30 May. A smooth 3 1/2 hour flight in the sunshine from Madeira to Cascais (Lisbon), Portugal, where earthrounder António Faria e Melo and his friend Delfim Costa received us in brilliant sunshine. Back to Europe again after 7 month's absence! If all goes well, the first Danish flight around the earth will be successfully completed on Saturday!

25 May. After a night at the 'Hotel de la Poste', staying in Jean Mermoz's room # 219 we left soon after sunrise for Madeira, which we reached after 7 hours and 20 minutes. 3 1/2 hours over Sahara, the rest over the Atlantic.

23 May. Flew from Praia to Sal, Cape Verde Islands for refuelling (1 hour). Then a 3 hour hop to Saint Louis, Senegal, where we spent the first night at a nature reserve.

22 May. Took off just after  dawn from Fernando de Noronha and landed after 9 hours and 30 minutes in Praia, Cape Verde Islands. Smooth flight all the way, mostly FL90 and the intertropical convergence zone was almost non-existent. Slight headwind of about 10 knots all the way as expected.

21 May. The FedEx parcel from Jeppesen arrived. Went to Recife, Guararapes to do Brazil departure formalities, had lots of headwind on the ground due to the missing DAC authorisation, finally got it from DAC in Rio and landed in Noronha at 7 pm after dark. The refuelling went smoothly, the Infrarero landing and parking fee less so. The IR satellite looks good so we will take off for Praia, Cape Verde at 6:30 am tomorrow morning from Noronha.

20 May. Still in Recife waiting for a FedEx parcel as Jeppesen messed up the shipment of Senegal, Canaries, Portugal and Spain trip kits. Should hopefully be off to Fernando de Noronha tomorrow

17 May. The satellite IR (infrared) photos looked good and we had a smooth but long 7 hour 15 minute haul from Belem to Recife, Brazil (Encanta Moça), where we were received by Lena Machado and a TV Globo team, who made a short clip for the local news program.

14 May. Another long flight of 5 hours and 45 minutes from Manaus to Belem, Brazil. 20 to 30 knots headwind, but otherwise good weather. Arrived in Belem just 45 minutes  before a tropical thunderstorm hit the airport.

12 May. 5 hours and 30 minutes from Ciudad Guayana to Manaus, Brazil, where we met up with earthrounder Gerard MOSS from Rio de Janeiro.

11 May. Visited the famous Angel Falls (highest in the world) both by boat and by plane. Then Canaima to Macagua (by Ciudad Guayana), where Hector treated us royally.

9 May. Left a day late due to late arrival of Jeppesen charts. Tobago (Oops, controller error caused a near miss on departure!!) to Canaima, Venezuela with a stop in Ciudad Guayana to clear customs. In Ciudad Guayana we bumped into a local Mooniac, Mr. Hector TELLO, who owns a beautiful 1962 M20C. He bought it new in 1962 and installed many speed mods in 1994. We had lots to talk about...

8 May. If the parcel from Jeppesen with South American charts arrive, we will be off to Canaima, Venezuela later today.

4 May. Smooth 1 hour 20 minute flight from Castries, St. Lucia to Crown Point, Tobago. Fantastic welcome organised by Yvon and Judy Gemmet: Trinidad steel band, TV interviews, welcome drinks, speech by the deputy chief of tourism division of Tobago....

30 April. Little 45 minute hop from Canefield, Dominica to Castries, Saint Lucia, where we plan to spend the next  4 days until moving on to Tobago.

26 April. Short 25 minute hop to Roseau (Canefield Airport), Dominica. Pointe à Pitre is not a convenient general aviation airport, as parking, FIS office, landing fee office, immigration and customs are scattered all over the place!

22 April. Having saved two days by not going to Turcs and Caicos as originally planned, we decided to include Guadeloupe for some French Caribbean flavour. The 1:40 hour flight went smoothly overflying Anguilla, St. Martin, Kitts and Nevis, and Montserrat. For us it was first time in 'Euroland'!!

19 April. Great music in Trinidad! We went IFR at 11'000 feet to Santiago de Cuba to get fuel and do customs and immigration outbound. Luckily we got the last 50 US gallons of Avgas in Santiago de Cuba and could proceed directly to Beef Island (British Virgin Islands). Some thunderstorms over the land masses of Haiti, Domenican Republic and Puerto Rico had to be avoided.

