Well done on doing it yourself! It's a fantastic way to gain experience of something totally different from what 99% of pilots ever do.
I myself have just returned from flying a Maule from the UK to southern Egypt and back; I have at least one email in my inbox from several months ago from a pair of "experienced and competent" pilots telling me that the trip was impossible and I should abandon it now.
Some tips that I have come learnt from my last couple of trips:
1) Plan each flight conservatively. You think you have 700nm range? Plan 350nm legs,
maybe longer if you really know the aircraft. In my case, the aircraft was slower than I'd been told, burnt more fuel, and had less useable.
2) Opposing point 1! Stops add time and cost. Don't add more stops than are necessary, unless you're making a holiday of it and actually want to stop there. There's a balance to be struck between points 1 and 2.
3) Research your stops, aim for the small to mid-size airports. They tend to have much lower fees and are more likely to have AVGAS. Contact them in advance.
4) Don't be afraid to replan. Out of 10 or so stops on my return from Egypt, only one of them was one I originally planned. ALways check NOTAMs though, and phoning airports in advance is a really good idea, even if it's just before takeoff.
5) Plan how long you'll need, then double it. Then add a bit more time. NEVER let yourself feel under time pressure.
6) Don't book hotels in advance in Europe unless you can cancel without penalty on the day of arrival. We never had any trouble in just turning up, and it removes another source of pressure to press on.
7) Contact locals! This is essential. I can put you in touch with people in Egypt or Tunisia who can help you enormously. For other countries, talk to Sam Rutherford at Prepare2Go (
| p r e p a r e 2 go | come here before you go there). He specialises in arrangements for people flying their own light aircraft through Africa and has helped me a lot in the past; he knows his stuff and has done it all before.
Feel free to message me for anything else. You can read the report of my last trip (still missing photos, I'll add them this week) at
katamarino.co.uk - Adventure Flying Resources
As for route; there are so many nice options through Europe. I would fly down through France or Germany, and go to one side of the Alps. If the weather is good you could always replan and cross the Alps, but in a small piston aircraft it's tricky without oxygen. Entirely possible, but you need good weather, so I'd suggest having a Plan B! You could then route down through Italy, or the Adriatic, to Crete or Cyprus. Then across to Egypt where fuel is available (but expensive) at 6th October and Luxor, amongst others. If you can run on Mogas, that would widen your options, it might be worth checking out. Then maybe via the Middle East to Ethiopia, Uganda, and Rwanda; Somalia is likely to be a tricky transit with the upcoming political split.
Sam Rutherford, or Mike Gray at White Rose Aviation, can advise you more on these areas!
A final note; my tips are aimed at a "professional amateur" who wishes to enjoy the flight, and is not treating it purely as a "get from A to B as fast as possible" exercise. I'm sure a professional ferry pilot would work to much narrower margins, but for a one-off enjoyable experience, why add stress?
And let me know if you need another pilot...
