EQDC3: Leg 6, part 3- Halfway RTW!
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 11:32 pmOkay, it's been over three hours...The island of Nias, my checkpoint for the 13,000-mile mark, halfway around the planet at its widest, should be... I dip the right wing... right about there!! The crew gave me a little envelope with instructions to open it at this moment. The note says:
Boss-
You've driven us all halfway crazy so far on this trip; looking forward to completely losing our minds. Good luck!!
Very nice... well, they're paid to support me; just doing their jobs. Suddenly I seem to have something in my eye... but enough of that; the weather's getting worse.
As EQDC3 drones along, the massive clouds grow more numerous, and we're battered by turbulence. the AP is having a hell of a time with it. It looks like there's a gap between the cumuli and the layer below, so I ask ATC for 2,000, get the clearance, and head downstairs.
I let her slip just below 2000: whoops! hit that lower layer. Just above 2000 I'm on top, in relatively smooth air. Good call! After a while, seeing a gap in the cumuli, I ask to pop up to 5,000.
Big mistake- as soon as I get up there, the big bruisers seem to come out of nowhere to batter the plane... so back down I go. It's pretty bad now down at 2000; I ask for 1,000, and ATC denies me. After flying at 2000 with the AP off, battling turbulence, I cancel IFR and make my way down to 1,000. There's no rain, but I see lightning in the distance.
I hit a big gap in the clouds; the haze on the water has dissipated.
But then wicked turbulence seizes the ship, rocking it violently. This is not good so close to the ocean...
Near the 14-hour mark, the air is smoother down near the water, but I see haze embedded with thunderstorms glowing ahead in the setting sun...
then, abruptly, the sun plunges into the sea. I'm still fairly certain i have a headwind... this could get ugly.
Next: Serious Doubts...
Boss-
You've driven us all halfway crazy so far on this trip; looking forward to completely losing our minds. Good luck!!
Very nice... well, they're paid to support me; just doing their jobs. Suddenly I seem to have something in my eye... but enough of that; the weather's getting worse.
As EQDC3 drones along, the massive clouds grow more numerous, and we're battered by turbulence. the AP is having a hell of a time with it. It looks like there's a gap between the cumuli and the layer below, so I ask ATC for 2,000, get the clearance, and head downstairs.
I let her slip just below 2000: whoops! hit that lower layer. Just above 2000 I'm on top, in relatively smooth air. Good call! After a while, seeing a gap in the cumuli, I ask to pop up to 5,000.
Big mistake- as soon as I get up there, the big bruisers seem to come out of nowhere to batter the plane... so back down I go. It's pretty bad now down at 2000; I ask for 1,000, and ATC denies me. After flying at 2000 with the AP off, battling turbulence, I cancel IFR and make my way down to 1,000. There's no rain, but I see lightning in the distance.
I hit a big gap in the clouds; the haze on the water has dissipated.
But then wicked turbulence seizes the ship, rocking it violently. This is not good so close to the ocean...
Near the 14-hour mark, the air is smoother down near the water, but I see haze embedded with thunderstorms glowing ahead in the setting sun...
then, abruptly, the sun plunges into the sea. I'm still fairly certain i have a headwind... this could get ugly.
Next: Serious Doubts...