17 April. The music and the historical buildings in Havana were fascinating. As we had expected, landing, navigation, parking and handling fees in Havana were very steep. Short morning hop at 9'000 feet to Trinidad, Cuba on the south shore.

14 April. After lots of headwind on the ground in Cozumel, we finally got airborne and headed for La Habana, Cuba - IFR in the clear at 11'000 feet. Entry formalities in La Habana went smoothly.

12 April. Brief early morning hop of 40 minutes from Chichen Itza to Cozumel. Two great dives in the marine park in the afternoon: sharks, turtles, corals, barracudas, etc. etc. Fantastic underwater visibility. Off to La Habana, Cuba 14 April.

11 April. Had planned to fly VFR to Palenque, but weather was IMC. Shortly after the president of Mexico had arrived in his Learjet, we departed IFR from San Cristobal to Chichen Itza, which has an IFR approach. Smooth 2 hour 40 minute flight in the sun above the clouds, initially at 13'000 feet and later 11'000 feet.

9 April. Had a great time in Oaxaca. Met two local pilots (Enrique and Carlos) who took us up to Monte Alban. This time we got started early. Smooth 2 hour flight at 11'500 feet from Oaxaca to San Cristobal de las Casas.

7 April. Due to the nice cocktail party Jorge and Malu arranged the last evening in Mexico City, we got started late. So we had a very bumpy flight of 1 hour and 40 minutes (11'500 feet, VFR)  from Toluca to Oaxaca. Sun and mountains make thermals in the afternoon!! (Angela swears she will never fly in the aftenoon again, at least in Mexico).

5 April. We had a great time in Zacatecas. Smooth 2 hour flight to Toluca (Mexico City), where Mexican Mooney Earthrounder Jorge Cornish received us like VIP's. VFR again at 11500 feet, 5 km visibility in Tolucas, so OK for VFR arrival.
Jorge called the civil aviation authorities in Habana, Cuba, and they confirmed that our permit to enter Cuba as planned had been issued.

3 April. Bumpy flight (thermals) from Los Mochis to Zacatecas (Old colonial silver mining town) over the beautiful Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. VFR at 11500 feet.

30 March. San Diego to Los Mochis, Mexico. VFR 9500 feet. Entry formalities went smoothly in San Felipe, Baja California. Continue by train  (CHEPE: Chihuahua Pacifico) through the Baranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) to Creel tomorrow.

29 March. Dayton to San Diego, Montgomery.  2:45 hours in the air and a hazy approach into San Diego. Busy, busy around here. Off to Los Mochis, Mexico tomorrow.

28 March. Palo Alto to Dayton, Nevada, where a fabulous reception party was prepared to receive us. Thank you Don and Carolyn.

26 March. Short VFR hop Salinas to Palo Alto: Honey Mooney's base for a year in 1991/92. Great reunion with SLAC friends at the Dutch Goose, and loads of birthday dinners and lunches in Tiburon, CA, where we stayed with Flemming's cousin Kirsten and her husband Bill.

24 March. Honey Mooney arrived in Salinas, California on schedule at 9:12 am after 14 hours and 9 minutes in the air. Angela and the copilot seat are arriving tonight by airline...

23 March. Winds aloft and weather looks good for Flemming's solo Hawaii to California crossing. Expect to depart Hilo at 5 pm LT (0300Z) and arrive in Salinas, California 14 hours later at 9 am LT (1700Z).

21 March. Eliot Merk (Mooney owner) kindly lent me his hangar here in Hilo, Hawaii (often rain and drizzle on the windward side) to install the 27 USG tank and do the 50 hour inspection and service. Ready for California! ETA Monterey / Salinas will be published on this page when known.

20 March. Left Christmas Island at the same time as Jim and Martin Hazelton in their King Air. Smooth 7 1/2 hour flight to Hilo, Hawaii, where it was 20 degrees and overcast. And of course we arrived the day before we left, so we arrived Tuesday 19 March - dateline crossing again. Finally got the laptop connected to the web again.

