Jack recently posted these numbers on another forum so I am copying them here.
Miles flown: 20,850 nautical miles or 24,000 statute miles Flying days: 11 (out of 28 calendar days) Flight legs flown: 17 Hours flown: 89.7 hours Average distance per flying day: 1,892 nautical miles or 2,176 statute miles Maximum distance in a flying day: 2,627 nautical miles or 3,020 statute miles Minimum distance in a flying day: 1,057 nautical miles or 1,215 statute miles Average flight hours per flying day: 8.2 hours Average flight hours per flight leg: 5.3 hours Longest flight leg: 7.5 hours (Oman to Sri Lanka) Average ground speed take-off to touchdown: 231 knots or 266 miles per hour Average true airspeed in cruise: 246 knots or 283 miles per hour
Heavy weights and some cruise altitude temps as high as ISA+24 kept the cruise speed below what we typically see in our domestic flying. We also used long-range cruise power rather than max cruise power for about five flying hours.
Number of maintenance events: Zero Quarts of oil added: 2
The plane performed almost perfectly and we had zero maintenance performed. The Pilatus PC-12 is a remarkable plane in terms of range, versatility, comfort, and reliability.
We were fortunate to have generally good weather and only changed routing once (to Vietnam) due to the tropical storm over the Philippines. We did not have to cancel any flights and were often within minutes of our flight plans (a testament to Jack’s meticulous planning).
Our flying days began in the early morning – often going to the airport in the dark with pre-flight at dawn. We’d land in the late afternoon or evening, add fuel and Prist, cover pitot and inlet covers, grab luggage, deal with customs and immigration, taxi to hotel, eat quick dinner, shower, and sleep. The next day (or two) were spent wandering the country/city, catching up on emails and communications, going to the hotel gym or jogging through botanical gardens, preparing for the next flight, and eating too much.
Moving from country to country relatively quickly was a little disorienting and I had to force myself to be present in my surroundings. “This is Singapore, take it in,” I thought as we drove around the city looking at the sites. “Yesterday was squalor, TukTuks, and stray dogs. Today we are in one of the cleanest and wealthiest cities in the world.”
Traveling with Jack and Carolyn was easy and fun, as was meeting Giuseppe, Jamie, Jerry, and Madelyn.
It was an amazing trip and I’m still processing the scope of the adventure and accomplishment. The blog helped a lot just to reflect and document some of what we did and became a diary of sorts.
On each birding trip, I tried to take a few videos, as well as still shots. I then combined both into a 2 minute video for each country. To view these videos, click on the associated picture below. BE SURE TO CHANGE YOUR YOUTUBE SETTINGS TO HD. Hope you enjoy them!
The two days (July 10-11) we were in Dutch Harbor were a bit drizzly and chilly, but I (and Carolyn and Madelyn some too) managed to get out several times, exploring the areas in the harbor and climbing up Strawberry Hill, and driving up the side of Ballyhoo Mt. I noticed when looking over my photos that these birds are much duller in color than those of the more southern latitudes. Not sure why, but I bet there is a good reason.
Here is a sampling of birds I am quite familiar with (and many of you will be too!)….
Bald Eagle – all wet from the drizzleBald Eagle – immaturesBald Eagle – immatureBald Eagle – finally one that wasn’t so stragglyAll Bald Eagles – they were everywhere! I estimated seeing over 50 during one morning walk.Belted KingfisherSemipalmated PloverSavannah SparrowRuddy TurnstonePine SiskinLeast Sandpiper
And here are the birds that are not so familiar to me, or are lifers….
Pacific Wren – too bad it was so foggy outPigeon Guillemot – they look an awful lot like our Black Guillemots in MaineLapland Longspur – I’ve only seen brief glimpses of these guys in the winter time in MaineLapland Longspur – serious preening going on hereGray-crowned Rosy-Finch (male)Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (male)Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch – immature begging dad for foodGray-crowned Rosy-Finch (female)Rock SandpipersRock SandpipersRock SandpipersBlack Oystercatchers – gotta love those brilliant orange bills!Black-legged KittiwakeRock Ptarmigan (mama)Rock Ptarmigan (and chick)
And then there were the cute little Murrelets. They were really far off shore, but I managed to get a few blurry shots and id them (with the help of cousin Tom in Anchorage!). The only one I didn’t get that is in the area is the Ancient Murrlet – darn it!
