SouthtoSouthFlightLog

 

Flight Log of the South to South Expedition
  ARGENTINA        
DATE TO AIRFIELD Km TIME CONDITIONS NOTES
Start in General Rodriguez
27-Mar Chivilcoy 130 50 Strong tailwind - 40 km/h 2 Other aircraft joined us
27-Mar Estancia San Natalio 195 95 Strong tailwind - 50 km/h rain Met Koume Rouge ex-Cambodians
27-Mar Fortin Olavarria 45 30 Strong tailwind - 50 km/h rain/strm Very big storm
28-Mar America, Rivadavia 25 20 Tailwind 20 km/h Dried our stuff, great reception, lunch, free fuel.
28-Mar Santa Rosa 175 110 Headwind 20 km/h Grt reception, dinner, slept clbhse, took 15 for flips
29-Mar General Acha 95 80 Headwind 15 km/h Good weather, hangover - lunch
Fuel station, Puelches 155 110 headwind 10 km/h Good weather
Deserted road 140 90 headwind 10 km/h Camped, very few cars, very quiet - great evening
30-Mar General Roca 105 80 headwind 10 km/h Good weather
Roadside, Picun Leufu 180 120 headwind 10 km/h A bit of turbulence
St Martin de los Andes 160 110 headwind 10 km/h Turbulence - climbed to 9000 ft
3-Apr San Carlos de Bariloche 130 75 tailwind 20 km/h Above the clouds (9,000 ft) - great flight
  CHILE        
6-Apr Puetro Montt 170 130 Clear sky, headwind 25 km/h Over the Andes, max height 10,500 ft
Los Pehuenches 440 220 Tailwind 40 km/h Very turbulent landing
8-Apr Santo Domingo 500 345 Slight headwind ave spd 90 km/h Over mist along the coast - mid-air pee!
9-Apr Santiago 120 80 Great flight at 4500 ft, no wind Andes mountains straight ahead.
13-Apr Tongoy 450 225 Tailwind from 10 to 45 km/h Coast, low cloud, scary tht of landing in the wind
14-Apr Chanaral 470 280 Tailwind most of the day 15 km/h Along the coast at 4500' then 2000'. Great flight
15-Apr La Chimba 340 220 Slight headwind At 4,500 - 6,000 ft - a great flight
Carolina 115 80 Low 40km/h tail, high 20 km/h hdw. Wild turbulence low down, on coast indesert alone
16-Apr Iquique 260 250 Headwind 10 km/h above inversion Great flight
Arica 270 190 Slight head and later tailwind Great flight over the Atacama Desert
  PERU        
TOTAL carried forward 4670 49.83 HOURS  
DATE TO AIRFIELD / TOWN Km TIME CONDITIONS NOTES
20-Apr Tacna 40 30 Slight tailwind, turbulent Over the Atacama Desert
24-Apr Mollendo 240 150 Slight wind, very hazy Great flight
Atico 260 165 Some low cloud Slept near the runway, beach
25-Apr Nasca 280 150 Slight tailwind, turbulent low down Difficulty finding the runway!
26-Apr beach100 km before Lima 340 210 Slight tailwind, hazy At 6,000ft very bad visibility
San Bartolo (Lima) 55 45 15 km/h headwind, very bad vis. Very bad visibility
2-May Chancay 130 95 Slight tailwind, bad vis. Over Lima (30 mins), landed on dune
3-May Chimbote 310 220 Headwind 35kph hazy at Chimbote Slept in airport building
4-May Chiclayo 380 210 15 km/h tailwind, bad vis. TV interview, hotel
5-May Piura, Juan's little strip 215 145 Turbulence up to 5,000 ft Close to the main airport, Piura.
Tumbes 205 150 Turbs to 6,000 ft, slight tailwind Over the beach the last bit.
