S

sjhurlbut

Well Known Member
I recently sold my RV7A C-FSIS and it will be flown across the ocean this week! It has been outfitted with 100 USG of fuel through 2 aux tanks and transfer system. With permission of the ferry pilot here is his link to SPOT tracker.

Tomorrow morning at 0730 AST (0630 EST) he will take-off from St John's, Newfoundland and go to Iceland.

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?&glId=0cbCXnWa4hphUeo90CSWq74AZgxTlZJFx

2rdz3eu.jpg


28smwdl.jpg


2z7lv1h.jpg
 
Cool tanks

Do you have any info on the tanks? I would like plans or info on how to get them as one day I would like to get my plane to my home (Hawaii). I know I know its going to be a long flight. I have logged a 12.3 before but I could stand up and walk to the back, but maybe one day...
 
Understanding spot

Just clicked on the link and it shows the last ping a hour ago in the middle of the atlantic a long long way from any land. What gives with that or am i not following this right? I refreshed and no updates?:confused:
 
I did see an update about 6:54am pacific time so he's still moving but now I get the same "Exceed the maximum view count" error. Bummer.
 
Almost Halfway!

Looks like he's almost halfway to iceland. Me thinks he is beyond gliding distance from land;)
 
Current BIRK weather, Few clouds at 3K, Scattered clouds 5k, wind 260 @ 9 kts. 39F, 29.80 inHG.

Tomorrows forecast Ovc 1200 ft, rain, wind 090 @25 kts gusting 40 kts :eek:
 
Nope, I was wrong. He still has a little ways to go. Sorry. It looked like he had made it until I zoomed in closer.
 
Last edited:
Great

That should be a commercial for SPOT. Wow that was cool. Lost him for an hour there in the middle, then too many viewers crashed it all for a bit, but...for a $99 plastic box that is sure pretty neat technology.

I would love to know what a ferry pilot charges to do that. Never mind the cost for airfare one way,hotel and food etc, just how much when he gets on the ground does he get to spend after working like that. VERY cool.

Just keep spinning...just keep spinning.... i bet gps nearest button would be funny to press along that route...then figure your glide distance...DOPE, 2000miles short...:D Glad he made it.

Thanks for the link.
 
Made it!

The ferry pilot is a friend of the owner but I can tell you that the money isn't even close (<<<<$$$) to what you think it may be.

I'll sleep good tonight but not as good as the pilot.

Going to Denmark on Thurs.

Steve
 
Amazing Technology

That is simply amazing. If you switch to satellite view and zoom in it shows the last return coming from the ramp, where I'm guessing the plane is parked.

I didn't know SPOT was that accurate, I'd be impressed if it was in the ballpark of the airport, let along on the airport. But on the ramp?? Amazing.

The world we live in constantly amazes me.
 
sjhurlbut said:
Going to Denmark on Thurs.
Steve
Click to expand...

Enjoy your trip. Denmark is an outstanding country to visit. Of all the places I've been, the people there are by far the most friendly and just about everyone speaks english. I wish I was going with you. BTW, I got my callsign their as a young butter bar many moons ago.
 
More than one question!

After seeing this, a couple of questions came up!
  1. Why not take the wings off, put her in a container and ship where ever you want for approx. $ 2-3.000,- ? Making those tanks, transfert system, Andair valve, etc. + fuel + oil + so many hours off the TBO + paying the ferry pilot + return ticket + hotel + expences + insurance? + disasembling the tanks again, must be a lot more than $ 2-3.000,-. Or is it just "cool" to do it this way?
  2. I guess some of the parts like: seat cushions, seat back, carpets, upholstery, etc. will be shipped separately? (Adding more cost to the trip)
  3. Why fly this route? I know that most ferry flights take this route and I do not have a globe handy, so I have no way of checking, but would it not be shorter to fly to the Azores and from there on to Spain? I guess it makes a difference if you want to go to Skandinavia or you want to go to central Europe, but still it looks more direct on an ordinary world map (which is obviously flat and not correct)
  4. What use is the fire extinguisher back there? (unreachable in flight?) I guess with that much fuel in the cabin, I would be flying with one hand and the fire extinguisher in the other hand!
Please tell me how "dumb" these questions are!

Regards, Tonny.
 