Kittlitz’s Murrelet – this was by far the most common one seen from shoreMarbled Murrelet
And WAY OUT in the harbor were the Horned Puffins….
On July 12 we flew from Dutch Harbor to Jackson Hole with a fuel stop in Ketchikan.
Leaving Dutch Harbor
Ketchikan, Alaska
The TetonsApproaching KJACArriving in Jackson Hole
On July 13 Jack and I flew to Austin to complete the 360. Jack and N575PC were warmly greeted on the ramp by the Atlantic FBO crew with balloons and a poster. They had been following the blogs and were glad to see one of their favorite pilots home safely.
I’ll post the final sumary of distances and times in the next few days.
Carolyn and I went to the Botanical Garden in Taipei our first day, which was somewhat productive, but I think we got spoiled by Singapore standards. Plus, it was blasted hot, and we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible. Heat index of 105 midday…. perhaps that’s why bird activity was low.
From the Botanical Garden, we walked to Liberty Square to check out the museums, etc (which we did) but were pleasantly surprised to discover that the bird life in a pond on the property provided a better variety of bird life than the Botanical Garden.
Stopping for a few nights in each country gave us a good sense of the differences among cultures AND the quality of life….
OMAN In Oman, we were struck by the cleanliness, wealth, and how new everything looked. We found out that the new part of Muscat was only 20 years old, so no wonder everything looked so nice! Unfortunately we never made it to old Muscat.
Can anyone guess what Embassy this is? We saw 10-15 embassies along this stretch of road.
SRI LANKA
From Oman, we went to Sri Lanka, which truthfully looked like a third world country (which I had not expected at all). Colombo is not a city I ever wish to return to….
However, it was nice to see some of the interesting sites around Colombo….
Hindu TempleHeading into a Buddhist TempleBuddhist Mediation Center
To get up to the tea country, we drove five (crazy, dangerous, nail-biting) hours, and upon arrival it was spectacular, despite the fact that the natural forest had been clearcut years ago to plant tea trees. We staying in a beautiful Tea Trails hotel that was once the home of a plantation owner.
Tientsin Tea Trails hotel
However, elsewhere scattered among the hills and towns, were very simple, rundown houses where the tea workers lived. Mostly women pick tea leaves daily in the fields, and the men work in the factories. We often saw people walking long distances carrying bundles of grass clippings to burn or bags of tea leaves from the day’s pickings.
I realize we already posted these two photos, but they fit my text so well I must repeat!
The five hours of driving to get out of the mountains was just as harrowing as the drive up, and poor Carolyn was sick from food poisoning the whole way, stopping once to throw up, only to discover that leeches were crawling all over her shoes and legs. Insult to injury magnified 10 times! Poor Jack got leeches too while dutifully helping Carolyn. Here’s a video to give you an idea of the hectic driving…Driving in Sri Lanka
SINGAPORE
Our next stop was Singapore, which was HUGELY different from Sri Lanka. Only 50 years old, most of the city is incredibly beautiful and clean, with excellent food, safe walking, lots of English-speaking folks, a fabulous Botanic Garden, and famous architectural buildings throughout the city.
This is HUGE. Casino/Hotel with apparent boat on top!After you take a look at our selfie faces, note the fancy building in the backgroundIn ChinatownOnce the largest ferris wheel in the world. Now the second largest, and not even owned by Singapore according to our taxi driver.
We also saw the “old” sections of the city, such as Chinatown, Little India, and the Arab/Muslim neighborhood. We stopped at Raffles Hotel where the Singapore Sling was invented, and of course had to try one to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
Raffles Hotel
Josh later told me it cost $28! But it sure was good.
Gardens by the Bay has the SuperTrees so we stopped there for a visit, but soon realized it was much like touring Disney World.
