Willy's Cape to Cape Bonanza

[Willy]

Just left FOOL heading NW to Lagos. Nice longish overwater flight in a thunderstorm. Kind of wishing the Bonanza had floaties about this point.

[Willy]

Going for broke here. Diverting to DRRN. (sure hope this works out)

[Willy]

Feet dry over the Nigerian coast. Went up to 9500ft to stretch my fuel when I diverted. I just hope the tailwind stays with me.

[Willy]

Nigerian Center has such a deal for me. If I send them $10,000, then I can get a share of the Nigerian President's millions from his Uncle's niece's Aunt.

[Willy]

Made it to the checkpoint at DRRN. Now to start working my way across the desert...

Messed up the camera somehow and the only pic I have is the first one I took just after leaving Gabon in the t-storm.

900 miles in 5 hours. I'm in no hurry to repeat that. But I dodged that penalty I'd have picked up if I'd have landed in Nigeria as originally planned.

http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=nSuY8QTpta87HfU amK8c8ZQ4Ldk

[Willy]

Decided to get an early start and try to get ahead of the plan. On to DAUA. The Bonanza may not be that fast, but it's got legs.

[Moses03]

Nice screenie Willy! Great to see you taking advantage of that nuclear powered confutor.

[Willy]

Thanks Moses!

Made it in to DAUA, but forums were down and it's only a couple hundred more miles so I took back off for Behar.


http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFli...ndNjoFbO2NID1o

[Willy]

Down safe at the Bechar (DAOR) checkpoint. Now to do some figuring on where to go next. I'm ready to put this desert behind me, but I think I'll just overnight here and get an early start tomorrow.

http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFli...cbDWaIDClCxCyI

[Willy]

Going for a 2am start out of Bechar and heading for France.

[Willy]

Lost my internet last night during the flight a little while after I was out over the Med. I diverted to Palma de Mallorca (LEPA) and landed as normal. Everything was looking normal but I did have a ctd after stopping and then taxiing to off the runway but that was after I got the green line at the top of the screen saying the baton was dropped. I went to look at the Duenna and didn't have anything but a system log that says the duenna started up at 00:14:23Z and it says

Finished leg, on-ground

at 03:42:09 which gives me a flight time of 03:27:46 by my calculating. Flight planner says it's 533.5nm distance from DAOR to LEPA.

I'd like to have Miss Murphy look at this and make a decision on whether or not the leg is valid. I've attached the SystemLog file and a screenshot of the approach into LEPA (not that I figure the screenshot is going to be much help).

I'll be at the bar on the beach watching the "scenery"

[MM]

After Miss Nellie's spartan office, it is impressive to see Miss Murphy's shop. A flowered vase colors her workstation to offset the electronic wizardry of a real-time weather display and the telemetry markers for en route aircraft. Abstract modern art graces the walls.

After a few minutes' thought, Miss Murphy allowed that Willy may proceed without delay. "If this were the Round the World Race, Captain Willy would be in serious trouble. But in our more generous format, the Duenna log shows enough evidence of a completed flight for it to pass muster. The documentation does not prove the case. But, coupled with the pilot's testimony, it does constitute sufficient circumstantial evidence of completion that the headquarters staff are satisfied. Lots of determined flying by that fellow! Please pass on our best wishes."

[Willy]

Tell Miss Murphy I said thanks!

Time to get back airborne and head on farther. Wonder how Merc Air's Swiss bank accounts are doing?

[Willy]

Nothing like landing in Interlaken in a thick fog. Especially when you come in from the north and have to turn around in the valley to make your approach. Good thing the Bonanza isn't a big aircraft.

I've decided that as the cutoff date is getting darn close, I'm going to skip the bonus airports and make a beeline for Norway. Right now I'm concentrating on the finish line. Now to figure out just how to do that.

http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFli...8r7HXDbQNcRzq4

[Willy]

Looks like I'm going to be way over my declared time of 42 hours. Still looking for bragging rights to "Fastest Piston Engine" in the Modern Era