Pilottonny said:
After seeing this, a couple of questions came up!
  1. Why not take the wings off, put her in a container and ship where ever you want for approx. $ 2-3.000,- ? Making those tanks, transfert system, Andair valve, etc. + fuel + oil + so many hours off the TBO + paying the ferry pilot + return ticket + hotel + expences + insurance? + disasembling the tanks again, must be a lot more than $ 2-3.000,-. Or is it just "cool" to do it this way?
  2. I guess some of the parts like: seat cushions, seat back, carpets, upholstery, etc. will be shipped separately? (Adding more cost to the trip)
  3. Why fly this route? I know that most ferry flights take this route and I do not have a globe handy, so I have no way of checking, but would it not be shorter to fly to the Azores and from there on to Spain? I guess it makes a difference if you want to go to Skandinavia or you want to go to central Europe, but still it looks more direct on an ordinary world map (which is obviously flat and not correct)
  4. What use is the fire extinguisher back there? (unreachable in flight?) I guess with that much fuel in the cabin, I would be flying with one hand and the fire extinguisher in the other hand!
Please tell me how "dumb" these questions are!

Regards, Tonny.
Click to expand...

1. You would have the ask the owner/pilot that question. The aircraft already had the fuel transfer system installed during initial build so logistics is easy.
2. Yes several uphostery items were shipped. Ferry pilots wife flies commerical and takes them with her.
3. The reason they fly this route is to make the first "European Union" landing in Denmark. The tax savings are huge.
4. Fire extinguisher was moved. Picture was during the fit of the tanks only. It was accessible during the flight. I knew someone would note that!

Steve
ex-owner
 
Fuel system?

So how is the fuel system organized? Regular wing tanks plus the two aux? Any tip ER type tanks? Is the total 100 gallons or????

How is it all plumbed?
 
how

Yes 100 USG. No wing tanks.

Simply fed into left main tank through 2 independent aux fuel pumps. Andair selector to switch between passenger seat tank and baggage tank. Vent lines plumbed into aircraft main vent line.
 
Last edited:
reasons

Other reasons people ferry aircraft:

1. Wings in 7A (any nose gear for that matter) are a bit$% to get off.
2. No wear and tear from crating. 16 hours flight time only.
3. Get to Europe in 2 days instead of 3 weeks.
4. Cheaper to ferry is my understanding.
5. Import to Denmark instead of first port of call is much cheaper.
6. One heck of a log book entry.
 
Pilottonny said:
[*]Why fly this route? I know that most ferry flights take this route and I do not have a globe handy, so I have no way of checking, but would it not be shorter to fly to the Azores and from there on to Spain? I guess it makes a difference if you want to go to Skandinavia or you want to go to central Europe, but still it looks more direct on an ordinary world map (which is obviously flat and not correct)
Click to expand...

Actually, it's not shorter to fly to the Azores -- the map projection that Google is using distorts the geography. We used to fly this same route all the time to and from Europe when I was in the Navy. It has the added advantage of keeping you somewhere near land (Greenland) for part of the trip. (Not that there's a lot to call habitable in Greenland.)

-- Chris
 
I'd really like to see pics of the flight... did the pilot happen to have a camera handy? Man, I cant imagine flying in a single engine and loosing sight of land... what a weird feeling that would be...
 
Spot or APRS(HF)

The ferry pilot (David) is fine and progressing well, despite the errant 'Spot' positions not updating frequently enough. He will shortly be in Denmark.

This topic raises some interesting questions and your views would be of interest.

Can 'Spot' be used reliably enough in fast moving craft like a/c for reliable feedback?

Pros:

Satellite monitoring of position using GPS.
Messaging facility (see spot message #85 where David says "he's well and all OK"
Small, Portable and relative low cost.
Web enabled monitoring for all to see progress
Emergency locate button
Handheld and great for trekkars.

Cons:

Refresh rate poor up to 20mins in sparse areas. On this occassion 4hrs lack of info!
Poor Web interface, symbols too large and bunch too much a high scales.
Too slow to feed back.
Subscription.
Is it really suitable for a/c at 200mph. with a 10 min update (33 miles).

My question? Is it possible to have a APRS(HF) system for such long flights using HF units

coupled with GPS, as In my opinion, APRS even though not 'quality controlled' beats Spot

hands down. Like the internet is not QC'd but it works by stint of popularity.

Your comments are invited.

David R
 
Is it a transmit problem...

Levrie said:
...
Your comments are invited.

David R
Click to expand...

...or a web update problem?

I only see the first hit in the trip towards Europe, and that is 5 hours old.

Are there more hits, and I am just seeing an overloaded web page?
 
Just don't know!

Hello Gil,

That's part of the reason I've raised the issue, we just can't tell. I contacted Oceanic when I became concerned and they contacted David directly and all was OK so we can all relax for now, just like in the old days, before this technology dependant world.

But what sort of commercial system crashes when it's purpose is to create position awareness if this is indeed the reason?