18 March. A King Air destined for New Zealand arrived from Hilo, Hawaii. To our pleasant surprise, it was Jim Hazelton and his son Martin on board: a well known Aussie ferry pilot! Lots of useful tips and aviator stories...

16 March. Northern hemisphere again! After some of the best Scuba diving and snorkelling we had ever done in the Tiputa pass, we left Rangiroa in pouring rain (visibility 3 km) for Christmas Island, Kiribati. We got out of the weather after 2 hours and landed in Christmas Island after 8 hours and 30 minutes with more than 6 hours of fuel left. Strangely it was Sunday 17 March when we arrived as we had crossed the dateline again!

13 March. Maupiti to Rangiroa. A 2 hour and 10 min hop at FL110 with a bit of CB dodging near Bora Bora and about an hour of IMC. Luckily our 2 barrels of Avgas had arrived and Christian Pagnier (local truck driver) met us at the airport upon arrival.

10 March. Huahine to Maupiti. Short 35 min hop with great aerial views of Bora Bora on the way.

7 March. Tahiti to Huahine. Great views of Moorea and Huahine.

5 March. Rarotonga to Tahiti. Smooth flight at FL110 with a few CB avoidance detours near Tahiti. Friendly reception by the 'Aéroclub UTA'.

4 March. Atiu to Rarotonga for fuel, customs outbound and Internet connection. Off to Tahiti tomorrow.

2 March. Another 1 hour island hop to Atiu. A bit of clouds and rain, so we had to go IFR. We were a total of 3 tourists on the island!

27 February. Short 1 hour flight VFR from Rarotonga to Aitutaki - a most wonderful island surrounded by a large lagoon...

26 February. After 4 lovely days in Western Samoa, we had to move on. We had a smooth 6 1/4 hour flight to Rarotonga, Cook Islands, which received us with beautiful weather, a gorgeous view and a setting sun. Tower reported visibility 45 km in haze!

22 February. Only problem with arrival in Faleolo, Samoa was a big mega CB just south of the airport, but fortunately it did not disturb our approach and landing. Got the plane filled up with 376 liters of lovely Avgas 100 upon arrival! Superb seafood dinner in 'Sails Restaurant' in the port of Apia. [No - this is NOT a mistake. We did arrive in Faleolo, Samoa the day before we departed Vava'u. Great to have the chance to live the same day twice!!]

23 February. After having done customs and immigration formalities in the port of Vava'u, we departed Vava'u for a 2 1/2 hour flight at 11'000 feet to Faleolo, Samoa.

22 February. The 'Pulupaki' ferry with our Avgas drum is still in Nuku'alofa and will probably not show up before Tuesday. So BP Oil in Vava'u kindly reimbursed us the amount paid in Nuku'alofa and we will head north for Western Samoa tomorrow. Due to this we will unfortunately have to drop our planned visits to Niuafo'ou and Niuatoputapu and head straight for Faleolo.

21 February. The low W of Vava'u went SE and the winds and rain have calmed down. Got clearance to land in Niue en route to Rarotonga in case we don't go to Western Samoa. Waiting for our 200 l Avgas drum, but apparently the ferry has not left Nuku'alofa yet due to high winds and very rough seas. So we may stay in paradise a few more days. Tonga time....

19 February. High winds and heavy rain throughout the night: 25 knots gusting to 50 knots. Went to the airport and tied the wings to huge tractor wheels filled with rocks. Fear of a new cyclone, and we cannot fly away as we  have only got 5 hours of fuel left.

18 February. Lifuka to Vava'u. Strong gusting winds from NE as the tropical depression W of  Samoa deepens and moves south. Could potentially become a cyclone. BP Oil in Nuku'alofa delivers our fuel drum to the ferry 'Pulupaki' in Nukua'lofa bound for Vava'u. But the ferry was cancelled in the afternoon due to high winds and risk of cyclone...

16 February. Nuku'alofa to Lifuka (Ha'apai). Our 200 l Avgas drum was NOT delivered to the airport as promised. Left anyhow as it was Saturday and we couldn't get the fuel before Monday.

14 February. Waiheke to Auckland (fuel, customs) to Nuku'alofa. Apart from 1 hour in IMC (clouds and rain) and a  scary in-flight emergency lasting about 10 minutes (more in logbook...) we had a smooth flight and friendly reception in Tonga by the immigration officer.