  ECUADOR        
6-May Guayaquil 200 125 Rain, low cloud, storms, bad vis. Low over water under clouds, later above
  COLOMBIA        
8-May beach 390 240 Cloud, but good weather Mountains and beach
Tumaco 220 130 Along the beach good flight
9-May beach stop 100 55 Rain, low cloud, bad vis, slt tlwnd sea, mangroves and a bit of beach
40 35 Rain and storms
0 20 Rain and storms
10-May Refueling stop in field 190 130 Clouds Climbed to 9,500 ft
Cali International 45 20 Low clouds, hazy over Cali Almost landed on military airfield
Ultralight strip 20 15 Warm, big storms nearby Flew in T-shirt, around Cali north
16-May Nuqui 360 225 Clouds, slight tailwind Over the Andes at 9500ft
  PANAMA        
TOTAL carried forward 8690 92.58 HOURS  
DATE TO AIRFIELD / TOWN Km TIME CONDITIONS NOTES
17-May Beach stop 430 30 Rain and low cloud, storms Low along the coast, wet, difficulty seeing
Panama City 120 310 Towering Cumulus, some sun Over the water to miss some storms
19-May David 380 230 Good weather - some storms near A lot of cloud - nice flight over Panama Canal
  COSTA RICA        
19-May San Isidro 260 170 Some CB near by, not much wind Very cloudy - difficult to cross mountains w/ clouds
20-May San Jose 110 70 Cumulus and rain A lot of air traffic, TV interviews at Pavas airport
Flying Crocodile Lodge 160 100 Towering Cumulus and CB s, rain Great flight - also 15 km across water
6-Jun Liberia 130 80 Clouds and a little rain, no wind Very pretty coastline, many villas and lodges
  NICARAGUA        
6-Jun Beach at Montelimar 140 90 Storm ahead, slight headwind Great coastline, few cliffs, white sand beaches
Farm Punta Cosiguina 235 155 Clouds and a little rain Difficulty finding a landing spot, used old runway
  HONDURAS        
7-Jun No landing 45 25 25 km / h tailwind 45 km over water….
  EL SALVADOR      
7-Jun No landing 255 150 Little wind, few clouds, warm Low down the beach, many villas
  GUATEMALA        
7-Jun San Jose, military base 105 95 Good weather, clouds, warm Low over the beach, some cliffs, many villas
San Jose, aeroclub 10 10 Good weather, clouds, warm Saw results of Hurricane Mitch, houses in the sea
  MEXICO        
TOTAL carried forward 11070 117.83 HOURS  
DATE TO AIRFIELD / TOWN Km TIME CONDITIONS NOTES
7-Jun Tapachula 235 145 Little wind, some small storms Good flight, a little turbulence.
GIA, mango farm 15 10 Sun setting, no wind Short flight, Ricardo flying Tucan trike guided us
8-Jun Tapachula 15 10 Cloudy, no wind Long time at airport … cutoms, immigration etc.
Comitan de Dominguez 240 200 Very cloudy, storms, no way ahd Climbed 10,000' over the Sierra Madre de Chiapas
9-Jun Agua Azul 145 75 Very cloudy, tailwind 20km/h, rain Over mountains, dodging clouds and mist
Palenque 25 25 Turbulent, cloudy Flew over Palenque Maya ruins. Very hot
14-Jun Lerdo, on dirt track 440 320 Headwind, very cloudy, turbulent Dirt track in sugar cane field. 50 min. refuel stop.
Cowfield near Veracruz 85 60 Headwind, some storms near On cliff edge, rough landing. Peaceful. Rained hard.
15-Jun Tuxpan beach 295 210 Slight headwind, nice day Refuel, drinks and meal stop on beach. Fun stop.
Beach north of La Pesca 355 255 Headwind, storms inland Deserted beach. Mike sick in the morning.
16-Jun Matamoros 220 155 Headwind, some storms Cleared customs etc.
Brownsville 15 15 Turbulent, storms to the northwest Olivier needed a visa, sent back to Matamoros
Matamoros 15 15 Storm approaching, sunset landing Camped on the apron parking area.
