Other Links...

One of the pilots I flew with, Tomoharu has some great pictures and facts about Haiti and our trip on his web-site.

http://www.nishino.us/Nishino.US/Mission_to_Haiti.html


On vacuum failure in instrument conditions... Note that I had a backup vacuum system, which taps into the intake manifold on GKNT (I refused to fly on instruments without a backup and had it installed right after I got my instrument rating)...  It did NOT work when I tried it after my vacuum pump failure.

The FAA did a study, they put instrument rated pilots in simulators and failed the vacuum pump.  Between 25-32% of the pilots did not "survive".  That is 1-in-3 to 1-in-4 that did not "make it".  It is a short report.  If you fly on instruments, I HIGHLY recommend that you read it.

http://rgl.faa.gov/regulatory_and_guidance_library%5Crgsaib.nsf/%28LookupSAIBs%29/CE-05-41

Epilogue

Here a map view of our trips (click for a larger image).

Before I sign off, here is a summary of the trip (All currencies are in $U.S.).

Total distance flown : 8,354 Nautical Miles /9,614 Statute Miles/15,472 KM
Total airtime : 57 hours
Total logged time (includes taxi time on ground) : 62.8 hours
Total Fuel burned : 583 US Gallons/2,206 liters
Total Cost of Fuel : $3,100
Total Customs/Landing/Parking Fees/Life raft rental (so far...I'm still expecting some bills in the mail) : $675*
Required maintenance on trip (Oil Change/Loose ground wire fix/replace vacuum pump) : Approx. $1,000

Average ground speed : 147 Knots /169 Miles per hour / 271 KM per hour
(I would say that we were fortunate and had more tail-winds than head-winds)
Highest Fuel Price : $6.55/Gal (New Orleans, LA)
Lowest Fuel Price : $4.00/Gal (Georgetown, TX)

If you enjoyed the blog, please make a contribution to the Haitian Timoun Foundation (HTF) who supported "Team Ange" the main group in Haiti that I flew with.

to donate, goto...
www.hopeinhaiti.org
1. click on "Haiti Earthquake" on the top
2. click on "Emergency Relief Donation"
3. enter donation amount (minimum I think is $20)
4. then fill out the form and in "Designate Funds" put "Team Ange - Glenn Chong"

Thanks for reading.

Glenn
If you want to contact me directly, I can be reached by e-mail at...
glenn(at)chongfamily(dot)ca


*$171 of this was for ONE single stop in Montego Bay...don't stop there unless you really have to.

Samantha earns her Mardi Gras beads

Samantha earns her Mardi Gras beads


And then gets crabs (that I caught at one of the Mardi Gras parades) ...

Day 23 Back Home

We considered going all the way back home yesterday but instead decided to spend the night in Billings Montana a short 3 hours from Innisfail. When we got to the airport a 9:00AM, we were back into winter flying conditions with a pretty thick layer frost covering GKNT.

Crossing the border into Canada.

A nice shot of Calgary.

Final 16 into Innisfail.

Home at last.

Brian, Don and Jim "Earning" their Mardi Gras Beads.

GKNT all tucked away at home.

It was a great trip... 60+ hours of flying over 22 days. I'll post a summary once I have had a chance get some sleep and have had a chance to compile the data.

Day 22 Austin-Goodland-Billings

We are on the home stretch. We left Georgetown Texas (just north of Austin) this morning. Today was our longest day in the airplane, most of it into head winds.

Tyler and myself just before leaving Georgetown...


This is one of the neatest things I have ever seen while flying (click on the image for a larger version). This is a picture of a rainbow (probably a 4 or higher order rainbow) where you can see the full circle. In addition to the rainbow, you can see the shadow of GKNT right in the middle.
Wind farms in Kansas
Back to the snow.
A well named navigational aid.
8 hours of flying later, we landed in Billings Montana just before sunset... We should be home tomorrow afternoon.

Day 21 Austin

It was an easy day today. We slept in and then went to our favorite electronics store Fry's.

And went to a Texas Stars (farm team for the Dallas Stars) hockey game.

It was a good game with the Stars winning 4-3 in overtime.

Day 20 Mobile - Georgetown

We left Orlando today and made it into Georgetown (just north of Austin Texas).

We made a fuel stop in Mobile Alabama because Tyler wanted to see where Forest Gump was from.



Once we reached Austin, the first stop was of course...