Departed Darwin, the wind was incredible. I thought I might have to abort the flight. I was sure it was gusting to 40 knots; the airspeed indicated when turned into it was close to that range. It was high 30’s in any case.
It was so bad that I was crabbing on the taxiways! I had to input full rudder and get on one brake pedal just to stay straight.
At first I thought it was just a lack of seat time, and then I saw another aircraft begin a turn on taxi in front of me and it buried a wheel skirt into the pavement and created sparks.
I knew I was going to be in for a real bad take off roll.
I held short at the line, completed my checklist, called the tower for clearance, taxied onto the active, set up my final settings and then noticed the wind had blown me off heading from a stationary position.
I juiced the throttle at about all of the wrong time, as I came up on power the wind increased, I pulled power and it decreased. Three times I tried to get the heading of the runway; I must have looked like a wounded crab to the Tower…
I pulled power on the #2 engine, the wind died down, put power back and it increased. I probably covered at least 600 feet trying to get it lined up.
Finally I just went for it, I figured I could “correct it out” right… NOT!
I went from a wounded crab to a drunken salamander. I was all over the place, I couldn’t correct fast enough, and couldn’t gather the airplane up. I was black tracking main mounts going down the runway; there was much smoke and squealing… Not to mention what the tires were doing.
I finally for lack of a better term, “willed” the aircraft airborne! I nearly saw what its like to bury a wing tip into the ground, and be flipped opposite all at the same time.
Then was when the real fun began, I was told to climb and maintain 9,000 in a turning climb, at about 5,000 feet ASL it was like some one put a lid on the airplane. I was able to turn, but it wasn’t really a turn, it was more like the Wind God was taking a breath and allowed movement. I was nearly upside down with the AP trying to turn me and the wind literally shoving me to points unknown. I was unable to gain altitude. At this point the fuel was rich and the props were full boogie, the PT6 just wasn’t helping. There were 2,500 FPM descent rates quickly followed by 3,500 FPM ascent rates. I was worried the wing loading would snap them off.
I bounced my head off the side glass more than once with the belts tight enough that the rest of the body didn’t move.
Within about 10 minutes though it began to smooth out and I enjoyed the head ache of the departure all the way to PGSN.
Landing was a cinch… Lined up and rode it in… I’m having the airframe inspected for stress cracks and I’m having the pilot examined for sobriety, hopefully neither will be found…
Update… Sobriety has been found, the beer imported here is a formaldehyde preserved brew…
I woke up to a BANG, BANG, BANG on the door at 5 AM… Sir, sir! Your aircraft is ready to go, SIR! You have been here for a week, is time for you to go. Your aircraft is ready.
The alarm clock they gave me hadn’t even gone off yet… I grumbled out the words “ALL RIGHT THEN!” It couldn’t have waited another five minutes could it! So much for LAYED BACK ISLAND TIME RIGHT! I skinned myself out of the cot they gave me for a bed and looked into the barely lightened room and thought how much worse I could have had the past week.
After I landed I took stock of where I was and looked to some of the locals to show me around a bit, in trade I cooked for them using the local foodstuffs but in ways that they had not seen in recent times. The food was appreciated by all I came across but the education they gave me was absolutely priceless.
The simplest of things in history amaze me, I have been a student of it for many years, and I always know that I can learn more from the locals than I can a guided tour.
There is so much history on this small island I can say that I did not see it all, but I did get to see a good amount.
And from it I would suspect I will always be changed…
I only asked to really see a few places; you know the normal tourist type places.
But my guide took me to so many more. He only spoke Chamorro, the bit of English he spoke was enough to tell me that he didn’t speak English and his son would “come wit”. I honestly couldn’t have been happier.
The son arranged a meeting with Benigno Repeki Fitial the current Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Upon meeting I told him why I was there and explained Maddie’s situation to him, at first he laughed and didn’t understand. I told him that this flight I was on originated in Praia da Luz, Portugal nearly three months ago and that it would be continued back to the point of origin by no less than five pilots in the same painted aircraft and holding the same goal, to spread the word of her plight and the plight of all other missing children world wide.
