Seven days from Brize to Akrotiri.....on one engine!
 

Good luck to Ross Chapman, Dep SAMO at Brize, as he sets off in one of the Brize Flying Club's aircraft on a charity flight to Akrotiri tomorrow!



The flight is intended to raise funds for the Oxford Children's Hospital Campaign; for full details see http://www.witneygazette.net/search/...s_hospital.php

Best of luck, Ross!

Now since when did a (and just what is a Deputy Senior Air Movements Officer)'Watch them load an aeroplane' Officer start moving aeroplanes around anywhere. Surely Pilots Taxi, Engineers Tow, and DSAMO's supervise loading and watch Muppets bend airframes.

Even more from the Gazette:

"Mr Chapman will not be making the flight solo - an RAF colleague will help him with the outbound flight. He then plans to take a commercial flight back to the UK."

Looks like DSAMO will be doing the usual UKMAMS type of work, Passenger out and Passenger Home. Must be bored at work.

ZH875

Yes but you can see the problem with him being An Air Movements Officer (AAMO) can't you? "Where's the AAMO?" etc...

Anyway, he should be fine so long as his staff aren't driving anywhere on the airfield. :}

Good Luck to Jerry too.
 

As no-one seems to have mentioned him by name I would like to offer my best wishes to Jerry Peach who is partnering Ross on this epic adventure. As an Air Engineer (with CPL) he seems like the perfect companian on such an undertaking. Good luck to you both and I hope AF looks after you too.

Should be on his way to Caen right now, then on to Troyes later today.

But where his baggage ends up is anyone's guess.

Hmmm.....that's just about par for the course in these parts. Northam (Western Australia) to Goulburn (just outside Sydney) in a C150, 1,982 nauticals, 3 days, single pilot/occupant and over some very, very inhospitable terrain!

Brize-Akrotiri?..............yawn!

Nasty weather near the WA/SA border
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c9...7/DSCF0003.jpg

Nullabor to the left - Antarctica to the right
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c9...7/DSCF0021.jpg

I wonder if his commercial colleagues have processed his return booking correctly or is he to suffer the same reservation system offered by his movements colleagues at Andover ???

Isn't seven days from Brize to Akrotiri, on one engine, standard for a Harrier? :)

Did he have to go through pax processing at BZZ???

MOG

Well, after a delayed start waiting for the weather to clear, they're now enjoying a well-earned beer in Troyes. Complete with luggage!

*rubs hands together*

The first part of the plan comes together. A fellow Duvet Technical Supervisor actually flying the aircraft.

You lot have been telling us how to do our job for years - now we start to prove we can actually do yours! Mwah hah hah.

Ross will do anything to get off work for a week - damned slacker! Good luck anyway fella.

There's still a couple of legs to go, and plenty of knife-wielding bag-trashers down route.
In all seriousness, since its in aid of charity, good luck to the bloke.

Now in Cannes after a 'cracking trip down' through France today!

Well done, Ross - keep it up!

It's great to see someone in the RAF actually interested in aviation.

Enjoy your trip guys. :ok:

Good Luck guys
 

Safe trip and enjoy!!

There are some great flying clubs in the RAF for us non professional aircrew. Dont always get the support from stations like other clubs (fishing, tiddlywinks etc) but it is getting better! Planning trips overseas etc is certainly adventurous!

Have a top flight!

NM

That's nothing. How about Mesquite to Caddo Mills in a C-172 over 14 days - 23 nuatical miles :ok:




and for most of the time I didn't even have ONE engine turning :{

Ross and Jerry have now made it to Naples after an enjoyable but busy day - time for another beer or few!

Well done guys!!

Should have been there last night. The crew might have let you kip on the floor & share their pizza!!;)

NAJB

Notwithstanding my earlier sarcastic remark I wish the guys best of luck and happy landings.

That's kind of you, donardboy, thanks.

Ross and Jerry have now arrived in Corfu after a warm day's flying from Naples.

"Lost a few pounds in sweat through flying today - but we are totally buzzing!"

Keep it up, guys!

