It’s a Long Way there

Banjo Paterson wrote of wanting to be far away somewhere else, and just about every pilot, in a dingy little office somewhere, has had the same thought.

For Western Australian GA pilots, there’s a standard rite of passage to the east coast, and vice versa. But almost anything is possible at inland destinations, too, from self-sufficient bush camping to five-star hotels. Even some international flights are feasible for much of the GA fleet.

All that’s needed is capability and preparation.

Then, the question of where one would like to go, quickly becomes one of where a flight could go.

Destination anywhere

Preparing for a long journey in a GA aeroplane requires research, and logical thought, before anything is finalised. For the purposes of this article, let’s assume that the destination is more than 1000 nautical miles away, and it’s intended to cover at least 500 nm per day, in a light piston-engine aeroplane.

A well-structured pre-trip checklist is highly recommended; it puts everything necessary (and optional) in one place and makes sure that nothing is forgotten. Here’s what it should contain:

The big picture plan

Dates, destinations and stops: