The Spirit of Adventure in Aviation Lives
 

Congratulations to WGCDR Chris Pote and Officer Cadet Abby McGill who have arrived in Auckland today after flying their Eurofox from GB to NZ as part of the RAF 100th anniversary celebrations. Their flight has benefitted the RAF Benevolent Fund and Save the Children. Chris and Abby set out from Caloundra yesterday and overnighted on Lord Howe Island before completing their epic flight today.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....899722e701.jpg

Abby and Chris kitted out in immersion suits before departing Caloundra on 4 December

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....4455129e56.jpg

Eurofox G-GBNZ poses in front of the Caloundra hangar where Skyfoxes were built in the eighties.

Fantastic journey ! Well done. Somewhat slower than Jean Batten tho. Great way to see the passing geography.
Do you know if they carried any commemorative mail since there must have been RAF 100th stamps produced?
The rego says it all.

The two mentioned didn't fly the entire trip, it was undertaken by a number of pilots in relay.

Wg Cdr Chris Pote, Team Leader - UK to New Zealand

Rachel Nugent, Meteorologist – UK to Rome

Wg Cdr Kev Gatland, Tornado navigator – Akrotiri to Nagpur

Squadron Leader Emma Landy, Sea King pilot – Nagpur to Pearce, Australia

Off Cdt Abby McGill, Yorkshire Universities Air Squadron – Pearce to New Zealand

With the support of David Landy, Advisor and Test Pilot

http://gb-nz.com/about

How do you alter text size in this new set up?

Great to see something like this! Really should have so much more publicity.

What a contrast to the walt who pretended she had done it "solo"

Wow they are incredibly brave, flying one of those things over endless miles of water takes some big gonads !

machtuk
You might want to read the crew names again and edit your post to something less sexist.

Great press coverage here - NOT

There was some good coverage on NZ television:
http://tinyurl.com/y9pl9zbu

whats with this perceivd problem of flight over water in a single ? If all is running fine and you are happy with it after crossing deserts and mountains..que?
There are a lot worse places than water to be over and have an engine failure. Yes. yes, I know a fixed gear can cause a flip over.
With the appropriate survival gear, jackets, raft, fishing gear, food, flares, a six pack...and an EPIRB these days...MUCH better than into the rainforest where the trees can beat the aircraft to pieces around your ears.Ouch !
In a retractable with a favourable sea and a good landing you may not even get yr feet wet.
Disclaimer...there have been a couple of 'into the scrub' miracles..one a British Army Auster onto the top of a huge tree. The problem then was getting 150' down to the ground.
In FNQ 30 ? years ago a young Sydney whip flew himself and his girlfriend into the rainforest at...position definitely unknown...when scud running nr mountainous terrain to get off the Atherton Tableland in crap SE weather...having been earlier advised not to go due existing wx conditions.
Fortunately, by the grace of the Jungle Fairies, although the Sundowner decelerated thu the vegitation and broke up...they survived without serious injury.
!st Q ...WTFAW ??.. Since water flows down hill they followed and spent happy days in the wet forest until emerging onto a cane farm rather hungry and torn about some 5 ? days later VERY lucky.! Aircraft never to be seen again.

Smithy and P.G. Taylor did it very successfully in 1934.
The RAAF also did it just this week.

Pretty much all that would need to be carried on the person and hope they did not get injured in the flip and then could get out with it all while sinking upside down. I have seen the EPIRB moved from the flight bag to on top of the fuel selector on a C210 flight when over water.

Why does the engine make a different noise every time you fly over a body of water?

Actually, it depends on your background.
"Auto-rough" occurs "automatically" when a "land based" pilot is out of gliding distance of land, whereas, if you are a Navy pilot, "auto-rough" kicks in as soon as you are out of gliding distance of water.
Horses for courses.
Tootle pip!!

A ripper show I'd say!

A mighty fine effort.

Eight hour sectors would exceed my bladder endurance.

"Auto-rough" I will remember term - but I found Hi Lighted in a helicopter.

Aussie Bob true but there's always one that cant help themselves being the thought control police with zero SOH! Oh well they do entertain us though:-) Still think it was an amazing feat, but a SE (especially one of them) over all that water at a time? No thanks I value my life more than that!:-)