Page 52 - COPA_July2023

TRAVELOGUE
Initial Planning
There were many challenges in plan- ning including having enough fuel for the round trip, how to carry all the gear including safety and emergency equip- ment, while staying inside weight and balance (W&B), dealing with the Arctic weather, and choosing the best route – trading off fuel requirements versus risk.
Under a Year to Departure: Prep kicks into high gear
Nares Strait, which would clear a path to the south for swimming. On March 4, the sun shined on the strait for the first time in months and we could see there was no ice bridge. We moved to our backup date, August 2022.
One Month to
Departure
As August approached, I was finally able to achieve legal W&B, had all my charts lined up, acquired and learned how to change a flat tire (thanks to Bernie from U.S. Flight and Maintenance), purchased jerry cans, drilled emergency proce- dures with Justin and made a practice run to Newfoundland to try out interna- tional flying and swimming in cold water.
One Day to Departure
On Aug. 6, we packed up the airplane and made final gear decisions. We weighed every item as we put it on the plane, ditched a few items and stacked what we still had to the top. I also bought another jerry can as I wanted to have 20 more gallons available.
I think it’s worth discussing psychology right before departure. I had flown a lot of cross-country trips and was prepared for the flight, but it felt like an impossible obstacle in my mind. The mental aspect of flying to the top of the inhabited world seemed like I might as well be flying to Mars. So many things could go wrong and since the main objective was to complete the swim, not getting there because of possible aviation issues was a huge risk to the expedition. My mind swirled with mental preparation and, needless to say, I didn’t sleep great in the days leading up to departure.
In August 2021, after COVID restrictions were eased, we decided to attempt the expedition in May 2022. The biggest issue was fuel. Without fuel in Qaanaaq, Greenland, there was no return flight and time was running out to transport some by May. Two supply ships venture to Qaanaaq each year to supply the vil- lages in the north. One in July and the other in late August or early September. I reached out to Sam from Prepare-2-Go and he had the last ship of the year loaded with three barrels of fuel.
For the next six months we started filling out our checklist and gathering gear needed for the flight and expedi- tion. We needed a sea kayak, life rafts, survival suits, communication devices, ditch bags, arctic cold weather gear, airplane covers, fuel bladders, and it all had to fit in the airplane.
Every day I would look at the weather and the route – wind, temps and fuel burn. It was never the same and made flight planning hell.
In early March 2022, we had a decision gateway for the expedition. We were relying on the formation of an ice bridge between Canada and Greenland in the
Day One: Aug. 7
I planned three legs to get from White Plains (KHPN) to Iqaluit, Canada (CYVP). The total distance of 1,326 NM would take about 8.5 hours of estimated flight time and 130 gallons of fuel. Due to weather out of Goose Bay going north, I ended up adding a new leg, and with headwinds the flight time was extended.
Leg 1: KHPN:CYFC (425 NM) Leg 2: CYFC:CYYR (507 NM) Leg 3: CYYR:CYVP (395 NM) Leg 4: CYVP:CYFB (341 NM)
We departed at 7:30 a.m. from White Plains and flew to Canada’s Fredericton International Airport then on up to Goose Bay after fueling the jerry cans and clearing customs. I had forgotten to let
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JULY 2023 COPA Pilot