. This should make it easier to get coverage from an insurance carrier for the trip. The 172 XP is a special edition by Cessna. It has a Continental IO-360-KB fuel injected engine rated at 195 bph. It has good payload and climb speeds. Running it at about 70% cruise I should be able to get 10.1 gph fuel burn. Although I'm planning for 130 kts right now, this is probably only possible heading east with a 15 kts tail wind at my planned altitudes of 6000 to 9000 MSL. When I get the plane and it's fully outfitted I will perform endurance tests to determine the true fuel burn and cruise speed. I plan to purchase a plane around Jan-Feb 2018. I'm still researching avionics that I want in the plane, I'll discuss that in a future post.
For survival gear I'll rent what I need - 4 man raft, immersion suit, EPIRB (Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon). I'll also need a high-frequency radio, and plan to carry a SAT phone. All will be discussed in future postings.
One thing I'm fairly settled on is the ferry tank that I'll buy and have installed. I like the Turtle-Pac 100 gallon collapsible fuel drum. The 172 XP I buy will probably have 49 usable gallon tanks, and with one of these rubber drums filled to 55 gallons I'd have over 100 gallons usable fuel on board. Looking at the table above, 810 nm is my longest leg. So I could have as much as 36 gallons of reserve - nearly 3.5 hours of flight, which is well above my personal 2.0 hour safety margin. My son Tom is an A&P/IA, he's offered to help with the ferry tank install.
I'll need permits from the aviation/border administrations of several different countries for the trip - United States, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom. I haven't yet fully researched the permits, but will report on this in a future posting. I've flown the US - Canada border crossing a few times, which AOPA has good information available. I'll also report in a future posting when I actually start the US - Canada planning.
Forums that I've, so far, received help from are Cessna Owner Organization, and Flyer UK. The COO forum has arranged for me to talk with Bill Cox, professional ferry pilot and aviation writer. I look forward to speaking with Bill soon.
I posted the topic "I'm Looking for Northern England Aerodrome Suggestions for Future Transatlantic Flight" on the Flyer forum and within days received more information than I ever expected. I'm using the information now to plan my northern England stay. Some very friendly UK pilots have sent me private email on places to visit, and offering to help with lodging and ground transportation. I guess friendly pilots are an international phenomenon, not just in the US.
That's as much information as I currently have. I will add more postings as I progress.
Thanks for Reading!
Bob Carpenter
ASEL, ASES Ratings
VFR Only
Comments
Post a Comment