My hunch, like most faults it that it's probably a combination of small errors that cause this issue. David is a very experienced ferry pilot and it's unlikely he just ran out of batteries.

David R
 
Mighty long legs

It looks like better than 1400 nm from Newfoundland to Iceland. Just about all of it over pretty chilly water. Other than the SPOT, what kind of comm is being used? I'm assuming no HF....sat phone maybe?

Was the ferry guy wearing a poopy suit, or what kind of provisions were made for landing short of terra firma?

I surely admire his courage, and though the odds are way in his favor, his faith in Lycoming far exceeds my own.

Happy landings to all,

Chip
 
Flight status report

It seems that tracking was disengaged when an OK message was sent from the Spot device.

In order to resume 'tracking' mode, the user must hold the OK key for more than 6 secs to re engage.

So now we may know. David will arrive in Copenhagen in 40 mins time. I guess we can all follow his last sector Copenhagen to Blackbushe UK tomorrow when he's pressed the key again.:)

Fantastic achievement in any case though.

David R

Over my shoulder goes one care, over my shoulder goes two.....La La La.
 
WHAT AM I MISSING HERE?? SPOT shows time from take off to REYKJAVIK as 8 hours and 54 minutes???? is that correct?
 
Naaah...

Chip said:
I surely admire his courage, and though the odds are way in his favor, his faith in Lycoming far exceeds my own.

Happy landings to all,

Chip
Click to expand...

......Lyc's have proven themselves very well. Heck, Jon Johannson has flown around the world three times over a much bigger ocean....the Pacific and also flown from the North pole to the South....in an 0-320 powered -4. He also has 18 hours of fuel!!

Sure beats any auto engine!!

Regards,
 
pierre smith said:
......Lyc's have proven themselves very well. Heck, Jon Johannson has flown around the world three times over a much bigger ocean....the Pacific and also flown from the North pole to the South....in an 0-320 powered -4. He also has 18 hours of fuel!!

Sure beats any auto engine!!

Regards,
Click to expand...

Fully understood...but then I'm not too much of a gambler anymore. I'm just a mere shadow of the fellow who once flew a single engine airplane from Chu Lai, RVN, to El Toro many years ago...that guy didn't worry about a thing. Now I even like to stay tight and high in the traffic pattern.

Go figure.

Chip
 
Journer leg is Reykjavik to Copenhagen

Gasman,

The info. stopped transmitting after leaving Reykjavik en route to Copenhagen a time of approx 6 hours.

David
 
Arrived in Copenhagen

FYI.

C-FSIS RV-7A has arrived safely in Copenhagen, Denmark at approx 18:30Z.

Pilot now off to get a well earned sleep!!!

Those interested in the final leg of this ferry flight from Nova Scotia to Blackbushe UK. should be able to track David from approx 1200Z tomorrow.

Don't these 'Vanventurers' really inspire you? Little could DVG have known what his customers would achieve!

When the a/c is delivered here in the UK. I will provide any relevant data for all to share.

David
 
Levrie said:
Gasman,

The info. stopped transmitting after leaving Reykjavik en route to Copenhagen a time of approx 6 hours.

David
Click to expand...

David, What I was asking is.... SPOT has him leaving St Johns Int'l Airport at 3:44 am Pacific time. And has him at #32 at 8:54 am. At #46 at 11:34 am. And then at #49 Reykjavik at 12:34 pm. That looks like 8 hours and 54 minutes............. :eek:

So........ Over the water was less than 9 hours?
 
gasman said:
WHAT AM I MISSING HERE?? SPOT shows time from take off to REYKJAVIK as 8 hours and 54 minutes???? is that correct?
Click to expand...


Great Circle Mapper shows the distance from St. Johns, Newoundland (CYYT) to Reykjav?k, Iceland (BIRK) to be 1413 nm (1626 sm). 1413 nm divided by 8.9 hours equals just under 159 knots (186mph). Sounds about right.
 
Departed Aarhus to UK

Hello Folks,

The Spot tracker is u/s so sorry for lack of 'spots'!!!!

Sitrep.

David has departed from Aarhus (Denmark) at 12:30Z and is now on the final leg to Blackbushe in the UK.

He's got a few tales to tell and I will update you in a few days.

ETA Blackbushe 16:30Z

I'll let you know later when he has landed as I'm of to greet him now! :)

Regards

David R
 
Super Cool!

He's lived my dream. Would like to fly our RV-8 to Europe (the Netherlands) and back, but with a passenger. He did it and solo! I wouldn't even question the reasons why he did it! Chapeaux!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.