At that point he punched me in the chest… I was a bit miffed at first, because it really hurt, but I had seen it and felt it before from some childhood Polynesian friends. I had been deemed a warrior, and the punch showed not only respect but support.
After the audience, I was told the island was mine to explore and my aircraft and that any other Maddie Pilots/ planes would be taken care of as a favor.
My guide took me to the place where they talked… The Marines landed on South Western side of the Island in mid June of 1944 and they brought with them one of the most potent weapons available, a weapon so valuable that is still little know of today in the overall outcome of the war in the Pacific Theatre… Navajo Code Talkers! The only code that at the time had no chance of being broken, a purely Native language to the US that even the best scholars US or Japanese had little if any knowledge of. I stood in awe over a beach trying to think what it must have been like… Not knowing that I would be overwhelmed by the emotion in my own mind. I drew out a cigarette from my pack, withdrew a small clump of sweet grass from my medicine pouch, ripped open the cigarette and combined the two and lit it to smudge. This humored my guide… until I punched him in the chest so much harder than I needed to… I dug a small hole in the sand of that beach, let the ashes fall, and when they had stopped, I buried it. Said a short prayer in my Cherokee language, followed by another in the Choctaw language, and topped it off with a final in the language of the Marines… Semper Fi! You will always be known here!
We left the beach and went to the highlands… well; to "Banzai Cliff"… this is where civilians were forced to fight or die and far too many faced with that choice choose to die. Hundreds of people jumped to their death rather than fight for a loosing cause.
Saipan, and its capture by American Marines was the turning point in the Pacific war. I have seen this place now, I have done my best to put things right, I have prayed and cooked for the people… But it is time for me to move on…
“BANG, BANG, BANG” “Sir, time for you to get up! Your Airplane is ready”!
My dear Maddie, it’s hard to think of you in this place… But I will fly on for you …
I also could not help touring the various battlefields to honor what took place here so long ago, and the brave souls who sacrificed so much for all of us [everlasting].
One of my all time real life "gotta see" travel destinations is to one day spend at least a week long visit at the Normandy invasion beaches. That would be awesome!
I wonder, are there any among us who has been lucky enough to visit this area?
'morning Jaeger. I remember the invasion for real I was at school that day and the teacher let us listen to the commentary of the invasion on the radio .I also saw the DC3's flying over towing large Horsa gliders .All aircraft had black and white stripes on the wings and fuseage .I'm making myself feel old . BP
I am not sure of his intentions BP, to the best of my knowledge, RD uploaded the flights to Vince nearly a week ago, I also sent him an email around four days ago, and no reply..... Strange, seeing as though he was in the forum yesterday.. Your guess is a good as mine.
I am keen to get flying again, as I suspect most of you are..
Flight 9.Today I arose early to fly in the Maddie Beech from Sendai, RJSS in Japan to Yelizova ,UHPP , on the Petroparlovsk-Kamchatskij peninsula of eastern Russia. After the walkaround had been completed and the Flight plan filed a packed lunch was purchased and the thermos filled as it what promised to be a long flight.
Take-off was just after 0400 hours from runway 9 on a beautifully clear morning with, Japan living up to it's name of the, "Land of the Rising Sun",as during the climb-out the sun appeared over the horizon and above a flat calm sea . The Atc cleared us up to 9000 feet initially then on request up to 24000 with no clouds or turbulence . I began to wonder if on the next leg I could borrow the Hostess/Co-pilot from the Maddie-Jet to keep me company as it was I read a book while the auto-pilot earned it's keep .
Tokyo ATC gave me frequent calls and the as we flew further East Sakalin and others contacted me . I was pleased to discover there were no MIG 29's or other fast jets around ,I seem to remember that some time ago there was some trouble around Sakalin concerning a Korean 747
While over the Sea of Ochotsk I put the GPS on maximum range and could just see UHPP directly on course at 500 miles and as we neared Yelizova we descended to an altitude suitable for landing under ATC instructions .On this flight there were no ILS or VOR aids but the weather was very clear and cold with snow about the place ,probably the calm before the storm!!. Landing was uneventful as was the whole flight with lots of fuel remaining in the tanks ,the Beech performed very well .BP
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Last edited by Boldpilot on Sat May 10, 2008 5:10 am; edited 1 time in total
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