This morning, I had breakfast with the legendary oceanic ferry pilot Ray Clamback.  Ray, 72-years-old, has been flying for 50 of them.  In small propeller airplanes, he's flown around the world two and a half times and crossed the Pacific and Atlantic oceans nearly three HUNDRED times.  Ray is arguably the most experienced, wisest, bravest, yet the most humble ferry pilot ever.

This morning after breakfast, Ray took off with this Cessna 206 Stationair from my hangar in South Dakota.  He'll fly to California, across the Pacific, and eventually to Perth, Australia.



For more on Ray, read this, this, and this.

If you're interested in the Pacific crossing, read more here and here.

Each year, more of my sales are international.  This flight was the longest total distance so far.  (Often, aircraft are disassembled and sent by ship.  This one will fly the entire way.)

This Cessna Ray is flying, I imported from the Dominican Republic.  It came to South Dakota, for maintenance and paint, and then I sold it to Australia.

Here's the complete mission:
    2,347 miles Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to Sioux Falls, South Dakota
    1,508 miles Sioux Falls to Torrance, California
    2,486 miles California to Hawaii
    1,209 miles Hawaii to Christmas Island
    1,466 miles Christmas Island to Samoa
    1,536 miles Samoa to New Caledonia
    1,219 miles New Caledonia to Sidney Australia
    2,047 miles across Australia from Sidney to Perth
    13,785 total - over 100 hours of air time.

(The circumference of the earth is 24,900 miles at the equator.)

Sioux Falls pilot Richard Smith had the tough duty of going to Santo Domingo and deny the grasp of the Bermuda Triangle.  (It was 5°F below zero here this morning.  He got to wear shorts.)



Ray will spend this New Years Eve in Dalhart, Texas, then fly to Torrance, California tomorrow.  In Torrance, the aircraft will be equipped with a special fuel tank to carry 250 gallons of extra fuel.  To carry this extraordinary load the FAA must issue a special flight waiver to allow the flight at 30% over the aircraft's maximum gross weight.

SIXTEEN hours after takeoff from California, Ray will land in Hawaii for a well-deserved break.



It's a lonely flight - Hawaii to Christmas Island to Samoa to New Caledonia to Sidney Australia.  Ray will use a specially installed HF Radio for long range communication with oceanic air traffic control.  He will report "all okay" every hour.



Sidney to Perth is the third longest stretch - over 2,000 miles.



This summer, I too joined the ranks of trans-oceanic flyers.  Lisa Wade and I flew from Sioux Falls, across the North Atlantic, all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.  Lisa chronicled this amazing story on her personal blog.  Lisa's blog requires a password, so please email me if you'd like to read the story.  She's happy for many readers.