HARELINES

LONDON TO SYDNEY AND EVER ONWARDS AND UPWARDS

(or round-and-round, there and back, etc.)

by David Hare

On the 11th. March, a number of aircraft - probably about 40 - will set off from Biggin Hill to Sydney. I am flying our aeroplane ("Red Tape") with a very experienced colleague, Robert Miller.

In April, my wife, flying Oncologist Dr. Margaret Spittle, will come out to Sydney by scheduled airline, and join me for a Round-the-World attempt, while Robert returns to the UK, also by scheduled flight.

This is a handicap event, run over a total of some 21 legs, with each leg forming a separate sub-event, so to speak. So far as we know, there won't be a yellow jersey, which seems rather a pity. Further information, which may or may not be kept up to date, can be found on the official air race website. However, HareLines is intended purely as a record of personal impressions for our friends (and anyone else who may be interested, of course), so it won't go into the esoteric details of handicapping, performance assessment, etc., even if I understood them, which I don't. Apart from being an exceptionally skilled and experienced pilot, Robert is also an expert in the art and science of Air Racing (British Champion 2000) so I shall be trying to do as he tells me to fly our flag.

After Margaret has joined me in Sydney, we shall set off across the Pacific in search of South Sea Islands and sun. As this is written, our route has yet to be finalised (if it's even possible, that is). We first thought of going East from Sydney to Easter Island and South America, but this was ruled out by the French who said that the little runway in the Isles Gambier where we would need to land was unusable, communications unreliable, etc. This caused us to look around, with beneficial results. American Samoa, Hawaii, Midway Island, the Aleutians and Alaska look even more interesting, and that's what we're working on now.

Await the next thrilling instalment!

Margaret and David in survival suits during their trip across the North Atlantic last year.

Robert

G-TAPE "Red Tape" and Sondrestromfjord