  USA        
TOTAL carried forward 13170 142.75 HOURS  
DATE TO AIRFIELD / TOWN Km TIME CONDITIONS NOTES
17-Jun Brownsville 15 15 Little wind, some small storms Over the Rio Grande. Border patrol cars
Johnson airfield, Port Mansfield 105 80 Headwind, cloudy. First stop in rural USA. Slept at airfield
18-Jun Mustang airfield, Port Aransas 160 135 Strong headwind. Stop for breakfast and coffee.
Pierce airfield, old WW2 base 155 105 Strong headwind. Rest stop. Disused WW2 bomber tarining base
Galveston 190 140 Headwind, cloudy Big airport, decided to move on.
Crystal Beach 55 50 Headwind. Small airstrip. Camped near friends house
19-Jun Back yard of home near Greenwood 480 315 Headwind. Big storm ahead Olivier hit a ditch. Went on swamp boat. Ate crabs
20-Jun St John the Baptist airfield 65 65 Headwind, very turbulent Took pics of old jet fighters
Lakefront, New Orleans 65 70 Headwind, very turbulent Near city, big airport
24-Jun Trent Lott 155 95 Headwind. Low clouds Friendly airport, courtesy car, Burger King
Apalachicola, Florida 245 190 Headwind. Low clouds Old air base, had oysters for dinner.
25-Jun Live Oak, Florida 250 160 Headwind, low cloud Small airfield, changed Rectifier, coffee, map
Jekyll Island, Georgia 160 90 Tailwind, small clouds Lunch with Robert Wiener and dog (pilot)
Hilton Head, South Carolina 140 85 Tailwind, storm ahead Jets, wealthy area, slept in line crew room
26-Jun Ocean Isle, North Carolina 330 160 Tailwind, low clouds Met Ronny & Johnny, trikers. Flew Ronny's trike.
Ocracoke Island, North Carolina 350 170 Tailwind, low clouds Short stop to change maps.
First Flight, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina 140 75 Tailwind, clear sky Good speed. Slept at airfield, Wright monument.
29-Jun Woodbine, New Jersey 430 235 Very strong tailwind, turbulence Wild turbulence, slept in Justin's camper
1-Jul Miller's Field Park, Statten Island 220 105 Low cloud, heavy rain Landed in the parking lot
Linden Airport, New York 15 10 Very low cloud Stayed in the Indian Motel
5-Jul Griswold, small airfield 205 145 Good weather, some cloud Around Liberty, past Manhattan, up the Hudson
Oxford, near Worcester 140 105 Strong wind, wild turbulence Slept at the small airfield
6-Jul Merry Meeting, Bowgoin, Maine 305 175 Slight tailwind, low cloud Stopped - IFR conditions at Bangor
7-Jul Knox County airport, Rockland 95 70 Cloud, strong wind, cool Bryce bought us tanks, went sailing with Linda
9-Jul Bangor, Maine 125 70 Clear day, little wind Tried to get into Canada, needed visa
Knox County airport, Rockland 125 80 Storms approaching from north Headed back to the Boys Club
16-Jul Bangor, Maine 125 70 Warm, cloudy, good weather Checked weather, cleared immigration
  CANADA        
16-Jul St Georges, Quebec, Canada 175 135 Headwind, warm, gusty CANADA!
St Lambert airfield, Quebec 80 50 Late in afternoon, very hazy Met Jaques, good reception
18-Jul Baie Comeau Manic 1, Quebec 420 265 Tailwind, low cloud Great flight, pretty countryside, saw whales
Wabush, Labrador 460 265 Tailwind, cloud, very cold Great flight, flew at 9,000ft, no roads or people
21-Jul Shefferville 225 150 Headwind, cloudy, cold Connected auxillary tanks
Kujjuaq, Nunavik 395 255 Headwind, rain, Rained as we arrived, $250 hangerage. Outside
22-Jul Kangirsuk 280 205 Rain, cloudy, cold Millions of mosquitoes, cold
Quaqtaq 165 110 Clear sky, cold Great flight, took lots of photos
23-Jul Iqaluit, Baffin Island 380 240 Slight wind, rain, cloud, cold Over the Hudson Strait - amazing flight, scenery.