Will tomorrow introduce them to that traditional Greek query...

"WHA' EEZ YOUR DME SITIA"

...bellowed from the other side of the tower with half-a-dozen conversations and a couple of football games on TV going on in the background?

Has Brize movements section improved over the past few days??

Seven days?! Get a move on big man! ;)

Seriously, good work fella - anyone know how I can sponsor?

Ok and???
 

OK good on them for doing it but whats the big deal? People transit UK to Cyprus in small props all the time, Teenie weenie airways do it a lot three days. Or am I missing something here??

What's the big deal? Raising money for a good cause is a pretty big deal.

Lucky lads are currently enjoying a cold one each by the sea in Mikonos!

An excellent 3 hour flight direct from Corfu to Mikonos, enjoying the scenery at FL75.

Next stop tomorrow will be Rhodes, a day's break, then on to Akrotiri!

Good luck!!

So that would be one 3 hour leg per day?? Now that's really working for the charity quid!

I think folk would be more appreciative if they knew more about this 'daring challenge' from the DSAMO (the Witney rag's words, not mine).

Is he a low hours PPL? Is he scared of flying? Is he actually flying - why the other RAF bod with him?

Bit more info would perhaps help the more cynical to see that he is not on a free hours-build.

Whatever, best of luck to the team. Good to someone getting off their backsides for a very worthy cause - my money's in!

I'm not sure why there seems so much unreasonable negativity about this fund-raising expedition on PPRuNE?

Neither pilot, although they both hold civil pilots' licences, is an RAF pilot; Ross is an Air Movs officer and his colleague Jerry is an Air Engineer. Neither of them have experience of flying such distances in SEP Class aeroplanes....

Their sole ambition is to raise funds for the Oxford Children's Hospital. Comments about 'free hours-build' are wholly unworthy and unwelcome. It might have been possible to do the trip in less time; however, they are involved in various fund-raising and PR activites at various stops en-route and there is no reason to add cumulative fatigue to such an event.

This is the sort of trip which any RAFFCA pilot might consider. The fact that a couple of RAFFCA pilots have done so to raise funds for a worthy cause is exemplary; that neither are RAF pilots even more so.

All power to their elbows. Great cause (daughter #3 born in the JR), and they are getting some great flying in the process.

What is there to whinge about?

Beats cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats - sore @rse, horrible chav drivers to watch out for, and you end up in Jockistan :(

Charity the winner!
 

Agree with BE . Some of us for whatever reason do both our own jobs AND flying! Not a flying suit in sight! The guys on the exped deserve mega praise !

NM

I think that the problem may lie in the question "Wherein lies the challenge?". As I said earlier - it's the 'norm' over here. And I'm not an RAF pilot either - just an ex Admin Sec officer that decided to become one when I left!

European weather, French, Italian and Greek rules and regulations, negotiating with sponsors and making down route arrangements etc. A trip made by 2 private pilots doing something they have never done before.

Rather more difficult than just flying across your own country with a few intermediate landings.....something you do all the time.

I'm sure if the punters coughed up some more sponsorship money, then next time the boys will be happy to do a Bert Hinkler, and fly all the way to Australia.

Anyway - the guys are well ahead of schedule and have arrived in Rhodes, so will take the day off in Rhodes tomorrow. Hoping to make it to Akrotiri on Monday.

Should have been in Rhodes last night, I understand the Swedish Ladies Netball team were in town! ;)

BEags. If they are coming home civair how are you getting the company aircraft home?:eek:

Someone else is going out to pick it up, I understand.

Any way, I will be checking car parks again next week, so won't be here when they get back.

Ross and Jerry have now arrived at Akrotiri after a great flight from Rhodes. Very well done guys, enjoy the brandy sours - you've earned them!

How about doing it in (under?) a weightshift microlight.......

http://www.england-to-cyprus.co.uk/

Nice to know you can rely on your sqn oppos to greet you on landing, plus a few akt flying club chaps. Well done akt on providing 1 officer and a photographer for this world record epic. well done samo and jery glad the becks went down well