Beech 18 Pacific Crossing to Australia

[alfadog]

My sometime boss sold one of his Beech 18s to a fellow in Australia. I haven't been working for him much this year as his work is slow but he called me in for a couple of weeks to get it ready for the ferry. It had some alternator charging issues and miscellaneous other things to address.

 

[SCCutler]

Cool.

 

[Sac Arrow]

Definitely not a tankeless job.

 

[alfadog]

Definitely not a tankeless job.

Tank you ferry much for your comment.

 

[frfly172]

Good luck to the pilot making the flight.

 

[tonycondon]

Some "fun" reading about a similar flight: http://www.beechbaby.com/Dead_Cow_To_Dairy_Flat/JC Flight to New Zealand.pdf

 

[alfadog]

Some "fun" reading about a similar flight: http://www.beechbaby.com/Dead_Cow_To_Dairy_Flat/JC Flight to New Zealand.pdf

He is taking the same route Hilo HI, to Kiritimati Christmas Island, to Pago Pago (American Samoa). One problem was that they no longer stock avgas in American Somoa, it had to be shipped in and staged there for this flight.

 

[Mooney Fan]

Beech 18 is meant to be a taildragger.. tricycle gear looks wrong lol

 

[RyanB]

Beech 18 is meant to be a taildragger.. tricycle gear looks wrong lol

Exactly what I was thinking LOL

 

[Greg Bockelman]

Beech 18 is meant to be a taildragger.. tricycle gear looks wrong lol

Just like a Tri Pacer looks wrong. Just like a Tri Champ looks wrong. And a few others I could mention. LOL

 

[dans2992]

I knew something was off... couldn’t quite place it.

 

[alfadog]

Beech 18 is meant to be a taildragger.. tricycle gear looks wrong lol

Starting with BA-729, which my boss owns, ALL Beech 18s coming off the line were tricycle gear. This one making the crossing is BA-764, supposedly the very last of the breed that actually made it out of the plant (I am told there was another but it suffered a fire before delivery and was totaled). PS, my boss also owns BA-728, the last taildragger.

 

[Sac Arrow]

Just like a Tri Pacer looks wrong. Just like a Tri Champ looks wrong. And a few others I could mention. LOL

Watch someone develop a tricycle gear 195...

 

[Greg Bockelman]

Watch someone develop a tricycle gear 195...

I think it’s been done. Or was that a 170 I saw?

 

[FormerHangie]

Some "fun" reading about a similar flight: http://www.beechbaby.com/Dead_Cow_To_Dairy_Flat/JC Flight to New Zealand.pdf

Two and a half hours in ground effect -ugh. That flight was certainly an adventure, but not much fun.