4-Aug Broughton Island 485 250 Cold, 30 km/h tailwind, cloudy Over baffin Island. Glaciers, snow. Camped
  NORTH ATLANTIC AND EUROPE  
TOTAL carried forward 21080 225.92 HOURS  
DATE TO AIRFIELD / TOWN Km TIME CONDITIONS NOTES
5-Aug Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland 595 380 Little wind, great day, not too cold Over Davis Strait, 4.5 hrs over water
6-Aug Kulusuk, Greenland 640 360 Little wind, clear, some low cloud Raced the last 3 hours. Amazing sights
7-Aug Reyjavik, Iceland 780 505 Slight headwind, low cloud, cold 5 hours above cloud. Nerve wracking
8-Aug Hofn, Iceland 440 270 Low cloud, rain, very bad visibility Olivier stuck in sand,
9-Aug Stornoway, Scotland 840 440 Cloudy, very cold, good tailwind Longest flight over water
10-Aug Gigha Island, Scotland 325 215 Headwind, a little cloud 2 x Tornado jets in front of Olivier
Campbeltown, Scotland 35 20 Nice weather Slept in field above town
11-Aug Barten, England 340 225 Cloudy, headwind. Met Mom, Sue, Jenny and Geoff
Warrington - abandoned airfield 20 15 Getting dark, slight wind My radio not working
Arclid, microlight airfield 28 25 Getting dark, slight wind Airfield isolated
In field next to pub 2 5 Nearly dark Rough field,
12-Aug Husbands Bosworth 135 85 Headwind, fog patches, low cloud Glider airfield. Lunch with Dave & Kathy
Popham 160 110 Headwind, getting dark. Ma, Nick and Gabby to meet me
15-Aug Rushett Farm 55 0.5 Some storms, tailwind Charmaine flew with me.
20-Aug Medway 75 0.8 A bit turbulent, blue sky, little wind Alexandra flew with me (Mike)
Rushett Farm 65 0.8 A bit turbulent, blue sky, little wind Met Keith Reynolds and Nigel Beale
27-Aug Headcorn, England 76 0.7 Nice weather, tailwind With Greg, cleared customs, filed flight plan
Calais, France 98 0.8 Tailwind of 10 knots, good weather Across the Channel, maps from Olivier
Spa, Belgium 299 2.8 Tailwind of 5 knots, good weather Watched Grand Prix
29-Aug Doncourt, France 155 1.5 Tailwind, some cloud Stayed with Francis and Dominique
30-Aug Vittel, France 109 1.0 Tailwind, turbulent Met Francis for lunch. Stopped here in 1995
Autun, France 199 1.8 Tailwind, turbulent Met Olivier, saw 11 jets near us
31-Aug Annemasse near Geneva 188 1.8 Tailwind, cold Over Geneva, great reception
9-Sep Avignon, France 282 2.5 Slight tailwind, Met Alain Petit for lunch
Sarlat-Domme, France 310 3.5 Headwind, some clouds Stayed with Brian Milton
10-Sep Montpezat, France 107 1.0 Good weather, some light turb Oil change, Olivier - nice microlight airfield
Montestrucq, France 162 1.7 Nice weather, low level Great reception, great food and hospitality
12-Sep Miengo, Spain 304 3.2 Very hazy, little wind Drinks with pilots, slept in tents. Rain
14-Sep Rozas, Spain 315 3.2 Some cloud, some turbulence Lunch of duck at abandoned airfield
Beach south of Porto, Portugal 349 3.4 Good weather Camped on lawn next to bar!
