International Travel
I am thinking about starting an experimental plane in 2014. One of the key decision points for me is international travel; my goal in five to ten years is to start flying myself to Mexico, Canada, England, Continental Europe, South America, Caribbean...
Is this possible in an experimental plane? Are there specific things to consider?
Tim
You need to look up the story of Peter Garrison's Melmoth and now Melmoth II. Mr Garrison built the original airplane and flew it to Japan, the tip of South America, and I think Europe. I believe that his airplane could fly 2500+ miles non-stop. See www.melmoth2.com
Best of luck,
Wes
Thanks for the info. I will start reading today.Originally Posted by WLIU
Tim
The biggest issue you'll have is whether a particular country will allow an amateur built experimental to fly in their country. Most of the ones you listed should be fine. Just watch out for former Soviet republics and and oppressive regimes in South America. Do your homework first, and you shouldn't run into any problems.
For what it's worth, my Tango XR can make it to all those places. It has roughly an 1800 NM range.
Someday I'll come up with something profound to put here.
When you are dealing with oceans, you need to plan for 200+nm reserves to account for winds and weather. Going to Europe is not too bad. The Pacific is a real challenge. A former boss flew PHNL to KSFO, 20 hours in the air, arrived 2 hours over flight plan. You need to have 2500nm still air range to do that hop. Alaska to Japan is another tough one although these days, you may be able to work out a fuel stop in the Russian far east. When Peter Garrison did it, you could not land there.
Best of luck,
Wes
N78PS
Don Taylor departed KOSH and flew his Thorp T-18 around the world in 1976. He was first. Supposedly, this is the T-18 that EAA has on display.
In those days you could find 100LL every where. If you could use Jet A, (in an aero Diesel) it would simplify logistics. In five years there wil lbe more engine choices. Now its only Delta Hawk, Wilksch, SMA and if your name is Cessna there is Centurion.
Just a suggestion. In some parts, it may be advantagous to wear something that looks like a uniform, even if you're only flying a Baby Ace. Carry small bills and a supply of quality pens for all the paperwork. ("Keep the pen Sir") Oh yeah. Don't take pictures of any thing that looks military.
Good luck, Bob
I've flown an experimental to Europe. I wrote an article about the trip for the December Kitplane magazine. You might find some of the information useful.
With planning those trips can be achieved. You need to think in terms of IFR equipment levels, range of 800nm plus reserve. Standard insurance stops at the US and adjacent border countries and can be difficult to obtain if you want to travel further.
The cost of those trips can be considerably more than the cost of travelling the same distance in domestic territory.
Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean are routinely flown by experimentals with few constraints, but be prepared for a lot of effort and expense to go beyond there.
Tim,
Another fascinating story to read is Jon Johanson's. He's stopped by AV previously.
http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/JJ2.htm
Last edited by Janet Davidson; 01-15-2014 at 07:26 AM.
I have flown my experimental airplane to many international destinations over the years. I lived in El Salvador for almost 4 years and did quite a lot of GA flying while there. This year, since I was invited to the 2014 Ilopango Airshow, we decided visit El Salvador again. We flew from Flagler (KXFL) to Marathon Key (KMTH) then on to Cozumel, Mexico (MMCZ) on Jan 17th. The next day we flew to San Salvador (MSSS) for the airshow. It was great seeing old friends, watching the airshow and especially getting to see my good friend and acrobatic performer Dondi Pesquera who I hadn't seen in over 20yrs. We departed San Salvador on the 27th via the same route, again spending a day in Cozumel. We arriving back home on Jan 28th, tired but having enjoyed every minute of the adventure. Here is a link to our Photobucket page ( http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/Pu...?sort=6&page=1) where you can see some of the pictures we took during the trip. We also just did a trip with 4 other airplanes to the Caribbean during December 2013. Here are pictures of that trip: ( http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/Pu...?sort=6&page=1 ). This is what having a GA airplane is all about. That it is an experimental makes it even better.
You can also read about other international destinations we have flown to at our web page: www.puertoricoflyer.com
google Bill Finlen and read his story of flying around the world from Brisbane Australia. Fascinating. He is a friend of mine.
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