D-GOMM - In 60 Tagen um die Welt

Pilot: Frank
Co pilot: Dorise
Aircraft: Piper Seneca D-GOMM

In total 56000 km = 199 flying hours
Over water 30000 km = 106 flying hours
Desert/outback 5000 km = 17 flying hours
Handflown 38000 km = 136 flying hours
Longest non-stop 3800 km = 13 flying hours
Altitude 2500 - 4500 m = 8000 - 15000 feet
Overall average speed 280 km/h = 151 kts
Fuel consumption 18000 liters
Main tanks capacity 470 l, additional tank 800 l,
plus 3 extra tanks for Hawaii, totals 1420 l

First leg: Capetown(Stellenbosch)-Namibia-Gabon-Togo-Timbuktu Marocco-Mallorca-Verona/Italy-Mönchengladbach/Germany
Second leg: Mönchengladbach-Liverpool-Iceland-Labrador/Canada-across the USA to Los Angeles with stopover for the worlds biggest air show in Oshkosh (15.000 planes)
LA via Las Vegas to Hollister (San Francisco) direct
Hilo/Hawaii (longest leg) 3800 km over water, 13:00 hrs
Hawaii-Christmas Island 2000 km over water, 07:00 hr
Christmas Island - Western Samoa 2400 km over water, 08:55 hrs
Western Samoa - Norfolk Island 2750 km over water, 11:20 hrs
Norfolk Island - Lord Howe Island - Kempsey/Australian east coast.
From Kempsey via Ceduna (halfway) to Perth / Western Australia for the "Earthrounders meeting"
via Port Headland (north coast) to Cocos Island 2600 km over water, 09:00 hrs
Cocos Island - Colombo/Sri Lanka 2900 km over water, 09:15 hrs
Sri Lanka - Seychelles 3000 km over water, 11:20 hrs
Seychelles - Comores/Mayotte (French) 1500 km over water, 05:30 hrs
Mayotte - Durban/South Africa 2400 km over water, 08:30 hrs
Durban - Stellenbosch/Capetown "Final touchdown on Sept. 11th!!!"

Special events on this trip:
Autopilot not/malfunctioning (that is why we hand flew 136 hours)
Engine quit after 7 hrs with 4 hrs still to fly to destination..
Night landing in Ceduna/Australia whereas the runway lights malfunctioned with one hour of fuel left in the tanks/ the situation was saved by a clever policeman!
Unintended stop for about a week on Cocos Island - waiting for our fuel - but played some interesting golf along the runway with ocean surf on one side and the lagoon on the other (the greens were made out of sand!!)
Meeting Barney & Char, Tom, Peter & Jim was s.th. one cannot buy!!
A big thank you to all flying and non flying friends who contributed to all that was essential to make a trip like this become true.
And great to meet old friends again!
There are a lot more stories to tell - so come and visit!!

And the family ??

Everyone spread the worldmap and plotted the route while we were progressing.

Claudia's comment: normally the parents worry about their kids - with us it is the other way around! It will stay like this for a while since Dorise and Frank will set off for another flight in two years time. We shall fly from Capetown up the West African coast crossing to Brazil and circumflying South America up to Mexico for the next Earthrounders meeting. If Bianca will still be in Texas….who knows which route we will take to return to CPT??

Bianca is still working at the A&M University in College Station/Texas. She is in her final year of specialisation in small animal surgery and she still is crazy about it!!When Dorise visited her in October, Bianca shot a "hole in one"!

Robin and Claudia are still living and working in Manchester/UK. On the 15th of December Robin got his PhD after four years of hard research next to his normal duties. Congratulations Robin! Claudia as well is researching on neurodermitis in babies and will hopefully come up with new findings.

Malaika at Düsseldorf University passed an important exam for dentistry.
She as well got her South African pilots license validated here in Germany and achieved the "black belt" in Judo. So be aware!!!!

Christmas 2003 sees all the family united under the tree in Kleve.
New Years Eve, Dorise & Frank will cross the Equator for the twelve's time this year (four times in the Seneca). They will recharge batteries for more activities to come.

The projects in South Africa and other countries to give support in certain fields are going well.The extension of the school in Tembe has been completed and lots of kids enjoy the toys they brought in. Medical equipment was accepted gladly and we would love to thank all friends as well as patients who helped in this respect.

Looking back on 2003 and the "trip", would we do it again?

YOU BET!!!

Frank and Dorise, Claudia and Robin, Bianca and Malaika :o))