13 February. Had to delay Rotorua to Waiheke by 1 day due to weather at Waiheke. First time in 3 1/2 months we have had weather delay! Difficult approach and landing in Waiheke due to slope and tailwind. Got the FAA NOTAM waiver from Washington as well as Tonga and Cook authorizations. Off to Tonga tomorrow.

11 February. Motueka to Rotorua with VOR/DME approach right to minima.

8 February. Finally finished with all the Pacific authorisation requests and 100 hour inspection and service. Waiheke to Motueka (Abel Tasman Nat. Park) with difficult Waiheke departure (low ceilings). 2 days of sea kayak touring in Abel Tasman Park.

31 January. We are working hard on firming up the Pacific and US schedule, 100 hour inspection and servicing of the plane. The USA Notams FDC 1/3355 and 1/3356 prohibiting private foreign aircraft from operating in the US since 11 September 2001 are unfortunately still in effect, but we are applying for a waiver.

29 January. Lord Howe Island to Auckland: almost 7 hours due to persistent headwinds of 20 - 30 knots for the 853 NM long leg. Then a little 10 min hop to the Reeve airstrip on Waiheke island, where a heartwarming reception party had been organised for us.

27 January. Maroochydoore to Lord Howe Island, 3:30 hours, slight headwind. Windy landing, but no crosswind!

26 January. Bundaberg to Maroochydoore, where we were well received at the Maroochydore Aeroclub by Earthrounder Gary Burns.

23 January. Bundaberg to Lady Elliot island by commercial Britten Norman Islander.

22 January. Bankstown to Bundaberg, Queensland. Low level VFR departure from Bankstown for the views, then IFR from Williamtown at 9'000 feet to better cope with all the restricted areas. Again great flying weather with 30 knots tailwind for the last third of the 4 hour flight.

19 January. Having a GREAT time in Sydney. Dick Smith (famous Australian Earthrounder, who flew around the world at least twice) invited us for a gorgeous flight over the Sydney harbour and the beaches north of Sydney  in his Longranger helicopter. Then Tim Gee (ex-Geneva resident) invited us for a harbour sailing trip in his yacht, followed by a BBQ party at John and Pauline's place at Paradise Beach.What a hard life!

17 January. Arrival on schedule in busy Sydney, Bankstown airport, where we were greeted by AOPA Australia and lots of local Sydney friends and family.

14 January. Great dinner in Canberra with Earthrounders Claude Meunier and Gaby Kennard.

13 January. Smooth flight from Arkaroola to Canberra via Broken Hill (NSW) for fuel. Nice tour of Canberra by Don Rowling, president of the Australian Mooney association.

11 January. Coober Pedy to Arkaroola resort in the Flinders. Less thermals that the day before as we left earlier.

10 January. Early up for a sunrise view of Ayers Rock and a ranger tour of the base of the rock. Then off to Coober Pedy (strange underground opal mining town) where we arrived late afternoon: + 42 C!! Hot and dry.

9 January. 'Bernie' hit land in the gulf of Carpenteria the early hours of 5 January and decayed rapidly. Should have left Darwin on 7 January, but Flemming got flu with fever, and had to do several blood tests at the hospital to check for malaria. All negative, fever is down and off we went for Ayers Rock direct. Lots of CB dodging at FL130 (we left too late...)

4 January. Smooth 7 hour flight from Bali to Darwin. Still worried about tropical cyclone `Bernie` in gulf of Carpenteria 300 NM east of Darwin forecast to strengthen and moving SW.

30 December. Flew from Kota Kinabalu to Bali (7 hours total) with a fuel stop in Balikpapan (Indonesian Borneo) where cheap Avgas was found. Apart from a few Charlie Bravo's around the mountainous Bali, it was plain cruising at 10'000 feet the whole way along the east coast of Borneo and over the Java sea as we expected from the IR satellite image.

20 December. We locate with Hornbill Skyways help one (expensive!) 200 l barrel of Avgas in Kuching, and Shell Brunei promise that 20 barrels should arrive in the port of Brunei today. So we fill the tanks and fly to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah where we expect to stay until 30 or 31 December.

