Amadeus
Veteran Member
After years of offshore international passagemaking my wife now wants to do the Great Loop. Fair enough, I'm all in. But my aspirations of international travel in a private vehicle continue. So far, I've made it to 121 countries but there are still many places on my bucketlist and time rolls on with tedious inevitability.
Enter the passagemaking airplane. We have settled on a Diamond DA-42 twin engine aircraft, powered by twin Mercedes diesels that sip fuel, even at 190 knots. How about 13 hours from Seattle to Honolulu? Last time I did it on a boat it took 13 days.
I've been a pilot for many years, but when we decided to fly around the world in our own airplane my wife decided to get her pilot's certificate. She went to an accelerated program in a few weeks of flying every day (both planes and matching sims), she had her licence. We bought a small sport plane to build time together and refine our cockpit management techniques.
Flying long distances is interesting and unique. With the DA-42 and auxiliary fuel carried in the backseat, you can achieve a range of 3000 nm, which will take you just about anywhere in the world. And you can find fuel anywhere because instead of 100 LL Avgas you can burn diesel or Jetfuel (kerosene). We could fly around the world in a week if pressed, but a relaxing pace that involves anywhere between a day and a week at our destination ports results in a comfortable 3 month trip. Our route is Westbound over the Pacific and involves stopping at some of our favorite places to sail, the South Pacific. We intend to go from Coeur d'Alene to Monterey, CA to Hilo, HI and then Majuro, Pohnpei, Truk, Palau, New Guinea followed by a circumnavigation of Australia. Then it's on to Singapore, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, South Africa, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde Islands, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Vero Beach, FL, Kansas City and then home.
The plane has weather radar, air conditioning, flight into known ice capability and the latest electronics and radios. And the best way to see the world is from the air. Unlike a jet or turbine powered aircraft the DA-42 flies low where the view is best, but you have the power to fly above some weather and most any mountain range.
For various reasons I am done with long distance ocean passages by boat. But I'm not done traveling with my wife internationally with no schedule and the horizon ahead.
Happy to answer any questions if you're intrigued.
Enter the passagemaking airplane. We have settled on a Diamond DA-42 twin engine aircraft, powered by twin Mercedes diesels that sip fuel, even at 190 knots. How about 13 hours from Seattle to Honolulu? Last time I did it on a boat it took 13 days.
I've been a pilot for many years, but when we decided to fly around the world in our own airplane my wife decided to get her pilot's certificate. She went to an accelerated program in a few weeks of flying every day (both planes and matching sims), she had her licence. We bought a small sport plane to build time together and refine our cockpit management techniques.
Flying long distances is interesting and unique. With the DA-42 and auxiliary fuel carried in the backseat, you can achieve a range of 3000 nm, which will take you just about anywhere in the world. And you can find fuel anywhere because instead of 100 LL Avgas you can burn diesel or Jetfuel (kerosene). We could fly around the world in a week if pressed, but a relaxing pace that involves anywhere between a day and a week at our destination ports results in a comfortable 3 month trip. Our route is Westbound over the Pacific and involves stopping at some of our favorite places to sail, the South Pacific. We intend to go from Coeur d'Alene to Monterey, CA to Hilo, HI and then Majuro, Pohnpei, Truk, Palau, New Guinea followed by a circumnavigation of Australia. Then it's on to Singapore, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, South Africa, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde Islands, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Vero Beach, FL, Kansas City and then home.
The plane has weather radar, air conditioning, flight into known ice capability and the latest electronics and radios. And the best way to see the world is from the air. Unlike a jet or turbine powered aircraft the DA-42 flies low where the view is best, but you have the power to fly above some weather and most any mountain range.
For various reasons I am done with long distance ocean passages by boat. But I'm not done traveling with my wife internationally with no schedule and the horizon ahead.
Happy to answer any questions if you're intrigued.