15-Sep Cascais, near Lisbon 236 2.6 Good weather, some turbulence Airport near Estoril airport.
Beach near Porto Covo 144 1.3 Tailwind, turbulence Nice spot on cliff above beach
16-Sep Beach near Tavira, Portugal 197 2.0 Good weather, turbulent near hills Beach near bars, slept on beach.
18-Sep Road near beach, Vejer, Spain 218 2.1 Sunrise flight, good weather Moved trikes into garden, very strong wind.
  AFRICA        
TOTAL carried forward 29363 309.2 HOURS  
DATE TO AIRFIELD / TOWN Km TIME CONDITIONS NOTES
21-Sep Rabat, Morocco 282 2.6 Tailwind, little turbulence, clear Over the Strait of Gibraltar
30-Sep Tit Mellil (Casablanca), Morocco 140 1.5 Hazy, Turbulent, little wind Louis & Bahya flew with us, TV waiting
2-Oct Essaouira, Morocco 401 3.9 Good weather, gusts 20kt Essaouira Parked in courtyard, stayed with Habib
5-Oct Fort Bou-Jerif, Morocco 328 3.8 Good weather, headwind. The place of the Cobra man
6-Oct Tan Tan, Morocco 128 1.6 Headwind, good weather Refuelled
Cape Juby, Morocco 215 2.3 Good weather Slept on runway, guards around us all night
7-Oct Laayoune, Morocco 111 1.1 Good weather Refuelled
Dakhla, Morocco 509 4.1 Great tailwind, some turbulence Stayed in the Sahara Hotel
8-Oct Sahara near Nouamghar 589 5.3 Great tailwind, turbulent at end Landed in the desert to transfer fuel
Nouakchott, Mauritania 107 1.1 Headwind, hot, very turb., dusty Parked in Aeroclub hangar, friendly people
10-Oct Landed in main road -  rain 113 1.2 Rain, clouds, slight headwind, wrm Tea in road, policeman
Fuel station in road, Aleg 119 1.3 SKT clouds, good weather, warm Lots of people
Old runway, Qued el Abiod 241 2.6 Clear, exceptional visibility, warm Rested
Road fuel station, Kiffa 100 1.1 Clear, exceptional visibility, warm Again crowds
Slept near rocks, Tintane 102 1.1 Small storm near, good vis, warm Heard AK47 gunfire in the night
11-Oct Road no fuel station 243 2.5 Severe dust - vis 300 m, warm A quick stop
Road fuel station, Aquinat ez Zbil 13 0.1 Severe dust - vis 200 m, hot Crowds
Road, cleaned air filters 57 0.6 Severe dust - vis 200 m, hot Peace near the road
Nema runway 128 1.4 Severe dust - vis 300 m, hot Sick man, hot and sandy, rested
Fuel station in Nema town 17 0.2 Severe dust - vis 500 m, hot A crazy stop
Slept on plateau, Dendara 35 0.4 Severe dust - vis 500 m, hot Stopped locals from coming close
12-Oct Tombouctou, Mali 478 4.5 Severe dust - vis 300 m, tailwind Incredible flight, saw Niger River
13-Oct Desert south of Tombouctou 114 1.2 Dust, headwind, light turbulence Hard to find a spot to land
14-Oct Mopti, Mali 294 3.1 Dust - vis 3 km, headwind Incredible place to see on the Niger
Pan in Mali 157 1.5 Dust, vis 3km, storm ahead, tlwnd Stooped for the storm ahead
Douganougou, Burkina Fasso 430 4.0 Good weather, tailwind, light turb Nice welcome, parked in hangar
19-Oct Natitingu, Benin 411 4.1 Good weather, some cumulus Good flight, slept at airport next to trikes
20-Oct Cotonou, Benin 506 5.0 Low mist, good weather Hangerage, Nigerian visa stop
24-Oct Port  Harcourt, Nigeria 578 5.6 Low cloud, light rain, CB's Low over terrible jungle, terrible night.