19 December. Avgas panic day!! While Avgas is easily available in Peninsular Malaysia, we discover that this is not the case in Eastern Malaysia. Although the Jeppesen airport directory indicates that both Brunei, Sandakan and Tawau are supposed to have Avgas, a few phone calls quickly reveals that none of these airports have any Avgas.

17 December. Back to Charlie Bravo contry! Escaped an approaching thunderstorm in Singapore, Seletar and had a smooth 3 hour flight to Kuching, Sarawak (East Malaysia). Hot and humid, 31 degrees C!!

15 December. Penang to Singapore. 50 hour service at Seletar, Singapore.

14 December. Short flight from Krabi to Penang, Malaysia.

13 December. Enjoyed the tropical paradise in Ao Nang and surrounding islands. Swissonline has finally replied (12 days delay!) to my complaint about having only 5 MB of webspace while I am paying for 15 MB, the reason why no new logbook pages have been uploaded. Unforunately this requires deleting the whole website and uploading it all again. Have no cheap connection here so we will try it from Penang, Malaysia.

12 December. Chiang Rai to Krabi (near Phuket) via U'Taphao (for refuelling).

9 December. Short flight to Chiang Rai. Trekking and visit to Akha hill tribe village along the Mae Kok river.

7 December. VIP reception and departure in the brand new Mandalay International Airport by the general manager and his deputy. Old Bagan and its 2000  Buddhist temples was fantastic!! Arrived on schedule in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

2 December. Proceeding to Mandalay (Myanmar) as planned. Must be at Dhaka airport before 6 am due to general strike announced. Expect absolutely no news or updates before Thailand (7 December) due to lack of communication facilities (gsm, telephone or internet) in Myanmar.

30 November. Blue skies and tailwinds again, great views of Mount Everest. Arrived on schedule in Dhaka, Bangladesh. More 'headwind' though on the ground in Kathmandu and Dhaka. 430 reported dead in Nepal since Maoist attacks started a week ago.

29 November. From our hotel in Kathmandu we hear a large explosion early in the morning. We later learned that the Maoists had blown up the Coca Cola factory in Kathmandu. We obtain our flight permits for Myanmar from FSI.

28 November. We return one day earlier than planned to Pokhara and Kathmandu from Jomsom. Main worry is that Jomsom flights are often cancelled due to either weather or high thermal winds at Jomsom, Mustang. Everything OK

26 November. Following various attacks on police stations by Maoists in mainly Eastern Nepal over the weekend, King Gyanendra of Nepal declares state of emergency and calls in the army against the Maoists, which are declared terrorists. BBC World Service reports 150 dead, mostly Maoists. Everything is calm in the Kali Gandaki valley in the Himalayas where we are trekking.

21 November. Kathmandu - Pokhara with commercial flight, as no permit for Honey Mooney. Start of Annapurna Jomsom trek. No internet or phone connection for 9 days

18 November. Trouble free flight Jaipur - Patna - Kathmandu. ILS approach close to minima in Patna. Impressive instrument approach into Kathmandu.

14 November. Arrived in Jaipur just after dark. Lots of celebrations, firecrackers and fireworks as the Indians are celebrating Diwali - in honor of their god for prosperity and money.

11 November. After 'only' 2 hours of red tape and a one hour flight, we arrived in Udaipur. Transfer to 'Lake Palace Hotel', simply nirvana!!

10 November. Smooth no-problem flight from Muscat to Ahmedabad, India, overflying Pakistan.

8 November. Muscat. Back in town after two wonderful days touring in the big air-conditioned Toyota Landcruiser.

7 November. Muscat. We hire a 4-wheel drive vehicle and take off for the wilderness with sleeping bags for two days.

6 November. Muscat. Ray finally got his Indian visa from the Indian embassy in Muscat Oman!!! Angela & Flemming enjoyed a diving and snorkeling trip at Jussa beach with the Oman Diving Center

5 November. Two and a half hour departure delay  in Bahrain due to refuellers. Arrive in Muscat just after sunset. Great dinner in 'Al Inshirah' restaurant in Muscat.

4 November. Amman to Bahrain. First day with slight (~12 knots) headwind  for the first couple of hours. After 7 hours in the air mostly at FL150 with oxygen (Saudi MEA), we arrive in Bahrain.

