Ham Radio Aviator On Round The World Flight

He's still in Bandung. The time of 30/0100z must've been when he activated his GPS. It's showing he's at 2405 ft., which is the altitude of the airport. Guess he's making ready to depart.

 

Up Up & Away !!! @ 06/30/0300z, en-route to Darwin

GPS tracking: http://projectameliaearhart.org/tracker/map.php

Radar tracking: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n916bl/#de9b40c

 

It won't be long now & Brian will be enjoying a "Vegemite Sandwich" in the land "Down Under"



Latest tracking: (beginning let-down for Darwin)
GPS: http://projectameliaearhart.org/tracker/map.php
Radar: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n916bl/#de9b40c

 

TOUCH DOWN in Darwin @ 06/30/1222z (30/2152 local time) - 1618 miles in 9 hrs 31 mins.

 

Tom, I believe the altitude figures being reported on the tracking map are from a GPS / SAT FONE system, not from the aircraft cockpit flight navigation system or altimeter. Commercial (not MIL) GPS can be notoriously inaccurate measuring altitude compared to the usual atmospheric pressure based instrument, or, of course, a radar altimeter.

http://gpsinformation.net/main/altitude.htm

73, John - WØPV

 

Brian & "Spirit's remaining schedule:

Ayers Rock, Australia : 1-Jul : 0 : YAYE
Coober Pedy, Australia : 1-July : 0 : YCBP
Birdsville, Australia : 1-July : 0 : YBDV
Longreach, Australia : 1-July : 1 : YLRE
Whitsunday, Australia : 2-Jul : 0 : YSHR
Bundaberg, Australia : 2-Jul : 1 : YBUD
Gunnedah, Australia : 3-Jul : 0 : YGDH
Warnervale, Australia : 4-Jul : 2 : YWVA
Sydney, Australia : 6-Jul : 0 : YSBK
Hamilton, NZ : 6-Jul : 8 : NZHN
Suva, Fiji : 14-Jul : 2 : NFNA
Howland Island overflight : 16-Jul : 0
Kiritimati, Kirabati : 16-Jul: 1 : PLCH
Kauai, HI, USA : 15-Jul : 2 : PHLI
Honolulu, HI, USA : 17-Jul : 0 : PHNL
Hilo, HI, USA : 17-Jul : 2 : PHTO
Oakland, CA, USA : 19-Jul : 3 : KOAK
Atchison, KS, USA : 22-Jul : 2 : KK59
Oshkosh, WI, USA : 24-Jul : 5 : KOSH
Kestrel Airpark, TX, USA : 29-Jul : : 1T7
Note: Dates are approximate and subject to change without notice. http://projectameliaearhart.org/

Keep-up with their "short-hops" here: http://projectameliaearhart.org/tracker/map.php

 

Brian's latest Facebook post from "Oz":
https://www.facebook.com/AmeliaEarhart80/


"Ah, well, as we all know and understand, the schedule never quite seems to survive contact with reality.

I was planning to fly to Ayers Rock today. It was going to be a 5 hour flight, quite short for me these days, but it didn't happen. I talked to a few pilots and got a kind of nebulous, "Sure, you can go VFR, just give tower a call and they'll give you vectors." OK, sounds like the US. I can do that.

So got in, cranked up Spirit, got the ATIS, and called clearance delivery, telling them what I wanted to do. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Darwin Clearance, N916BL, over.
DC: N196BL go ahead.
Me: N916BL, we'd like to get a VFR clearance out of here for a flight down to Ayers Rock. Can we do that?
DC: 6BL, we can do that. Say type of aircraft and requested altitude.
Me. N916BL is a mike two zero tango. I would like to go down at 17,500 feet, over.
DC: Well, no, you can't do that VFR. You will be in controlled airspace.
Me: Uh, OK. In the US class-A airspace begins at FL180. Where does it begin here?
DC: 9,500'. If you want to go at 9,500' you can go VFR.
Me: Nooo, I really want to go up high to avoid headwinds. Looks like I will need to file IFR. Thanks.
DC: No worries. Here's the phone number to file.

So I found a parking place, shut down, parked, and chocked the plane. As I called to file my flight plane a local pilot, Russell Legg, came up and and offered to show me his charts for the area and to talk about where to go today. It was getting late and it was clear that I would not make it to Ayers Rock by sundown. I was faced with where to go part way or to just wait here in Darwin and continue tomorrow. Russell and I talked for a bit and he suggested that the local flight school might have charts so I wandered over. Fortunately people were there and it turned into the usual pilot hangar flying thing.

They did have charts so we started going over which VFR WAC charts I would need for my flight. I was looking and thinking that my path was going to be right on the boundary of 6 different charts to I asked the young flight instructor (I'm kicking myself for not writing down his name -- super nice young guy -- I hope he sees this and posts his name). He whips out his iPad and pulls a VFR chart of the whole of Australia. "Whoa," I say, "What's that? That looks like what I really need!" It was an electronic flight book (EFB) package call "Oz Runways" (http://Ozrunways.com). He pointed out that it was going be really expensive but when we totaled up all the paper charts, the cost of $140 for OzRunways was going to be the same price.

Later on when I went to buy it, turns out it covers New Zealand too AND they have a 30-day free trial. Looks like the perfect solution for both VFR and IFR charts for me while I am in Oz and NZ!