We did manage to stay till dark, after eating an exceptional meal at Pollen (Jason Atherton – executive chef, Colin Buchan from Scotland – chef that night…. Cayla, do you know these names?). They even gave us a tour of the kitchen – wish you had been with us Cayla!
Pollen Restaurant
Merlion (mermaid lion symbol of Singapore)
We then got to watch a fireworks show. Afterall, it was July 4th! BUT, of course, that date meant nothing to Singapore. Instead, on August 9, Singapore will be celebrating their 50th anniversary, and lucky for us, on OUR independence day, there was a spectacular “practice” fireworks show in preparation for their big day.
TAIPEI, TAIWAN
From Singapore we traveled to Taipei, an attractive city surrounded by mountains. Until 2010, Taipei claimed the tallest building in the world (Taipei 101) until Dubai built a taller one. However, I think Taipei 101 can still claim the fastest elevator rising up the 101 stories (1010 meters/min which translates to 37.7 mph).
Carolyn pointing to Taipei 101!Taipei with Taipei 101 towering above all other buildings
The city is bustling with cars and scooters weaving among the cars, and always moving ahead of cars stopped at traffic lights. Josh even noticed that there is a special box at most intersections for the scooters to wait.
Carolyn and I toured the Botanic Garden (just had to!) and Liberty Square, dedicated to Chaing Kai-shek, who led China against Japan in the Second World War, so was one of the Allied powers, celebrated along with Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin. In 1949, he was defeated in China’s civil war and retreated to Taiwan where he imposed martial law and ruled for 30 years.
Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill, Chaing-Kai-shekChaing Kai-shek MemorialSteam vents in Yangmingshan National Park
Carolyn and I also took a fabulous 4 hour tour with our Uber driver, Yesgo, up into the mountains and Yangmingshan National Park (highest peak is 1120 meters). Yesgo spoke great English (unlike any of our other Uber/taxi drivers) and said he liked showing foreigners his country. Perfect match! We birded, hiked, drove, and tried to stay cool in the scorching heat (105 degree heat index). Uber became our preferred method of travel since it required no cash – especially when I discovered in Singapore that the taxis don’t take Visa (they do take Mastercard, AMEX, etc), and I never carried local currency with me in any country we visited.
Selfie, including Yesgo
Earth God Temple where passers-by pray for peace, or pray for where to sell their fish, or pray for protection of the Earth.
Lots of great hiking trails throughout the ParkTaiwan Barbet – there will be more photos in my bird blog…
PETROPAVLOVSK, RUSSIA Our next stop was Russia. Oh my, what a contrast to ALL the other countries! The men never smiled and the women only occasionally. At the airport, it was very military like, and as Josh mentioned, they had to inspect the inside of the plane twice. I was afraid to take pictures, so don’t have many. Our drivers spoke no English, and there was practically nothing written in English in town. Luckily the restaurants we went to had menus in English and a waitress who spoke broken English. Our hotel was rated the best in town, and it felt a bit like a Super 8, with internet that basically never worked. Breakfast was much better though – in fact, quite delicious!
We took a 3 hour tour of Petropavlovsk the next day, driving up a local hill for nice views, then to a Russian Orthodox Church, followed by a nice walk along a forest trail with monuments and memorials, ending at the beach looking over the harbor, where I desperately tried to id the far-off gulls, alcids, and cormorants fishing in the harbor. Photographs confirmed we at least had Tufted Puffins, which Carolyn spotted with her eagle eyes, and Black-headed Gulls. I’ll need someone knowledgable with Russian birds to figure out the rest. eBird proved to be little help.
DUTCH HARBOR, UNALASKA, ALASKA No one was sad about leaving Russia, and very excited about returning to US soil where we could drink the tap water, use our cash, perhaps use our phones, and understand everyone speaking. Plus, it was ALASKA, and I’ve never been! Dutch Harbor is absolutely gorgeous and our approach for landing was exciting as we descended through the cloud layers.Unfortunately we missed seeing any of the other Aleutian Islands in route from Russia due to clouds, but coming into Dutch Harbor nearly made up for it.
Approach into Dutch Harbor airport
Shell drilling rig
Weather in Dutch Harbor was chilly (40s and 50s) and damp and drizzly much of our stay. Still, Carolyn, Madelyn, and I wandered the hills and beaches birding and plant gazing. Josh went on several jogs. We all visited the WWII museum at the airport, and drove up the side of Ballyhoo Mt to see the ruins of the barracks and quonset huts on top of the knoll where soldiers kept watch for Japanese invasions.
Yesterday, we flew to Jackson Hole via Ketchikan (fuel stop). Wahoo! Back in the lower 48. Josh and Jack flew on to Austin today to complete the Austin to Austin “Long” way around the world. They will receive a certificate for completing the journey, after sending in proof of our stops along the way.
On July 8 we flew from Taipei to Petropavlovsk, Russia with a quick stop in Sapporo, Japan for fuel and to pick up Jerry and Madelyn Seckler. RCTP to RJCC to UHPP. Approximately 2,800 statute miles and four time zones.
We were up at 0130 (yes, absurdly early) in order to get to the airport and depart by 0330. We had a tight schedule because we had to make our arrival and departure slot times in Sapporo, fuel as quickly as possible there, and get on a time-restricted airway for best routing to Petropavlovsk. It all went remarkably smoothly. We were wheels up by 0325 (first plane out of RCTP) and watched the sunrise over the East China Sea from FL280. We flew up the west coast of Japan, but unfortunately, clouds covered the land so we didn’t get any good views until we descended for approach into Sapporo.
Taipei Airport at 2:30amJack and Josh getting ready to take offSunrise over the East China SeaTaipei, Taiwan to Sapporo, JapanArriving Sapporo (note orange markings in Japan)
Jerry and Madelyn were waiting at our parking spot with the ground crew and fuel truck. The fueling crew was pleasant and efficient and very curious about a small general aviation airplane in an otherwise big jet, commercial airport. It was refreshingly cooler in Sapporo and was the first time since Canada that we weren’t hot and sticky in the cockpit. We were airborne again about 50 minutes after we landed.
Leaving SapporoSapporo, Japan to Petropavlovsk, Russia
The leg to UHPP was about three hours. The descent and approach into Petro were spectacular with snow-capped volcanic peaks surrounding the valley. It was very interesting to see a variety of cold war era military planes and helicopters parked in various places, and numerous airline and utility Tupolevs and Yaks parked on the ramp.
Views as we approached Petropavlovsk, RussiaMigs at PetropavlovskCloser view
We were “greeted” by our handler and several military personnel who searched the plane and watched our every move. There was a lot of paperwork and a slow, bureaucratic customs process, but no real hassles. Departure procedures were more efficient, but they insisted on searching the plane again – not sure what they were looking for a second time since we had not been to the plane since the first search.
On July 10 we departed Petropavlovsk for Dutch Harbor, Alaska (PADU) in the Aleutian Islands. The departure was beautiful, but we were soon above the clouds and our next sighting of land was not until five hours later at our destination.
Leaving PetropavlovskPetropavlovsk, Russia to Dutch Harbor, Alaska
The terrain at Dutch Harbor is rugged, the weather is generally low clouds and mist, and the IFR minimums at PADU are high at 1800/3. Based on the forecasts, we weren’t sure we would get in and planned Cold Bay (PACD) as an alternate. However, PACD does not have customs so if we missed at Dutch Harbor we could only stop in Cold Bay for fuel and would have to continue to Anchorage to clear customs. That would be a long day. Fortunately, the weather was okay and Jack and Jerry flew a scenic approach into PADU. A gregarious CBP officer (from Jonesport, Maine) greeted us and quickly stamped our passports. He said he only gets about five planes a year requiring CBP. The majority of his work is with foreign ships stopping in Dutch Harbor to load up with fish.
Runway in Dutch HarborArrival in Dutch HarborLocal chocks
Taipei is UTC + 8 (coordinated universal time – abbreviated as “UTC”). Petropavlovsk is UTC + 12. Dutch Harbor is UTC – 8. So, eight time zones and a day in three days of travel since we left Taipei. We departed Petropavlovsk on July 10, crossed the 180th meridian (or anti-meridian) and landed in Dutch Harbor on July 9. We gained a day, but lost four hours. As I write this it is 1:00pm on July 10, almost exactly 24 hours after we departed Petropavlovsk on July 10 at 9:00am.
