The journey from Guam to Kagoshima Airport in the south of Japan was a distance of approximately 1,365 nm (2,500 km) for a flight time of just over nine hours. It was the longest single flight the Bazflyers had ever undertaken in their Piper Comanche, ZK-BAZ. It was also the longest flight scheduled for Round the World 2019.
As preparations were made prior to descent and landing in Japan, it seemed the prior period of almost 9-hours in the air had somehow been compressed into a smaller time capsule. It did not feel like a full day had been spent flying the ‘BAZ Office’ in the sky.
Long distance flying in a small single engine airplane is all about the journey, not the destination. It demands full and constant attention by the crew over the whole flight. Staying safe for nine hours of flight over the ocean has little to do with luck. It's all about attention to detail, judgement and making the right decisions. Its fair to say then that the Bazflyers have a well practiced in-flight regime of divided responsibility and cross-checks.
There is a sobering fact about flying a small aircraft for long distances…the journey can not be rushed. The airplane must be flown in its most efficient configuration for the distance involved. Air speed, engine power settings and fuel consumption are some of the critical parameters. Accordingly, the airplane will perform tirelessly along the way at its own pace. For the Bazflyers its about savouring every moment of the journey.
It has been said often across time that lives are defined by the journeys we take, not the destinations we reach. However, be assured from Bazflyer experience, arriving at the destination in ZK-BAZ after more than nine hours in the cockpit provided its own special euphoria. Stepping off the wing and setting foot on the tarmac at Kagoshima Airport was no exception and then to be cordially greeted by Masahiko Noma and his team at New Japan Aviation simply completed the journey….another great flight.
The long haul north west from Guam to Kagoshima
Carrying out cockpit duties and cross checks
A landscape of ocean below
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