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Aloha
As World Flight 2001 comes to
an end for Pam and me, I want to write a final Cockpit Journal
entry, an attempt at closure for three months of my life that
have been like no other.
The airplane, the Raytheon Beechcraft
Super King Air 200, was a great choice for this trip. A Gulfstream
IV, Falcon 900, or Challenger 604 would have made all legs
much quicker and would have given us lots of fuel reserve
and more peace of mind on our longer legs, but at a cost that
would have been many, many times greater than that of Pat's
King Air. The operating expense of any airplane as it conducts
a trip of this magnitude is sizeable, but I can think of no
other vehicle that could have provided us the speed, comfort,
load-carrying capability, flexibility, and reliability than
that provided by our good bird, at a lesser expense. Yes,
we did encounter some electronic and radio problems on our
long trek, but overall the airplane never let us down. The
important items - engines, pressurization, landing gear, flaps
- always performed flawlessly. The BE20, as the ICAO flight
plan form describes it, is the best-selling executive airplane
of all time. A trip like this makes it easy to understand
why that is so.
The great Pratt & Whitney PT6
engines deserve special acknowledgment. Even though the engines
on 982GA are as old as the airplane, and coming up on their
third overhaul, they ran like the proverbial tops. I added
two quarts of oil to each engine during all of this flying,
one in Cairns, one in Bora Bora. I'd be happy for these engines
to take me around the world a few more times, just as they
are.
You have already read of my Thank
You toast to Pat, made in Bora Bora, and understand the depth
of appreciation we feel for the power of his Dream and his
employing us to be the crew. I also want to state how comfortable
it has been sharing close quarters with Pat and Ashley over
a three-month time period. With rare exceptions, all of us
enjoyed the company of one another to an extent that, I think,
surprised even the most optimistic among us. The adventure
would not nearly have contained the enjoyment it did had we
not been blessed with such fine traveling companions.
Before we left, many of our friends
and family expressed obvious concern for our safety, especially
in light of the tragedy of 9/11. We decided to go ahead and
proceed with our plans, taking it step by step, knowing that
we could pull the plug and reverse course somewhere in Europe
if things weren't looking good. In some ways, perhaps we stumbled
into a unique window of great opportunity for world travel.
The poor tourism industry has been hit extremely hard in the
aftermath of 9/11. Although it is very bad for them, the result
for us was one of un-crowded hotels, nearly empty restaurants,
and great appreciation for our presence at all of the stops,
especially those in predominantly Muslim countries. The small
element of radical fundamentalism does not represent the majority
of Islam any more than the far religious right represents
mainstream Christianity in America.
Religion has played a huge, huge,
influence in the course of human history. It is probably a
gross simplification to say this, but to me it seems like
the sightseeing that we and other tourists conduct as we travel
can be broken into two broad categories: natural wonders and
religious artifacts. Volcanoes, mountains, coral reefs, lush
jungles, gorgeous shores…things like this are a joy for all
to see. But the other big things that attract the most attention
seem to be temples, cathedrals, mosques, religious painting
and sculpture, abandoned tombs, places of sacrifice. A visitor
from outer space would have to conclude, based on the evidence,
that the human race has spent a great, great, deal of its
time and energy in the worship of its many and varied gods.
As a Christian, I like to think
that our religion has the best answer, the most complete grasp
of the reality of God. However, I am sure practitioners of
other religions feel the exact same thing about theirs! Is
there one right answer? I used to think so. Now, I am not
so sure. I know what I am most comfortable with, but I will
never feel comfortable trying to force my viewpoint on those
who worship differently than I.
I do think that the evidence
is extremely strong that the soul of humankind is bonded to
a higher reality that we view dimly, at best. But if it were
not so, why, worldwide, has so much of human's toil been for
the sake of honoring its myriad of deities?
I love the United States of America.
No country is perfect nor has all the right answers. But indeed
I am very, very, happy to be an American. (And yes, it is
well-accepted worldwide to say "American," not "US Citizen."
Canadians and residents of the many countries in South America
harbor no resentment when we say that we are Americans. It
is what the world calls us.) Other countries that we have
visited have had their special charms, wonderful places, lovely
people. But it seems, to my admittedly biased eye, that we
Americans are very fortunate to have a system that works as
well as any and much better than most. Cars and trucks that
don't spew visible fumes? Water that is always safe from the
tap? Roads that are well-maintained? A common language, understood
by nearly everyone? Clean markets with a wide variety and
abundance of foodstuffs? I think you'll have the best chance
of finding these things in America.
Hawaii is a beautiful place,
and we have been fortunate to finish our travels in this tropical
paradise. Even the touristy, busy, heart of Waikiki Beach
in Honolulu, where we are staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village,
is actually quite beautiful and enjoyable. The water is incredibly
clear, the sand clean and white, the restaurants abundant,
the service speedy and cordial. Yes, this time of year, the
water is not as warm as that we experienced south of the equator
in Bali, Cairns, Fiji, and Bora Bora, but it is still very
enticing.
We are in Honolulu because we
thought that we would be coordinating the installation of
the ferry fuel tank system that is necessary to make the Hawaii-West
Coast leg. Before I left Scottsdale, I had arranged with a
Honolulu-based, respected, aviation technician, to install
the tanks and obtain the proper FAA paperwork. Although the
Christmas holidays prevented him from promising a completion
date, he was optimistic about beginning work on Saturday,
December 22, and having the plane ready to depart by Thursday,
December 27. We had promised to contact each other a few days
before our Hawaii arrival to verify the plans.
I had trouble connecting with
this fellow, Ron Haenel, when I started trying from New Zealand.
After many unsuccessful attempts, I finally connected with
his boss who gave me sad and shocking news: Ron had been killed,
flying his homebuilt single-engine airplane, after the engine
quit as he took off from an airport on the north shore of
Oahu.
Our tanking plans went immediately
back to square one. How this all comes out, we don't yet know.
Due to the end-of-year and holiday crunch, no one is able
to promise us a starting date or a completion date. N982GA
may be sitting in Honolulu much longer than originally planned.
This is where Pam and I leave
World Flight 2001. We know that whoever is found to ferry
982GA back to the continental USA will find a capable, tried
and true airplane. We will welcome 2GA back to her Scottsdale
home with open arms when she wings in.
Camp Minnewanca, in Michigan,
was where I spent a few weeks of many summers as a boy growing
up in Indiana. We learned lots of songs there and some have
stayed with me ever since. Written by a lovely elder man of
Indian descent, who was a senior camp leader, we sang about
the meaning of the Hawaiian word "Aloha."
Aloha means
"We welcome you,"
It means more than words can say.
Aloha means "Good Luck!" to you,
"Good night" at the close of day.
It's just like a love song,
With a haunting, sweet, refrain,
Bringing you joy, bringing you pain.
Aloha means "Farewell" to you,
Until we meet again.
Aloha, my friends. Thank you
for following our trip.
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