Chapter 38 - At Santa Maria with 6:00 am for Hilo tomorrow

16/3/2010

Flew to Santa Maria this afternoon. Fuelled the aircaft and packed them for tomorrow's flight to Hilo.

We have fuelled to maximum and hope to make Hilo in about 13.5 hours. The current forecast winds are for an average 5 knot headwind, which would make it about 14 hours.

Our initial climb will be to 6000' and we hope to get a block altitude clearance to allow us to fly between 6000' and 8000' as Ray says the tops of the clouds will be around 6000' to 6500'.

Based on TAS of 152 knots, the Mooney, as a four seater with one pilot and low fuel burn has by far the best range with about 20 hours. For six seater all round performance, the Saratoga stands out with both range of 17 hours, easy loading and no difficulty with aft C of G. The new Bonanza G36 is struggling for range with about 15.5 hours and difficulty loading due to aft C of G. Ray, flying the Bonanza wants to swap our C of G for his C of G. Lyn and I declined.

Chapter 37 - Winds turn against us again

Sunday US - Monday Australia.

Had hoped to go to Santa Maria and leave for Hilo this morning, but winds not favourable so we decided to sit it out here at Torrance. We stocked up with food and drinks for the flight to Hilo and additional for the flight to Christmas Island where there is virually no food available for purchase.

We put all equipment etc into the aircraft and set up the 12 volt fuel pumps, HF radios were checked and all aspects of the intended flight reviewed and reviewed and checked and rechecked. All baggage, food clothes, documentation will  be removed prior to the ferry tanks being fuelled and will then be packed to keep the aircraft within the balance envelope.

Empty fuel bladders and fill tube (above) Packed and ready for Santa Maria including empty bottles for the trip (below)

The brand new Bonanza G36 is the most limited for range and the Mooney has the best range. Ray is flying in the Bonanza so I feel somewhat comforted that if he decides the winds are good enough for him to get to Hilo, then the Saratoga has additional reserve.

Lyn decided that Ray would lead in the Bonanza followed by Dan in the Mooney and the Saratoga last. The Mooney will fly behind the Bonanza to the side and 200' lower. The Saratoga will be behind, to the side and 200' lower than the Mooney. When we co-ordinate the speeds we should be able to see the Mooney and the Bonanza in a line ahead. We also have the TCAS so we will have other two visible on our screen showing the distance apart and the various heights above.

The Bonanza will have the main transponder code for the flight and Lyn will handle the HF radio communications for the flight.

Due to the radiation from the sun and reflection back from the clouds, most of the windows will be covered to protect us and to keep the cabins as cool as possible. Yes! We removed the refrigeration gas and have no air conditioning.

We have said goodbye to Lame David on at least three occasions. I have posted his photo on this site as I need him to be readily identifiable to the lawyers if we have any mechanical problems on the way.

We are going to Mojave tomorrow to the aircraft graveyard and the current plan is to leave Torrance at midday Tuesday for Santa Maria and hopefully get suitable winds to depart for Hilo on Wednesday at 6:00 am.

Chapter 36 - Check flight and final packing of aircraft

Yesterday the LAMES said that a couple of the valves were tighter than the others but couldn't say whether that was the cause of rough running or not. Lyn and I rolled the Saratoga out for a check flight.

With me in the left seat of a Saratoga for the first time in about 17 years, I (we) went through the startup procedures, primed the engine and pushed the starter. This was repeated a few times before we called for the LAME. After checking fuel flow etc. he advised that everything seemed to be ok so we again tried two or three times without success. However, we got an instant start when Lyn reached up and flicked the magneto switches to 'ON'. I know it is not a good enough excuse, but I don't have separate magneto switches in my Arrow. Nicknamed 'Magneto Tom' I doubt I'll fall for this again.

Above is the fuel line from the fuel tanks inside, going via the 12v pump under the pilot's seat. Have small 12v emergency battery in event of aircraft electrical failure.

Great flight out  over Catalina Island and back to Torrance where we were given the shorter 900 metre runway, which was a good test for my first landing with 90 knots on final.

Ray had become frustrated with dealing with the local FAA office and called in a local aviation solicitor to represent him in getting authority to overturn the decision to refuse to allow him to continue as a ferry pilot. One day and $2000 of fees later, Washington Head Office overturned the local decision and Ray can continue to act as a ferry pilot in the future. However, as all the paperwork had been processed, young Jose is the authorised ferry pilot for this fight.

Last night Daniel arrived from Australia to fly the Mooney and this morning we packed the aircraft with the seats etc which had been removed while Lyn and Dan took the Mooney for another test flight.

David our LAME & Daniel our ferry pilot

Winds not good today but we are hoping for better conditions for Sunday.

Special hello to Angus who is in hospital and who I know is keenly following this event.

Chapter 35 - From Torrance airport California

Arrived here last night -Tuesday US time - Wednesday Australia.

