Oi, I've got first dibs as reserve bag carrier. :ok:

I seem to remember that in NZ aircraft dont have to carry national markings - sort of like we could leave of the G from our reg in the UK - because light aircraft cant reach other conutries from NZ.

Read it in the press so it must be right :O:O:O:O:O

The South Pacific route was flown by Grerard and Margi Moss in 1989 in a modified PA-32R with an 18 hr endurance. Their route was Mangareva (Polynesia) - Easter island - Robinson Crusoe Island - Santiago. See 'Freedom of the Skies' by Margi Moss, ISBN 1 85310 906 1.

Easter Island.... now that is real long distance :ok: Impressive.

18hrs is not a problem if you fly a reasonable size 4/6-seater with a huge ferry tank. A TB20 with 1 pilot could carry about 20hrs' fuel without exceeding MTOW and probably 30hrs' fuel at MTOW+30%. 30hrs would give you about 4000nm.

IO540, would oil use start to be a problem at 30 Hr endurance ?

Cheers

Actually you are right not looked at an atlas at library but tried google maps will Goto library when back in Uk

Family probes you may be right as had 2 deaths just before Xmas like most people a little financial problem here and there

Would actually be doing this with my eldest son who will be 18 July next year

It may be that the best way is to just load plane into a container to south chile From the furthest I can fly to then fly up and across the top back to uk

Does anyone fancy towing that old aircraft down to the south pacific :E

I'm not an expert in long-distance shipping but I would assume it would be much easier (and probably cheaper and faster) to have a container acquired, loaded and shipped from, say, Auckland to Chile compared to trying to acquire, load and ship a container from a godforbidden small island somewhere in the middle of the Pacific to Chile.

Supply, demand, infrastructure, knowledgeable people to help you de-rig the plane are just a few of the factors I can think of.

In any case, this is something I would investigate before setting off.

(And that's not even considering getting off that little godforsaken island yourself. From Auckland you can be home in about 24 hours, but from, say, Easter Island? Or are you going to try and travel with the same container ship?)

Max is 12qts (but anything over 10 goes out of the breather pipe quickly), min is 6 qts, burn with a good engine is 1qt/10hrs so yes it is cutting it a bit close.

Might need to run a hose to the cockpit, to a converted dipstick ;)

You might want to ask these guys how they not only were able to change the oil, but also the oil filter in-flight.

AOPA Online: Endurance Test, Circa 1958

The best way to do this was invented in 1935:

http://www.nasm.si.edu/images/collec...041000CP11.jpg

Curtiss Robin J-1 Deluxe - Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Just add some scaffolding to your Curtiss Robin and go out into the slipstream to fill up the oil tank :D

Lots of naysayers out there.

The US Aircraft Owners and Pilot's Association magazine this month has an excellent article on a private pilot who did just what the original poster proposes; flew all over the world in his private aircraft. Including antarctica, and Iraq.

Bob Gannon did 2,200 hours and 1,200 landings in 155 countries in the space of a little over a year in an older Cessna 182. He had a little more endurance in fuel than the original poster proposes; he had 22 hours of fuel on board.

You can read some of the trip at AOPA Online: Oh, the places you’ll go!

You can visit Bob Gannon's web site at Welcome to World Flying Adventure.com!

Before you spend too much time listening to those who have never gone abroad and do nothing but decry the possibility, visit a site which features those who do know what they're talking about, and who have; the Earthrounders: Earthrounders: round the world flights in light aircraft

I guess your idea of "a little more endurance in fuel" is different to mine when compared to 8 hrs. :)

Guppy - you should read your own links.

Bob Gannon took just over TEN years to do that trip, not one year.

I only took two weeks to do Oshkosh and back - and that was in a stock aircraft with no extra fuel ;)

Backpacker, did you see this :

"A Ford truck, donated by Cashman Auto in Las Vegas, was outfitted with a fuel pump, tank, and other paraphernalia required to support the aircraft in flight. When fuel was required, a rendezvous would be arranged on a stretch of straight road in the desert near Blythe, California. An electric winch lowered a hook, the fuel pump hose was picked up, and Timm or Cook inserted it into the belly tank. It took a little more than three minutes to fill the belly tank."

Have to get a pretty fast boat to do that across the Pacific

Cheers

Chilli

Two weeks to Oskosh and no extra fuel? That's a long flight... :-)

I did. But refueling is only one of the incredible number of issues they had to solve. And the solution to that one was rather obvious, although still complicated and risky.

How about this one though:
On January 12, 1959, after refueling chores, Timm removed his clothes and stepped out onto the platform for a refreshing sponge bath. He started by brushing his teeth. Just then Cook realized that the airplane wasn’t going to clear an upcoming ridge if the platform wasn’t pulled in. Cook yelled at Timm to pull in the platform and later told of seeing his partner struggling to complete that task—buck naked, and weighing 240 pounds, with a toothbrush sticking out of one side of his mouth and toothpaste streaming out of the other. They cleared the ridge but learned to delay hygienic activities until they were over flatter terrain.

(Imagine the NTSB report if they would've hit the ridge...)

SNS3Guppy


many thanks for the link that is excellent and inspiring
looks like I am looking this alot more serious now
I am looking into ways of increasing fuel to determine which route I would still like to do pacific but it may just be out of reach or at least land is :(
but going from Aus up towards japan is no bad thing either then north and down through canada down to LA it would be nice to arrive in time for oshkosh then make way back to U.K.

I am also thinking of raising cash for charity probably British heart foundation as my son was born with major heart problems and he wants to do this with me.

Good luck, go for it.

As you don't need a bag carrier you'll have to let me know if I can help with anything else at all.

here's a taste of what can easily go wrong down there:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news...ectid=10709374

I'm not saying it's impossible - nothing is - but it's not something you organise over a few beers either.

Very nasty


All ideas start somewhere mine happened to start at the flying club over a cuppa but later that day having a beer pondered on it some more now 5 days later I am seriously looking at it and trying to find a good way to go

The route I am looking at the moment is uk to Australia then up Japan across the top down Canada , USA try to arrive in time for oshkosh 2012 then south Bahamas down west coast to Natal Brazil across the ocean to fernando de naronha island then ascension island across to Liberia then up to U.K

Obviously alot more planning to do and fund raising / sponsorship

now could no-one tell my plane it may be flying over water :)

after all, all I am doing is some smallish flights put in a row