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

Chapter 31 - Pago Pago, American Samoa to Tontouta, Noumea

Have been told that this is the most picturesque leg of the journey. Leaving Pago Pago we head south west directly over Nadi airport, Fiji and all of the surrounding islands.

Haven't been to Noumea, so this will also be a first. Hope to get a few minutes to wander around the streets and soak up the local atmosphere and maybe fine a nice French restaurant.

Visiting these far away places is just business for Clamback & Hennessy and their pilots, not a sight seeing adventure, so I assume that we will be landing, clearing Customs and Immigration, refueling, eating, sleeping and getting up early in the morning to get going to our next port of call.

Click on images to enlarge

Chapter 30 - Cassidy International, Kiritimati to Pago Pago International, American Samoa

This leg takes us over the equator into the Southern Hemisphere and we will now head south west for refueling and overnight. Don't know much about Pago Pago or American Samoa. Seems the town may have a population of about 14,000.

I guess that knowing very little about the island countries we are landing at is one of the major reasons I chose to do the trip. It is unlikely that I would have ever gone exploring  to these far away place as a tourist, so this is an opportunity which, after much consideration, I could not refuse.








A couple of photos from the internet.

The airstrip, which is 10,000' long and I read a note from a round-the-world flyer in 2007 who said to land 3000' long to avoid the rough surface and save your tyres.

Think they have had a devastating tsunami since then and it is probably in 100% condition.

Click on image to enlarge

Chapter 29 - Computer generated weather forecast looks promising

Just had a look at the forecast for 384 hours ahead - 12th March. It forecasts a series of highs replacing the present deep lows which have been passing right above our course.

The forecast shows three of four highs following one after the other, and which offer to give us easterly winds for our route, which is exactly the opposite of the wind direction we have had for a couple of months.

Based on the above and with my limited knowledge, I predict departure around 16th March.

Click on image to enlarge

Chapter 28 - Hilo, Hawaii to Cassidy International, Kiritimati (Christmas Island)

The second leg heads south from Hawaii to Christmas Island, which is part of the Republic of Kiribati. The Republic of Kiribati comprises 32 atolls and one island. It covers 3,500,000 square miles and includes the former Gilbert & Ellis Islands and Banaba which was formerly known as Ocean Island.

All blue ahead I hope the blue is always 8000' below. The further south we go, the less US Coast Guard protection we will have. From here on we will have people who are very willing to help if we have a problem, but without the planes and boats to help in the same way as the Coast Guard.

Not to worry. We don't expect problems and we have our life jackets and our life raft and our 406 ELTs - and of course, our rosary beads.


All downhill flying to Kiritimati (Christmas Island) and when we land at Cassidy International Airport we will be just 2 degrees north of the equator and 5' above sea level.

My understanding is that Cassidy International Airport has an NDB which doesn't help me much because VH-EXS does not have an ADF. That's been my favourite IFR instrument. Guess I will just have to get better with RNAV (GNSS) approaches.

Again, second hand, but I have heard that the clouds at Cassidy are NEVER below 1000' so the let down is over the ocean and then to the airport. Also I have been told that if the let down is over the island, it is no problem as the tallest part of the island is 43' high.

Wikipedia states that Kiritimati will be the first island to go under if the oceans rise. Hopefully, we will have taken off before then.

However, Australian comedian Rod Quantock stated in a recent lecture at the Canberra University, that rising oceans are now unlikely as the Japanese are taking so many large whales out of the ocean that the water level is actually falling dramatically.

Not going to bore you with information about the Republic of Kiribati, but it really interesting. Concentrated on Kiritimati (Christmas Island) history which includes WWII action, US and British nuclear testing, attempts to commercialise, permanent settlement not allowed until Independence from the British in 1979, population about 5,500, infrastructure is largely that left behind after the nuclear tests, abandonment of OUR runway by large commercial aircraft due to cracking and potholing.

There is a photograph of our intended accommodation below.

Ok. This may not be the 'Excelsior Grand' Hotel but I am told it is quite comfortable and appears to be one of the buildings constructed for the nuclear tests.

Also told that  it is reasonable and the room and dinner will be about AUD $140. Take cash, as credit cards are not acceptable.



That is not going to be a great worry for me as someone used my Amex card for a $99.40 feast at the Burger King in Instanbul on 23rd January and my card has been cut into three pieces.

There appears to be other accommodation and hotel(s) on the island for tourists who seem to be largely bird watchers or divers.

These islands are closest to the International Date Line and Caroline Island has been renamed Millenium Island because it was the first to see in the new millenium.

Click on images to enlarge

Chapter 27 - Where have you been?

Nothing happening in terms of departure. Nothing to report other than that the weather, in what I would call the north east Pacific, is just a series of lows following each other and giving us strong head winds across to Hawaii.

I was searching to find out how to interpret one column of the published weather forecast by the NOAA for the aviation route and came across the personal blog site of Tom Bravender who happens to be the Aviation Program Manager for the National Weather Service, Honolulu ,HI which forecast for the air routes from USA to Hawaii. He explained the data in the particular column and sent me a chart detailing the zones for which they forecast along the route. The zones are simply 5 degree segments along the Great Circle route between US and Hawaii.

He also wrote: 'Good luck with the winds! This season has proved to be pretty typical of an El Nino winter, with a nearly zonal jet and persistent westerly wind component'. You can work out what a nearly zonal jet is because I don't know.

Tom has picked up on this blog site and is passing it on to the Hawaii forecasters as he thought it  would be interesting as they were probably unaware of  the degree of planning and preparation required to fly the route for which they were forecasting.

All we need is for them to 'on their toes' and to be extremely accurate in forecasting the precise weather for the day we depart.

I intend to continue loading the route segments as in Chapter 26 and then go back to sleep while we wait for better winds, which I don't see happening until some time after 12th March.