RTW in a Spitfire Mk IX (solo, yes really)

[CharlieOneSix]

Not looking good for today's leg to Kulusuk:

BGKK KULUSUK ISLAND
BGKK 090850Z AUTO 08006KT 9999NDV OVC007/// 06/04 Q1019=
TAF TAF BGKK 090844Z 0909/0918 VRB06KT 9999 BKN004 TEMPO 0909/0912 1200 BCFG SCT005 BECMG 0912/0914 FEW010 PROB40 0914/0918 4000 BCFG BKN004=

[Ex-Ascot]

I have obviously missed something in my world climatology ATPL studies. I was admittedly not very good at this. Why are we going against the prevailing winds?

[Pontius Navigator]

Buys Ballot Rule. He has a tail wind.

[Ex-Ascot]

Buys Ballot Rule. He has a tail wind.

Sorry PN, you are one of the most qualified here to answer this but I do not understand it.

[Undried Plum]

Stand with your back to the wind (on the civilised side of the Equator) and the Low pressure is to your left.

[Ex-Ascot]

Thank you DP got you. I am more used to flying at high altitude. Makes sense. So wrap yourself around the correct side of a low pressure system. PN you covered this here: Low Pressure System

Yep confuses the hell out of me down here where everything is the wrong way around. Even the moon doesn't look right horizontal instead of vertical.

[Boac]

We have had this definition before
"Stand with you back to the wind on the east coast of England and the North Sea is on your left"

[Pontius Navigator]

And stand there for 6 hours and your feet will get wet.

[CharlieOneSix]

After 72 hours at Reykjavik, almost certainly due to the poor TAFS at Kulusuk, both the Spitfire G-IRTY and chase PC-12 have just got airborne. At last they have a decent TAF:

BGKK KULUSUK ISLAND
BGKK 111350Z 27007KT 240V310 9999 VCFG FEW010 BKN080 08/04 Q1022=
TAF BGKK 111112Z 1112/1121 VRB06KT 9999 BKN008 BECMG 1112/1113 SCT008 BKN070 TEMPO 1113/1116 BKN020 BECMG 1116/1118 SCT070=

[Pontius Navigator]

Light westerly to North westerly

[Undried Plum]

I presume the chase a/c will be monitoring AIS (marine equivalent of ADSB) and will have Marine VHF so that vessels of opportunity can instantly be vectored if the Spitfire has a donkey drop.

MarineTraffic shows that there are actually plenty of vessels within VHF range of the aircraft from 5,500', so if the worst happens there will be a MoB boat to hand within a reasonable fraction of an hour.

Sea surface (water) temperature along that route decreases from +12° to +6° right now. Even wearing a good thick neoprene drybag, that's bollock-shrinkingly cold, so time would be of the essence in the event of a ditching.

[Boac]

I'll wager that donk runs rough every time they coast out

[Pontius Navigator]

I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have Marine Band. Only after a particularly sad SAR Op did they realise how stupid it was that Nimrods could not talk to boats.

Gave an additional channel for contact grey funnel liners too

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

I've done that run in the other direction via Kulusuk, and I can assure you the donk always starts sounding a touch iffy once one is outside gliding range of land (or ice floes)

I had to have an HF radio fitted, and I doubt that rule has changed (though maybe only the chase aircraft has it).

TAFs up there are about as reliable as political promises.

[ian16th]

TAFs up there are about as reliable as political promises.

There is a story somewhere on the Interweb about a Beverley crossing the Atlantic via Greenland.

Very hairy it is.

[Boac]

How many days, ian?

[Pontius Navigator]

Stopped off in Scotland to replenish food and oil?

[ian16th]

Giggle is your friend.

Read all about it here!

[CharlieOneSix]

The Spitfire is now in Kangerlussuaq on the west coast of Greenland - just over 4 hours airborne, two days flying in one. Trying to catch up with the schedule I presume.

Back in August 1982 I took delivery of the first of our Bell 214ST helicopters from the factory in Fort Worth and wanted to fly it home to Aberdeen. It was fitted with two long range tanks and had HF and Marine Band radios. Sadly our bosses decreed that we only took it as far as New York and put it on a ship. Collected it from Southampton Docks and took it straight to the Farnborough Show - regrettably only for static display.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Ah, Søndre Strømfjord as was.
Well, they're over the icecap; that's the tricky bit. The topo still has things like "Believed maximum height..." written on it. I reckon if you search long enough you'll find a "Here be dragons!".