|
|||||||||||
|
|
|||
By |
||||
June 23, 2010 -
Two pilots of Twin Flight Design CTs are back home in Sion Yannick Bovier, 37, and Francisco Agullo, 41, departed their home base on the last day of April. After 51 days, the pair returned safely on Saturday, June 19 after crossing two oceans, confronting sluggish bureaucrats for overfly permission, battling fatigue and loneliness, performing routine maintenance that comes with so many hours logged. |
||||
|
||||
Having to
watch what foods they consumed (on-board bathrooms have yet to be
installed in the first Light-Sport Aircraft).
On April 30,
the duo leaped the Atlantic to
After crossing the States, Bovier and Agullo made two very long flights to cross the Pacific on June 3. The pair wrote, "[We flew over] 15,877 kilometers (about 10,000 miles) of water... in 76 hours." The arduous passage across the planet's largest ocean brought several interesting experiences, including landing on an atoll on the Pacific Marshall Island of Majuro.
The ocean
crossings were noteworthy but obtaining permission to overfly some
Middle Eastern countries brought difficulties of another sort.
Fortunately Bovier and Agullo are airline pilots and had familiarity in
dealing with aviation authorities in a number of countries. They also
were supported by teams at home that helped with permits and logistical
efforts, as well as weather reports.
"The story of
these two pilots as reported in their log is a fascinating read,"
reported Flight Design The twin CT aircraft were modified to carry 120 gallons of fuel for their 17-hour flight legs over water. A factory-stock CTLS carries 35 gallons of auto gas or 100LL giving it a range of more than 800 nautical miles |