H.P
No I haven’t done the trip but Iceland is among the few places that captured my imagination since I was a child. I remember sitting with my encyclopaedia and looking at the photos. I will be there one day either as P1 or Pax.21. If you would like to know which route I have planed than you can find it at the bottom.
New Block
Yes, I am very serious. I had planned to fly a 6 seater twin last summer and looked for people to share the cost. There were many that wanted to come and share the experience but not the cost. The argument was that I need them as Safety Pilots because they are I.R. Then I thought of flying it with the wife on single but could not rent. All said that I have a lose nut, then business took over.
TBEE
Sorry can’t help with statistics but I think that you are right. My engine is about 2500s/n and 300 since top. I was told that a well maintained IO540 can reach 5000h as long as it goes through top every 1000h. As a rule of thumb you can say that the harder the engine works the shorter its life. The O/IO540 are rated from 250hp up to 350-375hp. (or near these figures). The TBO of the top end engine is 1600-1800h.
Another point that should be taken into account is Pilot Handling. Many do not cool the engine before landing. Reducing power on Downwind in some cases is not enough. It is best to start reducing the power (in stages) about 10 miles out, this way you avoid cool-shocking the engine. Also, rapid and sharp increase/decrease of RPM is bad as the balance counter weights are thrown against the crankshaft.
Suggested Route
I have planned a very conservative route with 2 stop over for safety reasons and fuel uplift. The first stop is at Wick, Scotland and the second at the Faroe Islands (Faroe Islands can be avoid down to a/c range).
Total flying time (still wind) should be +/- 8h. depends on a.c type and if departed from the South East. From Wick to the Faroe Islends it is 250 miles mostly over water. From Faroe Islands to Iceland (ING VOR) is 270 miles over water and another 142 miles to Reykjavik over mountains and lakes. There is a slightly shorter route but the penalty is a longer time spent over the water. The nearest airfield to ING (in case of an emergency or fuel shortage) is some 50 miles to the NW. Therefore, I think that anyone who wants to join (not as a pax.) MUST have a range of 420 miles at least! The mountains along the route peak to 3000’ (also in Scotland) and they reach 6000’about 10 miles north off ING VOR. However the route does not cross over the mountains as you turn west towards Reykjavik. (From there it is not too far to Greenland, Canada and the USA and the Caribbean…Ahhhh, SUN at last!!!)
Shall we arrange a PPRUNE Fly In?