3 November 2001. After a beautiful day in fabulous Petra, Jordan, we go on a full day and night excursion with 4-wheel drive into the spectacular desert in Wadi Rum west of Aqaba. Then a short one hour flight to Amman, Jordan. Blue skies and 20 knot tailwinds continues!! Wow!! 'Arabian Wings' avionics shop helps us to replace the two backlight lamps in the Stormscope - badly needed later on!

31 October 2001. Steadily followed by blue skies and 20 knot tailwinds, we have a smooth flight from Santorini to Aqaba, Jordan by the Red Sea with an intermediate landing for refueling in Iraklion as there is no AVGAS in Santorini. Drive to Petra late afternoon.

30 October 2001. Arrive in Santorini, Greece. Have a great Greek dinner with Matina, Vagelis and Makarios. See logbook for details (this applies from now on to all entries in this list).

29 October 2001. D-day!! (Departure day). I go to bed 2 am in the morning happily convinced that our 2 pm departure is just possible. An e-mail is sent out to friends for a departure drink. John picks up the two parcels with extra tanks ready for shipment. We arrive in Brindisi shortly after 7 pm.

25 October 2001. So many things still to be done before we can depart, so we decide to delay our departure by 48 hours: Monday 29 October in stead of Saturday 27 October.

23 October 2001. 'Honey-Mooney' test flown with both auxiliary cabin tanks installed. No problems observed whereafter both tanks are removed to create room for Ray and Angela until Auckland, where the rear seat 35 USG tank (model 'Brazil')  will be re-installed.

22 October 2001. FOCA approves tank installation and associated Aircraft Flight Manual Supplement, which includes 15% overgross take-off, necessary for the long oceanic legs. This is one week after my personal deadline for having this approved. We are late!

18 October 2001. Work report for 35 & 35 USG tank installation signed and sent to FOCA.

14 October 2001. The US starts bombing Afghanistan. Not good news for our flight, but we decide to proceed anyhow.

5 October 2001. Time for another IFR proficiency check. Passed with flying colors. Started 100 hour inspection and installation of 35 USG (model 'Brazil') and 27 USG (model 'Hawaii').

3 October 2001. We accept FSI's quote for all the red tape and hassle associated with getting the overflight and landing permissions between Greece and Indonesia.

24 September 2001. In spite of the tense political situation in the world (Israel/Palestine, US/Afghanistan) we decide to go ahead with our plans. We contact FSI Flight Service International in Germany for a quote for their help in obtaining the necessary flight clearances for the Egypt - Indonesia part of our round the world flight. Have always done the flight clearances myself in the past, but cannot find time to do it this time. Too much still to do.

20 September 2001. FOCA approved the 27 USG design. Construction started immediately.

19 September 2001. New structural calculations for the 27 USG tank submitted to FOCA.

12 September 2001. FOCA suggest several modifications to my 27 USG auxiliary tank design and requests detailed structural calculations (+9 G forward integrity most demanding). Gérard is grounded in the UK as no VFR flights are allowed.

11 September 2001. The quadruple terrorist attacks on the Twin  Towers in New York and Pentagon in Washington DC. A very black day for mankind. A particularly black day for aviation. We fear that we may have to cancel our trip around the world, or at least change the routing. Our life raft is stranded with UPS (sent for revision to Winslow in Florida) until further notice. All flights into US prohibited.

9 September 2001. The proposed design for the new 27 USG extra tank which takes the place of the co-pilot seat (required for Hawaii - California leg) submitted to the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA) in Bern.

2 September 2001. We meet up with Gérard and his Ximango in Lausanne and do some marvelous flying together in the Alps. Gorgeous weather, no turbulence, hardly any wind aloft. Gérard takes some great photos of 'Honey-Mooney' with the 'Dents de Midi' as background...

30 August 2001. Margi MOSS arrives in Geneva from Rio, and we profit from this to invite Margi and Gérard home for dinner and a long earthrounder chat....

29 August 2001. Gérard MOSS lands with his Brazilian Ximango in Lausanne on his second earthrounder flight: this time the first time a motorglider flies around the world. Wanted to rendez-vous in the air, but he arrived earlier than expected as bad weather is heading for the Alps. We rush to Blécherette by car and have a nice dinner together.