Our trip is getting closer and while there is still something to do, we are getting there: The optimal route plus alternate options are planned – the weather will decide when we are able to land where. Accomodation and rental car for Iceland are booked. The plane has been checked, emergency equipment is loaded, navigation charts are downloaded and accomodation and rentral car for Iceland are booked.
A flight across the atlantic and some of the remote areas of the world in a single engine plane is a bit more complex than flying with an airline. We have to take care of everything ourselves. This includes:
- Flight planning and flight plan submissions
- Organizing all kind of documents for immigration, customs, …
- Ordering customs at our departure airport (Federal Police)
- Instructing the handling company to pull the company out of the hangar and fuel it up
- Organizing parking and fueling at our airports along the way
- Organizing hotels and rental cars / transportation from/to the airports (especially in greenland and northern Canada options are very limited)
- Last but not least: There is no on-board catering, hence we have to bring our own food and drinks
The most important things are planned and ready. For the last 24 hours we are mainly observing weather reports and will file the flight plans accordingly. Currently it looks very good for our first two legs from Stuttgart to Prestwick (Schottland) and then onwards to Reykjavik (Iceland). Both is planned for the first day. As we are flying with the sun, we benefit from long days and with that longer flight legs.