Page 6 - Volume 18 Number 7

North Atlaby Adam L. AlpertGreat planning isn’t always rewarded by a mission that goes according to plan. When our Chief Pilot showed me the updated weather for Keflavik, indicating winds of 75 knots, gusting to 86, I knew we’d left the safety and comfort of our previous transatlantic crossings.The early-morning flight from Burlington, Vermont to Goose Bay, Newfoundland promised a great week of flying and business in Europe, visiting our subsidiaries in the UK, Switzerland and Germany, and distributors in France and Austria. It was a beautiful, calm spring day; although flying into the sun can be uncomfortable, I didn’t care, after the long, dark Vermont winter.The trip to Goose in the CJ3 takes about two hours, working our way through Montreal, Moncton, and Gander Centers. Goose and Gander are convenient jumping-off points for the transatlantic segment. Since most light to medium jets don’t have the legs to make it non-stop to Europe, the trip is typically broken up into three pieces, with the middle piece beginning in Newfoundland and ending in Iceland, passing over the southern-most tip of Greenland.4 • TWIN & TURBINEThe landing in Goose was uneventful. It was chilly, but winds were light with clear skies and unlimited visibility. After refueling quickly, we reboarded passengers and completed the prestart checklist. Within minutes, we were on our way to Iceland.Preparing for a crossing is a major activity involving weather, routing and altitude. With an 1,800-nm range, the CJ3 could easily make the 1,350-nm crossing, but that extra 450 nm can easily be consumed by unfavorable winds, circuitous routings, traffic delays, and deteriorated destination weather. We expected to arrive with about an hour and fifteen minutes of endurance remaining.Since we had already performed our mandatory SELCAL (Selective Calling) check of the HF radio before arriving at Goose, we were free to follow our flight plan to the coast-out point and beyond. From the weather checked prior to leaving Goose, it wasn’t going to be a beautiful day at Keflavic; light to moderate winds out of the south with ceilings and visibilities just below VFR minimums.By the time we reached 45,000 feet, our passengers were fast asleep. Every day, hundreds of aircraft traverse theJULY 2014CROSSIn