Getting into the car to leave, I received a call  from Lyn & Ray to advise me that when running up the Saratoga it was rough at high revs but idled ok. Ray suspected a sticky valve and couldn't come up with any other reason. However, when it was returned to the LAME, they were unable to replicate the problem and it ran smoothly at all settings. The decision was made to check the valve guides and hone them to remove any traces of carbon or contamination. This has been a job of some proportions which I guess is taking somewhere around 16 hours. We have not been able to fly the plane and will do so tomorrow.

The LAMEs comment that they don't think that the valves were sticking and it may have been that the aircraft had a carbon build up due to idling too rich. As the LAMEs haven't found anything definite and if it runs ok tomorrow, we will not know whether it was sticking valves or due to rich idling. In the absence of any other possible cause, I guess either way, the problem would be solved.

No flights today but we checked all of the safety gear. Each person has a one man liferaft, a life jacket, an ELB or EPIRB and an Instant Survival Shelter rather inappropiately branded LAND/Shark. Why not call it LAND/Water? Where does the Shark bit come in? If in the water you climb into the bag and it is claimed that your body warmth will be somehow retained within. I guess the same applies if you are floating inside the raft. In addition, each aircraft carries a battery pack to run the fuel pumps for the fuel bladders and also a handheld GPS, both as backup safety in the event of an electrical failure.

Life rafts, life jackets and Land/Shark Shelter (above) and 12v fuel pumps to transfer fuel from the bladder into the LH wing tank (below)

A problem remains with the Bonanza. Both the Saratoga and the Mooney have been de-registered in the USA and have been registered in Australia. As such they can be flown by pilots with Australian licences. The Bonanza G36 is still on the US register. Although Ray Clamback has a US Commercial licence and has flown hundreds of ferry flights with both US and Australian registration, a new local FAA senior employee has determined that Ray cannot fly the aircraft for hire. This is in part because the US licences are based on having an Australian licence. This new directive requires that for Ray to fly a US registered aircraft out of us he must have a US FAA commercial licence which is not dependant on and Australian licence.

The FAA lawyers are reviewing the position but the indication is that it will take another 2 weeks to get a decision.

This has been going on for a couple of months. The solution is that we have a new pilot on our team. He is 18 year old Jose Luis Gamero who has a US licence for IFR, Commercial, single engine and multi engine. Jose has become the ferry pilot for the Bonanza and will pilot from the left seat with Ray in the right hand seat. Jose has just got his latest endorsement, which is so new that he has only a temporary paper licence to show. We think that Jose wil probably be the youngest pilot ever to fly as Pilot in Command across the Pacific.

Jose Gamero - probably the youngest ever ferry pilot across the Pacific.

This will be an experience of a lifetime for a young man about to embark on a career in aviation and a great achievement to show on his resume.

Click on image to enlarge

Chapter 34 - Ray & Lyn have left for LA

Ray & Lyn left last night for LA.

Wednesday & Thursday appear to be possible days for departure with the winds likely to be light tailwinds.

Daniel, the pilot of the Mooney is standing by to depart Australia on Tuesday (tomorrow) night. I would go on the same night.

If the winds are not as expected, Lyn will advise tomorrow and the departure will be deferred.


I hope to be able to report progress on a daily basis but am not taking a laptop and may not be able to do so.

Last minute thought was to buy a Spot Satellite Personal Tracker which is a combination of GPS and messenger which allows text or sms messages and emergency messages to be sent and can be linked to display progress on Google Earth in real time.

Couldn't buy one at the local agent but may get on in Melbourne before I go or in the USA if I get time.

Chapter 33 - Ray Clamback has returned to Australia

Ray Clamback has been in the US since mid January, overseeing the installation of long range tanks and HF radios into VH-EXS and the Beechcraft Baron and Mooney which will accompany us on the flight out.

For the last couple of weeks he has been waiting for the winds to change, but has now given up and has returned to Australia.

All we can do now is wait for the lows to go north and give us high pressure with clockwise winds, so that we have nil wind or preferably and light tailwind.

Other than maybe editing some of the previous posts, I will not be adding to this blog until we decide to go or something even more dramatic occurs (whatever that may be).

If you click on the Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) at the bottom left of this page, it will put a small icon on your toolbar through which you can access latest post without actually going to this site. The icon will be followed by the words 'Australian Piper Society'.

Chapter 32 - Tontouta, Noumea to Gold Coast, Australia

This is the last leg. Noumea to Gold Coast.

I am sure that I will experience a major sense of relief when we first make contact with Hawaii Air Traffic Controllers and by the time we land in Noumea, I will have a developed an increased level of confidence in VH-EXS and be reasonably certain of reaching Australia.

At this point of time, I expect the first contact with the Air Traffic Controllers at Coolangatta will be the moment I will breathe a big sigh of relief.

Don't know what happens at that time in relation to Customs, AQIS and Immigration, but I guess we will be met and welcomed and checked.

Then it will be a flight to Bankstown where the tanks and radios will be removed, before I take off on my first solo in EXS from Bankstown to Moorabbin where it must undergo another annual inspection and check that all Australian AD's have been complied with before it is given a Certificate of Airworthiness.

With all of that in mind, I anticipate that VH-EXS will finally be allowed to fly in Australian airspace some time in May.

Click on images to enlarge