Solo Flight Across The Globe
Washington DC
United States of America
Finally the D Day came round on 26th June 2016 and I had received the great news that his Royal Majesty Ooni of Ife,Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi,Ojaja II was making his way to my launch at Dulles Airport in Washington DC.
As an origin from Yoruba tribe in Nigeria, having an occasion blessed by one of the most influential Yoruba men in the land is simply remarkable and very humbling. It was certainly the biggest send-off I could have hoped for. The arrival of the King’s Rolls Royce and his convoy was in grand style as most people at the Private Terminal were amazed to witness such an entrance.
England
United Kingdom
No round the world flight is complete without a stop in England for very many reasons. Lola was born in England and considers it home. Flying into London from Scotland and hearing the beautiful English accent was like being welcomed back home. I remember telling the first English controller that I was on a round the world tour and that sounded not very common to them.
Djibouti
Republic of Djibouti
Flying over the Red Sea for about 7 hours and in between hostile conflict regions like Eritrea and Yemen was nerve racking. My aircraft displays and indications malfunctioned and I had to fly without some essential instruments over the ocean. Being Stuck in Egypt in the previous days wasn’t pleasant and the only option was to go.
Got a scare in the middle of Eritrea when I was told to I was not allowed in their airspace due to an invalid permit. Hearing the man in the tower in Djibouti was an absolute relief.
Pakistan
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Flying over the South of Iranian Airspace over the Gulf of Oman was a little nerve racking as I had been warned of not creeping into the Iranian airspace with an American registered aircraft. I had a sigh of relief when I got into the Pakistan airspace. What was remarkable was that most Pakistani pilots were all wishing me good luck on my audacious journey. A had a crowd of people waiting on me during landing and I was pleasantly surprised to find everyone so helpful. Pakistan is a must go in the future.
Thailand
Kingdom of Thailand
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and has switched between parliamentary democracy and military junta for decades, the latest coup being in May 2014 by the National Council for Peace and Order. Its capital and most populous city is Bangkok. It is bordered to the north by Myanmar and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Myanmar. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and India on the Andaman Sea to the southwest.
Brisbane
Australia
Brisbane is the capital of and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland, and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane’s metropolitan area has a population of 2.4 million, and the South East Queensland region, centred on Brisbane, encompasses a population of more than 3.5 million. The Brisbane central business district stands on the original European settlement and is situated inside a bend of the Brisbane River, about 15 kilometres (9 miles) from its mouth at Moreton Bay.
Christmas Island
Republic of Kiribati
Christmas Island, is a Pacific Ocean raised coral atoll in the northern Line Islands. It is part of the Republic of Kiribati. The island has the greatest land area of any coral atoll in the world, about 388 square kilometres (150 square miles); its lagoon is roughly the same size. The atoll is about 150 km (93 mi) in perimeter, while the lagoon shoreline extends for over 48 km (30 mi). Kiritimati comprises over 70% of the total land area of Kiribati, a country encompassing 33 Pacific atolls and islands.
It lies 232 km (144 mi) north of the Equator, 2,160 km (1,340 mi) south of Honolulu, and 5,360 km (3,330 mi) from San Francisco. Kiritimati Island is in the world’s farthest forward time zone, UTC+14, and is one of the first inhabited places on Earth to experience the New Year (see also Caroline Atoll, Kiribati). Despite being 2,460 km (1,530 mi) east of the 180 meridian, a 1995 realignment of the International Date Line by the Republic of Kiribati moved Kiritimati to west of the dateline.
Hilo
Hawaii
Hilo is the largest settlement and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, which encompasses the Island of Hawaiʻi. The population was 43,263 at the 2010 census. Hilo is the county seat of the County of Hawaiʻi and is located in the District of South Hilo.[2] The town overlooks Hilo Bay, at the base of two shield volcanoes; Mauna Loa, an active volcano, and Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano and the site of some of the world’s most important ground-based astronomical observatories.
California
United States of America
California is the most populous state in the United States and the third most extensive by area. Located on the western (Pacific Ocean) coast of the U.S., California is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada, to the east and northeast, Arizona to the southeast and it shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California (“lower” California) to the south. The state capital is Sacramento. Los Angeles is California’s most populous city, and the country’s second largest after New York City. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation’s second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, respectively. California also has the nation’s most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County.
California’s diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the east; and from the redwood–Douglas fir forests in the northwest to the Mojave Desert in the southeast. The Central Valley, a major agricultural area, dominates the state’s center. Though California is well-known for its warm Mediterranean climate, the large size of the state means it can vary from moist temperate rainforest in the north, to arid desert in the interior, as well as snowy alpine in the mountains.