Anyone crossed the atlantic

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Hetch

Anyone crossed the atlantic

Post by Hetch »

Yes I am day dreaming about all the things I could do when I buy my plane (probably 5 weeks away if all goes to plan). At the moment I am imagining a trip from North America to Scotland and back. Stopping obviously at all the islands and land masses (with airports) along the way.

If you have, what precautions did you take? How reliable are the weather sources? How did it feel? I have a million questions but those are just a few lol.

Thank you!
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Lance Murray
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Re: Anyone crossed the atlantic

Post by Lance Murray »

I would say that crossing the Atlantic isn't for the faint of heart. A DA40 was lost doing just that a couple of years ago. It can be done of course but have someone very experienced on board with you.
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dgger
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Re: Anyone crossed the atlantic

Post by dgger »

While I have not crossed the Atlantic in its entirety I did make a roundtrip from continental Europe to Iceland, which features a good 4 hours of flying across a body of cold water. I have done so as a low hour pilot and my take-away was that the flying is not much different, but the planning is.

I really made a point out of planning ahead and making sure I had an idea what to do in any situation that might arise. How far a range would I have when the hydraulic pump fails and the gear comes down (i.e. Where on my route would I turn back and where would I press on)? How can I minimize my exposure to electric failure given my engines may only run 30 minutes by planning an appropriate route? If all fails, how would I ditch, exit, alert SAR and survive until I am found? Etc.

As for ditching I found this very helpful though apparently the topic is controversial: http://www.equipped.com/ditchingmyths.htm

I found that an immersion suite, a life vest, a raft, and a PLB are an absolute must, if you want to stand any chance of survival once you go down. I went in a DA42. This is probably true even more so in a single. I also did egress training. There is specialized egress training for crews of small aircraft, but I did a commercially available workshop on helicopter egress for offshore workers (HUET).

You also want to be instrument rated, I think. If you aren't you will have to stay below 5,500ft between Iceland and Scotland. An abysmal choice for flying in fast changing weather across cold water with no options for a diversion, if you ask me.

You had asked about weather. At least between around Iceland and Europe you have an excellent and free source for weather at http://en.vedur.is/weather/aviation/ How reliable the forcast is I have no idea. I used it only twice and it was more or less accurate.

And last but not least: the best advice I have heard came from Andrew who operates an FBO at Wick, Scotland - apparently a popular base for starting the hop across the pond. I asked him what the three most common mistakes are that get pilots in trouble. His reply:

1. Not bringing enough time
2. Rushing it
3. Wanting to get there fast

There's probably a lot of truth in this one.

That said I have to say that I am rather the cautious type and talking to other pilots I have found that personality and personal appetite for risk reflect heavily on ones approach to flying and planning. In the end you need to think and plan for yourself. That's my two cents.
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Re: Anyone crossed the atlantic

Post by CFIDave »

Perhaps Robert will be able to answer this; he crossed the Atlantic both ways from Europe this summer to fly his DA42 all around the US with a stop at AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI:
viewtopic.php?p=61201#p61201

I only did the trip one-way from Austria to Canada; you can read about it here:
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=4438
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Hetch

Re: Anyone crossed the atlantic

Post by Hetch »

Thank you all for your responses. I'm studying the links, learning and soaking up the joys of your stories.
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Re: Anyone crossed the atlantic

Post by Colin »

http://www.bfsaa.se/en/blog/flying-across-the-atlantic

That's one of my favorite crossing stories. Light twins, but old ones without much range. Flight instructors, but really young ones. Blog entries, and video. It taught me that it is not something I am interested in yet. I'll probably do an Alaska trip first and if I enjoy that I'll look for other journeys.
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Re: Anyone crossed the atlantic

Post by carym »

Colin wrote:http://www.bfsaa.se/en/blog/flying-across-the-atlantic
I'll probably do an Alaska trip first and if I enjoy that I'll look for other journeys.
Colin,
Despite the tragedy on Day 5, our Alaska trip was simply outstanding. I think it was so memorable because of the trip organization and planning by Dale Hemman (from LetsFlyAlaska) as well as the camaraderie of the group of pilots flying together. For anyone thinking about doing an Alaska adventure, I would highly recommend looking at a group Alaska flying trip. I know that there is a Cirrus group that puts on one of these; it may be
http://theflightacademy.com/trip-destin ... adventure/
If you have the time, you really should do the trip. I know that you will never regret it. For anyone interested, please feel free to write me with questions and specifics of such a trip.
Cary
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Alaska adventure: http://mariashflying.tumblr.com
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