The “gear heads” ready to go (author center)
Crossing the North Atlantic in a single-engine plane, turboprop or piston, is not for everyone. Indeed, there are those who do it for a living and others who would not even consider it. For this group, it was a bucket list item and a means to accomplish a second bucket list item, that being attending arguably the most exciting motorcycle race in the world on the Isle of Man, sitting between Northern Ireland and Scotland. The plan began to gel with a group of like-minded pilots who were also “gearheads” and proceeded in earnest about eight months prior to race time scheduled for the last week of May into the first week of June. Advanced planning for a trip like this is absolutely necessary not just because of the risk factors but more so to ensure the logistics all fall into place. To attend a race like this, you first have to get there.
The Airplane
As an instructor for Epic Aircraft, I hooked up with a new owner of a beautiful E1000 GX, the ideal aircraft for the trip. The trip was on the owner’s to-do list, and the plane had room for all five adults and 129 lbs. of survival gear. With nearly 1100 pounds of full-fuel useful load, the aircraft was roomy and comfortable for the long-distance trip, and every leg was accomplished with more than adequate fuel reserves. With 1200 shaft horsepower available for takeoff and max continuous of 1000 shaft horsepower, along with reverse pitch (or Beta), it gave us plenty of options for diversion airports along the way. Most of the trip was flown outbound at flight level 340, with the return at flight level 330 and a fuel burn that averaged 45 gallons per hour. On some legs, however, we were kept as low as flight level 270 as we did not have the required CPDLC datalink, which made no financial sense to install for a single trip.
The Plan
At first glance, crossing the North Atlantic would appear straightforward, especially in an aircraft like the Epic E1000 GX. Just plan your stops, bring a passport, and you’re good to go. However, flying outside the United States has very different requirements and demands advanced planning. Considerations for charts/NAV data, border crossings, survival gear, fuel availability, prior permission for landing/parking, and customs requirements eventually wore us down, and we enlisted the very capable help of Air Journey as our “handlers.” Doing this brought the fun back into the trip and would be strongly recommended to anyone planning an adventure like this.
The first leg of our trip covered 1,345 nautical miles nonstop from Lewiston, ID (KLWS), to Sault St. Marie, Michigan (KANJ), landing in VFR conditions with greater than an hour and a half of fuel reserves. We then crossed the Canadian border after filing our departure with EAPIS and notifying CANPASS of our estimated arrival time in Goose Bay, Newfoundland. Crossing multiple time zones eastbound, we planned to overnight in Goose Bay, a small town with a few nice hotels. As a foodie, I must give a shout-out to a new restaurant in Goose Bay called Mamattuk, which serves excellent food and is almost worth a trip to northeastern Canada on its own. The following day, it was on to Reykjavik, Iceland.
Though the leg from Goose Bay to Reykjavik was within the range of the Epic, we decided to be extra cautious and make a fuel stop in Greenland, selecting Narsarsuaq (BGBW) if the weather stayed VFR and Kangerlussuaq (BGSF) as our alternate. The approach into Narsarsuaq is rather dicey in low IFR conditions and probably should be avoided. Bring lots of Prist if the additive is required for your aircraft, as this fuel additive is not available with any frequency outside the United States. Interestingly, there is no formal customs routine to go through in Greenland, though reporting your estimated arrival time and the amount of fuel requested is necessary. From there, we were on to Iceland with another overnight, mainly because of all the time changes going eastbound. The last leg into the Isle of Man (EGNS) was straightforward, but prior permission for landing and parking was needed, especially during the race event.
Though altitude was always given in feet MSL, transition altitudes can vary with each country, and even within each country, and requires attention to an approach plate to anticipate the changeover from flight level to feet MSL. In addition, barometric pressure is given in hectopascals instead of inches of mercury, so be prepared to convert, make the change directly on your PFD, or, for the truly lazy, ask the controller for the pressure in inches of mercury.
The Race
The Isle of Man is a self-governing British protectorate located between Northern Ireland and Scotland. Most of the population lives in Douglas, a financial capital for the wealthy, though sheep farming encompasses most of the landmass. For two weeks out of the year, the country shuts down to host the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.
This motorcycle race has been billed as the most dangerous race in the world and has been ongoing since 1907. The course winds through 37.75 miles of closed regular roads through towns and this beautiful island’s verdant green hills and mountains. Unlike in Moto GP (the top level of road racing for motorcycles), there are no runoff areas or barriers, just stonewalls, buildings, lampposts and curbs. The riders complete the course at average speeds in the mid-130s (miles per hour), with top speeds reaching 205 miles per hour. There are six classes of races, including superbikes and sidecars. Most races are anywhere from 4 to 6 laps around the course, during which the rider must negotiate hundreds of braking points, apexes, undulations, manhole covers and changes in surface paving. Though this year had its share of crashes, there were fortunately no fatalities. The worst year on record was 2005, with 11 fatalities. The thrill for the spectators is not the crashes but the ability to get within feet of the motorcycles traveling at over 170 miles an hour. Insane, you might say, and in most countries, this would not be allowed, which makes this race even more special for everyone involved. It was a definite bucket list item for this group. Michael Dunlop, a local, made history this year, becoming the greatest of all racers, winning his 28th victory across six classes of racing.
The Return
As a former high-altitude mountain climber in another life, I am aware that it’s the downhill trek that always kills you. The exhilaration of the summit is over, and the exhaustion sets in. You tend to make a lot of wrong judgments, which can be life-threatening. So it is with the return journey back to our starting point in Idaho. Being especially attentive to risk management must become a priority. Fortunately for us, our return weather was uneventful except for thunderstorms in the Dakotas, and we made it back in two days despite headwinds of up to 100 knots. Those headwinds cut the final leg from Sault Saint Marie to Lewiston in half, requiring a fuel stop in Billings, Montana.
Life has blessed most of us with the means and ability to own airplanes and become pilots with advanced ratings. They’re most often used for business purposes, but now and then, the natural urge for adventure takes over, and the planning begins. For us, it’s a Formula One Grand Prix in another country or a trip to Patagonia in Argentina. The where doesn’t matter as much as the how and the why. If you’re even thinking of expanding your horizons using your airplane, don’t let the logistics overwhelm you. All things are possible.