Date and time on Becky’s phone when landing in AlaskaDate and time on Becky’s phone just before crossing the date line
Singapore is a large, clean, beautiful city with spectacular Botanic Gardens that provided wonderful birds (and plants) to view. In fact, while we were there, the Gardens became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Well deserved!
The ball is rotating around and around in the water!Zebra DoveYellow-vented BulbulWhite-throated KingfisherWhite-breasted WaterhenOlive-backed Sunbird (female)Red JunglefowlOriental Pied-HornbillLesser Whistling-DuckJavan MynaGreater Racket-tailed Drongo (unfortunately the right trailing feather is missing)Gray-headed Fish-EagleCommon FlamebackCommon FlamebackCollared KingfisherBlue-throated Bee-eaterAsian Glossy Starling (a bit nicer looking than our Starlings – but just wait till you see the Starlings in Taiwan, coming soon….)
We had a good flight from Sri Lanka to Singapore on July 2nd. Slightly over 1600 miles and 7 hours. The Pilatus has impressive range and is roomy enough to take a break and stretch out periodically. Nice to have a lavatory and Becky and Carolyn keep a good supply of snacks and water for all of us so the long flights are very manageable.
It was a relief to be back in the cockpit and over the ocean behind a Pratt and Whitney PT6 after driving on the roads of Sri Lanka. As Jack said – “driving in Sri Lanka was a near-death experience…. every 30 seconds.”
Early morning clearanceSri Lanka to Singapore
We used the HF radio a good portion of the flight over the Bay of Bengal and communications were generally clear. The Asia controllers speak much better English than their counterparts in the Middle East. It was fun to speak with Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur oceanic controllers before the hand off to Singapore approach.
Bay of BengalMt Sinabung in IndonesiaCrossing from Malaysia to Singapore
On July 5th we flew from Singapore to Cam Ranh in Vietnam (3 hours) for a quick fuel stop. We were originally going to stop in the Philippines, but a tropical storm changed that plan so Jack worked most of the day before departure to get routing clearances and arrange fueling. Our passengers were not allowed off the plane (hot!) and there was a very serious looking guard watching us (squatting in the shade of our wing the entire time). It is a beautiful country and from my brief interaction with the ground crew (hand signals), they seemed very friendly.
Singapore to VietnamView of VietnamLanding in VietnamRefueling in Vietnam
We departed Vietnam for Taipei (5 hours) and flew up the coast talking to Ho Chi Minh controllers until we were handed off to China. We were expecting metric altitudes, but they offset aircraft on the same airway three to five miles right of track and asked us to report at the exit waypoint. That’s it? No fighter plane escorts? Clearing Chinese airspace they merely said “cancel offset, contact Hong Kong, have a good flight.”
Entering Chinese airspaceApproaching airport near TaipeiLanding in TaipeiHolding short
The first birding trip in Sri Lanka was with Chandima who I had contacted through birdingpals.org. With him and another guide, we birded the Kitulgala National Park region (about 2.5 hour drive from Columbo on crazy winding roads – only 60 miles). We birded a private neighborhood then crossed over the river on an old swinging bridge, and fought off leaches by wearing special gators.
Chandima and Asouka at the house where a Chestnut-backed Owlet lives. When we arrived, Josh thankfully found the Owlet for the group!Chestnut-backed Owlet
Sporting our spiffy leech gators Chandima lent usJosh’s pet leechSri Lanka Gray HornbillSri Lanka Hanging-ParrotEmerald Dove
From Kitulgala we drove further up the winding mountain roads to the tea country (almost 2 hours to go 30 miles), where we birded with Anuradha. He was a wonderful naturalist who is working to educate the school children about ecology and conservation in the tea country through a program called School Rangers. He is very passionate about the environment, and knew all the plants species to Carolyn’s delight, and all the bird species to my delight. Here are a few of my best shots.
Marvils Round the World 