THE TRIP
THE TRIP
80
KNOTS
1,000
FEET AGL
30,000
NAUTICAL MILES
150
DAYS
40
COUNTRIES
Once the build is complete, the plan for our Nynja is big, bold, and undoubtedly wrought with challenges.
RJJJ vs UUWV
Route vs Range
Wait… What does that mean? Well, historically, circumnavigations of the globe by light aircraft have traversed the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait, transiting Alaska and the Russian Far East – more often than not continuing their journey through Russia and the Moscow Flight Information Region, “UUWV". Alternatively, larger aircraft with a little more range travel via Hawaii – a distance of nearly 3000 nautical miles.
Despite our unbridled enthusiasm, it’s unlikely we’ll be able to stretch the Nynja’s range far enough to reach Hawaii, and the current geopolitcal climate prohibits the former, Russian route.
THE PACIFIC PROBLEM
So how do you cross the world’s largest ocean in a microlight?
OPTION ONE / RJJJ
In short: Alaska and Japan.
After crossing America, we would head north, through Canada and into Alaska. Heading out across the Aleutian Islands and across the Bering Strait, our aiming point would be Hokkaido, Japan –– inside the Fukuoka FIR, “RJJJ".
This route presents challenges such as high-latitude, polar weather, as well as permit authorisation for Japan – a country historically reserved in its attitude toward General Aviation.
OPTION TWO / SCIZ
In short: Chile to Australia via a million little islands.
After departing Chilean terrority via Easter Island (and their FIR, “SCIZ”), we would continue westbound toward French Polynesia, overflying a myriad of small Pacific islands as we head toward Brisbane on the east coast of Australia.
This route would stretch the range of the Nynja to the max, as well as present a significant challenge with regard to sourcing fuel and obtaining permits and customs clearances.
SO, WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD?
If you have any suggestions, please let us know!
A lot more research will be required before we finalise our exact route. In the spirit of exploration, we intend to visit as many places as possible.
At the moment, the map below represents our best guess as to what our route might look like.
DON’T GET ME STARTED ON MERCATOR PROJECTIONS...
Use the links below to view our route on Google Earth or Google Maps. The long sectors in particular are best shown on a globe!
OPEN IN
SPECIFIC CHALLENGES
RANGE
The standard range of the Nynja is around 400 miles. We’ll need to increase this by a factor of four to enable us to cross the Pacific Ocean. We’ll do this by increasing our maximum take-off weight and adding additional fuel tanks.
PERMITS
A kit-build aircraft is certifed slightly differently to a normal aircraft, which makes obtaining permits to transit and land in some countries a little more difficult.
PETROL
The Rotax engine burns petrol (like you use in your car) or AVGAS. The trouble is, it can be surprisingly difficult to find at some airports that usually only serve jet fuel.
WEATHER
We’ll need to pick the time of year carefully. Tailwinds will help us, but storms around the Equator will have to be monitored carefully. We plan to equip our Nynja with the ability to receive satellite weather information.
RANGE
The standard range of the Nynja is around 400 miles. We’ll need to increase this by a factor of four to enable us to cross the Pacific Ocean. We’ll do this by increasing our maximum take-off weight and additional fuel tanks.
PERMITS
A kit-built aircraft is certifed slightly differently to a normal aircraft, which makes obtaining permits to transit and land in some countries a little more difficult.
PETROL
Rather than burning JETA1 or AVGAS like most aircraft, the Rotax engine in the Nynja burns the same sort of petrol you fill up your car with - which may present a challenge in some places.
WEATHER
Though we’ll add additional avionics to our Nynja, microlights were never meant to fly in cloud or in poor weather conditions. Which means we’ll need to be extra careful with our planning and whilst we’re en-route.
PLANNING PROGRESS
This project has been in planning – in one form or another – for over a decade. The microlight aspect adds a new layer of complexities which we’ll need to overcome, and that’s something we’ll discuss in more detail soon.