Ham Radio Aviator On Round The World Flight

The tracking shows him leaving Fortaleza today, but shortly thereafter it shows him orbiting between Fortaleza & Natal, then.... nothing further

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n916bl#d9c956e

Scroll down to "Flight Status Information" - 06June - click on "Play" on the right side for latest tracking.
Kinda weird... The tracking shows that he never got above 1,600 feet & then the tracking stopped.

 

Thanks for the tip. Zoom in on the radar map, it looks like he flew the pattern and approach to landing at Aerodromo do Catuleve, which is a small sport airport on the route but just outside of Fortaleza.

OH - looking harder at the FaceBook page, I see he did explain the delay. Apparently there was an issue with Brazilian aviation authority granting a permit, but also some problems with avionics (Stormscope) and HF comms, Here is the end of the post,

"It is time to pack up and head for Spirit and Catuleve. I hope to find that my HF and Stormscope will let me head out to Natal this afternoon and on to Natal this evening. I hope to be able to keep to my original schedule and take off for Dakar early tomorrow morning. The flight to Dakar will be the longest leg to date and the first time I will take off with a maximum fuel load as I head across the Atlantic. I won't need all that fuel but I want to be sure to test with full fuel and to tanker a bit of fuel to Dakar where fuel costs more than here in Brazil. Every little bit helps.

Stay tuned!"

https://www.facebook.com/AmeliaEarhart80/posts/871277003020786

 

Glad that you found/passed along that info. - I'm not a FaceBook user so was glad to read that his problems are relatively minor. He was only "up" for about 30 minutes today & never got above 1600 ft./120kts. Hopefully he gets his issues ironed out before heading across the pond to Dakar.

 

It is easier to contact Brian Lloyd WB6RQN / Aero Mobile by calling with ALE, since he is often scanning ALE-squelched (like Selcall).
But, after the first ALE station makes contact, many other non-ALE stations can piggyback by simply calling on SSB voice.
ALE operators get together in a web chat room at http://hflink.net
Listen to this recording made on the HF receiver of F4GFZ in France.
It is a 7 minute audio clip of WB6RQN working stations in USA, Europe, and South America on 14346.0 kHz SSB voice while he was flying over the Atlantic Ocean, near Venezuela:
http://projectameliaearhart.org/wp/...ic_Ocean_Near_Venezuela_3JUN2017_rx_F4GFZ.mp3

 

When on the ground (88' alt) I entered his coordinates into Google Maps and got a marker right in the middle
of an airstrip! How can it be that accurate?

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

 

GPS is a wunnerful thang eh?

In the air again! Last position shown on Live Tracking Map @ 14:40:18Z 10104 ft about three quarters to Natal.

 

On the ground in Natal @ 1505z - Guess it'll be a long day tomorrow when he heads out to Dakar.
Will have to watch for his spots on DXSummit.fi

 

08 June 2017 schedule: WB6RQN Aeronautical Mobile will take off around sunrise from Natal airport in Brazil.
Destination: Dakar Senegal in Africa.
The route is 100% over the Atlantic ocean, near the equator.
Watch for WB6RQN on the air. http://hflink.net
This may be one of the best chances for hams in eastern North America to work him on HF.

 

Update: 08 June 2017 - 18:00 UTC - Mr. Lloyd and his plane Spirit are currently on the ground at an airport in Natal Brazil, with a flight delay due to equipment problems: HF radio (the HF is required to be operational for Air Traffic Control over the ocean)
Update 08 June 2017 - 18:25 UTC - Brian Lloyd reports that he has repaired the HF radio problem while at an airport in Natal Brazil. The revised schedule for the flight has not been set yet.

 

Update: 08 June 2017 at time 20:20 UTC: Mr. Lloyd and his plane Spirit have landed at the International Airport in Natal Brazil. He has completed his repairs which were done at another airstrip. The new flight schedule to Dakar Senegal has not been set yet.

 

Update 09 June 2017 - 17:34UTC - Brian Lloyd in his airplane Spirit is midway across the Atlantic Ocean at approximately: Latitude 8 degrees, Longitide -25 degrees, on flight route from Natal Brazil to Dakar Senegal. Brian reports all is good. His HF radio is working well. HF propagation is not very good today, though.

 

Brian is nearing Dakar... Ground radar tracking has resumed.
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n916bl#dac1589

 

TOUCHDOWN !! Arrived safely in Dakar @ 2150 UTC
"WELL DONE"

 

Keep it flying

 

Brian slipped away from Dakar @ 0655z today & is now almost half-way across Africa !!
At 1907z he is over Nigeria.
follow here:
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n916bl#db16e01

Here's his proposed schedule:

Location : Date : Days : Airport ID
Ft. Lauderdale Executive : 31-May : 1 : KFXE
St Thomas, VI : 1-Jun : 0 :
Canefield Airport, Dominica : 1-Jun : 1 : TDCF
Port of Spain, Trinidad : 2-Jun : 1 : TTPP
Paramaribo, Suriname : 3-Jun : 1 : SMJP
Fortaleza, Brazil : 4-Jun : 3 : SBFZ
Natal, Brazil : 7-Jun : 1 : SBNT
Dakar, Senegal : 9-Jun : 2 : GOOY
**** N’Djamena, Chad : 11-Jun : 1 : FTTJ
Khartoum, Sudan : 12-Jun : 1 : HSSS
Muscat, Oman : 13-Jun : 1 : OOMS
Karachi, Pakistan : 14-Jun : 2 : OPKC
Kolkata, India : 15-Jun : 1 : VECC
Chittagong, Bangladesh : 15-Jun : 0 : VGEG
Rangoon, Myanmar : 15-Jun : 1 : VYYY
Bangkok, Thailand : 16-Jun : 2 : VTBD
Singapore : 18-Jun : 2 : WSSL
Jakarta, Java, Indonesia : 20-Jun : 2 : WIHH
Bandung, Java, Indonesia : 22-Jun : 1 : WICC
Kupang, Timor, Indonesia : 23-Jun : 1 : WATT
Darwin, Australia : 24-Jun : 1 : YPDN
Alice Springs, Australia : 25-Jun : 2 : YBAS
Townsville, Australia : 27-Jun : 2 : YBTL
Brisbane, Australia : 29-Jun : 1 : YBBN
Sydney, Australia : 30-Jun : 4 : YSBK
Auckland, NZ : 4-Jul : 10 : NZAA
Suva, Fiji : 14-Jul : 2 : NFNA
Howland Island overflight : 16-Jul : 0
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
Atichison, KS, USA : 22-Jul : 2 : KK59
Oshkosh, WI, USA : 24-Jul : 5 : KOSH
Kestrel Airpark, TX, USA : 29-Jul : : 1T7
Note: Dates are approximate.

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