So after hanging out for a bit and talking about flying in Oz and the differences between flight instruction in the US and Oz, I gave Stuie a call and asked if I could be a guest at his house again. He came back down to the airport and fetched me back to his place.

Tonight we went out to watch the fireworks for Territory Day. We grabbed some goodies at KFC and then headed down to the waterfront for a picnic and to watch the fireworks. Folks, Texas has NOTHING on Darwin for fireworks. They go all out with a huge professional fireworks show on the waterfront but with everyone shooting off some very serious fireworks. There was even a huge bush fire (no doubt started by the fireworks) and at least one burning house. Like I said, Texas can't hold a [roman] candle to Darwin for sheer pyrotechnic mayhem! It was spectacular.

OK, I lost another day. But I got straightened away about operating VFR here in Oz. (IFR is the same everywhere.) I now have charts and a better idea of how things are done here. Tomorrow morning I will be off to Ayers Rock with time to spare. I'll just have to suck up the time somewhere else in order to get to NZ on the 6th. But I am feeling much better about flying tomorrow now that I have proper VFR charts and a better understanding of the airspace. It is also nice that I don't have to use the phrase "say again" three times in a row when talking to ATC!

Speaking of talking to ATC, as I went past Tambolaka airport in Indonesia, after making my position report to Tambolaka tower (I was unable to raise Bali-Kupang radio on the HF -- not a lot of RADAR service out there) I was asked to, "establish communications with WK and report." This is something I am often asked to do, i.e. make sure I can talk to the next facility before leaving the current facility. Except that WK is the NDB (a long-wave navigation beacon) at Tambolaka. I'm confused. How do I "establish communications" with an NDB? I kept trying to explain to the tower that I have no transmitter with which to transmit on 201kHz. It took about 5 exchanges until I finally figured out that all he really wanted me to do was to just tune in the NDB and let him know if it was working properly. Oh. He can't monitor his NDB. I have an ADF. "Tambolaka tower, whiskey kilo is working and properly transmitting its identifier." Phraseology makes a difference!

I must admit, when I finally made contact with Brisbane Center and was able to fully understand what he was saying it was a big relief! I can ask a question and get an understandable answer! I can understand ATC instructions the first time!

Well, enough for now. I am going to Stuie's shack and play radio for a bit. I'll make another posting soon with pictures and descriptions of my time from Singapore to here. Tomorrow I head for Ayers Rock. I might not get to all the places that Rohan Lloyd pointed me to but I'll do my best before heading out to NZ.

Too much to write! More later. I need to get caught up."

 

WB6RQN Aeronautical Mobile schedule today: departing Darwin Australia noon local time (0230UTC 2 July) flight to Ayers Rock - Coober Pedy - Birdsville - Longreach, Australia.
Best way to contact: ALE call on the following frequencies kHz USB 10145.5 - 14109.0 - 14346.0 - 18106.0 - 18117.5 - 21432.5
Other possible voice QSOs on 14346.0 or 18117.5 kHz USB
There are reports of several Asian operators linking with Brian on ALE for voice QSOs.
This week, during afternoons and early evenings, will probably be the best time for Australian stations to make contact.

 

WB6RQN is often busy with VHF air traffic control, but he has been able to respond to ALE calls occasionally throughout all of his flight legs so far. Often, other stations call him on voice after the first station's ALE linking call opens his squelch. Here's a partial list of stations Brian worked on HF (with ALE and/or Voice SSB on 20m or 17m) during the flight from Bandung Indonesia to Darwin Australia:
VK8NSB Australia
VK8GM Australia
9V1PK Singapore
JH1ESB Japan
BV4AS Taiwan

 

Brian & "Spirit" airborne again from Darwin @ 07/02/0220z

GPS tracking: http://projectameliaearhart.org/tracker/map.php

Radar tracking: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n916bl/#def6b1e

 

Brian WB6RQN/VK/Aeronautical Mobile has been working a lot of stations on 14346.0 USB voice today while he is in flight between Darwin and Ayers Rock. He worked several stateside stations (California, Oklahoma, etc) and a lot of VKs and others.

 

Brian & "Spirit" depart Ayers Rock for Birdsville/Bundaberg around 03/0045z.
(from Brian's Facebook today):

"I am so far behind it looks like I am not going to really get any sightseeing done in Australia. I had an abbreviate route planned so I can see some places here but at this point I am just going to head for Bundaberg from Ayers Rock so I can get the magneto back in the plane. All this effort to get here and then no time to see anything. <sigh>

I got some good shots of Ayers Rock as I flew in yesterday. Now it's off to Birdsville for a quick lunch and then on to Bundaberg."


GSP tracking: http://projectameliaearhart.org/tracker/map.php
Radar tracking: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n916bl/#df1ec67

 

Updated flight map for this week

 

BTW: A reminder for aviation/history buffs,... this history making re-creation/endeavor by Brian & "Spirit", is FAR from being inexpensive!! I'm certain that a (tax deductible) donation of ANY amount would be most gratefully appreciated. (I got me a commemorative "Patch")

https://fundly.com/project-amelia-earhart

 

After a bite-to-eat,... Brian & "Spirit" are again en-route Birdsville to Bundaberg @ 03/0505z.

GPS tracking: http://projectameliaearhart.org/tracker/map.php
Radar tracking: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n916bl#df1ec67