25-Oct Douala, Cameroon 356 3.1 Low cld, some rain, tailwind, CB's Half over water, rest jungle
Tico, Cameroon 46 0.5 Headwind, some turbulence Ignition failure - scary over the jungle
26-Oct Douala, Cameroon 46 0.5 Cloudy, some rain nearby detained by military & later police
27-Oct Libreville, Gabon 452 4.9 Hdwnd, rain, lightning near, low cld Nice airport, out of Cameroun!!
Microlight airfield, Gabon 21 0.2 Clouds, sunset Reception and dinner with pilots!!
3-Nov Mpaga, Gabon 155 1.3 Tailwind, heavy rain, low clouds Slept in tent on gravel runway, mosquitoes!
4-Nov Omboué, Gabon 79 0.9 Cloudy, headwind Over thick forest, stopped for fuel
Near Mayumba, Gabon 285 3.2 Cloudy, headwind, light rain Landed on runway in forest to transfer fuel
Pointe-Noire, Congo 232 2.2 Cloudy, tailwind, weather improving Met in the air by Pointe-Noire microlights
9-Nov Luanda, Angola 494 4.5 Cloudy, tailwind 4,000', then clear A good flight, some carb icing, Hotel Paris
10-Nov Benguela, Angola 458 4.2 Tailwind, some low cloud 4000 kids arrived to see us
11-Nov Hartmann Valley, Namibia 668 5.8 Tailwind, some cloud, Nearly landed on Baia dos Tigres
Epupa Falls, Namibia 106 0.9 Tailwind, turbulent Raced to land before darkness
12-Nov BP station, Ruacana, Namib 135 1.5 Headwind, light turbulence Landed on the road to fill up
Ruacana airport 2 0.0 Headwind, light turbulence a quick flight
13-Nov Grootfontein 512 5.2 Head then tailwind, turb. from hell Started in the dark, climbed to 12,000 ft
14-Nov Mangetti Dune, Bushmanland 230 2.4 Tail then headwind, severe turb. Early flight, strange winds
15-Nov Windhoek International, Namibia 452 3.5 Great tailwind, clear, some turb. Flight level 085 tailwind, headwind low!
20-Nov Swakopmund, Namibia 324 2.8 Good tailwind, clear day Beautiful flight over the desert
22-Nov Sossusvlei, Namibia 311 3.0 Low mist near Swakop, tailwind Spin in mist, flew above, beautiful desert
24-Nov Hobas, Fish River Canyon, Namibia 432 3.7 Good tailwind, clear day Beautiful sights, dunes, mountains, canyon
25-Nov Hondeklipbaai, South Africa 398 3.9 Clear day, little wind, good WX Down the beach again, great flight
26-Nov Elandsbaai, South Africa 266 2.9 Clear day, little wind, good WX Landed on the beach for lunch
Grotto Bay, South Africa 181 1.9 Clear day, little wind, good WX Great flight down the beach
27-Nov Contemanskloof, Cape Town 67 0.7 Clear day, little wind, good WX Cape Town at last, great welcome
TOTAL carried forward 43017 441.3 HOURS  
2-Dec Lainsburg 232 2.1 Very hazy day, tailwind Flew high, Fiona with me, Gra on the bike
Beaufort West 203 1.7 Very hazy day, tailwind Sue flew with me
Hanover 228 2.1 Bumpy Fiona not well
Colesburg 153 1.6 Rain and some wind Waited for Gra - cop radar speedtrap
3-Dec Kroonstad 435 4.6 Heavy rain, strng wnd, clds at 200' Worst weather of the whole expedition
4-Dec Springs, Johannesburg 197 1.9 Bumpy, good vis, cloudy Alexandra flew with me - home!
TOTAL carried forward 44465 455.2 HOURS  
Ave. GND Speed (km/h): 98

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