Compiled by : Atul Dev

	A Letter Started it : Dear Editor, I came across your web page, and went directly to the microlighting section. The articles that were available to read were really great BUT, I was dissapointed that there's not even the slightest hint of a mention of the Pacific Expedition. Here are two Pilots, who flew from South America, through North America, crossing into Greenland and then onto the UK, then South through Europe and finally down the West coast of Africa to complete 43,017 Kms in exactly 8 months in trikes. Olivier, one of the pilots had a first in being the first pilot to cross the Northern Atlantic in a TOTALLY open trike (There was NO fibre glass bodywork / paneling on the trike at all). Down here in South Africa, the aviation media have given them a fair amount of space, in their magazines and deservedly so. The web site for their expedition is www.pacific-expedition.com Their accounts of the expedition are terrific, and the photo gallery is awesome. Both pilots have really interesting diaries published on their web site. I think it more than worthy of a mention, never mind an article on your web site. A little bit of information: Both trikes were powered by a Rotax, 100 HP motors. Both trikes were South African manufactered. They flew without a ground crew (though this isn't uncommon these days Pilots: Mike Blythe & Olivier Aubert Total flying time : 246 Days, 12 Hours, 21 Minutes, 19 Seconds I really think you should have a look at it. It's fine to be able to cover stories of pilots such as Brian Milton, and others, but I truely believe there's a big whole waiting to be filled with the acocunts of this expedition, or at least a meantion of the site, so other microlighting enthusiasts can marvel at the acheivements of Mike Blythe and Olivier Aubert. Regards, Kevin Editor's comments: While we appreciate your sentiments, Kevin, we do not hold ourselves responsible for not having carried an article on The Pacific Expedition in Air Sports International. Perhaps it is the PR effort that was insufficient in that Air Sports International was not included in their media plans. We now make amends and include the feature in the Jan 2001 issue. I trust our readers will enjoy reading these excerpts from the mass of information available on the website of the Pacific Adventure. A fascinating account of human endurance and courage. Editor-in-Chief & Publisher Air Sports International

The concept of the Pacific Expedition is as elegant in its simplicity as it is stark in its execution: two people. Each flying an Ultralight Aircraft. Around the Pacific Rim. Alone and unsupported.

Those daring men in their flying machines, Mike Blyth and Olivier Aubert, back from their Cape to Cape expedition (20 000 km from Cape Town to North Cape in Norway), will crown the end of the 20th century in grand style by achieving a flying feat never attempted before.

It is the longest unsupported microlight expedition ever under taken on Earth for an individual in any sport. The expedition course spans over 45,000 kilometer's of the world's roughest and most remote land areas. It is a grueling single-handed aviation event where pilots are both the pilot and support crew, and the adventure end is literally a world away.

This extraordinary event is the first of it's kind and will bring in the millennium with a record breaking attempt of circumnavigating the Pacific Rim.

Flying their trike-type microlights, Mike Blyth and Olivier Aubert are attempting a flying feat never achieved before. They are piloting their `flying motorbikes' without any ground support around the world, from South America, through North America, Greenland, Iceland, Europe and finally Africa, ending in Cape Town, South Africa in December 1999. The entire trip is 45,000km long, and at an average speed of 100km/h it will take them around 10 months. Join us now as we follow the adventure every step of the way with live diary updates and digital pictures updated several times weekly..

An aviation achievement and human adventure

• Back to the era of the first airmail deliveries at the beginning of the 20th century
• 20 Countries to be crossed with nothing more than help from the locals.
• A first attempt to rim the pacific with microlight aircraft
• A microlight world endurance flying record.

A physical and mental challenge

• A constant battle with the natural elements (extreme wind conditions in South America, the extremely hostile jungle of the Amazon, the crossing of the Alaska and the Bering Straits, overlying deserts and Oceans) will push the pilots to the limits of their endurance and will require extremely careful preparation, attention to detail and hole hearted determination.

Teamwork

• 2 men, whose qualities compliment one another, bound by a friendship that was put to the test during their previous exploit and driven by a common desire to experience and share a dream.

The Microlights

"A flying motorbike" with exceptional qualities, capable of landing anywhere, able to fly slowly, at low altitudes, with an appetite of a bird, makes it the ideal vehicle for exploration and adventure.

Itinerary

• Set out from Buenos Aires in Argentina in March 1999
• Fly up through Latin America
• Cross the USA and Canada
• Overfly Greenland and Iceland and the North Atlantic seas
• Down through the UK and Europe
• Around the west coast of Africa ending in Cape Town (Dec 1999)

Some Key Figures

• 45 835 Km and 20 Countries crossed
• 2 630Km overlying the Sea
• 300 Days of Adventure

• Polar, Marine, Jungle and Desert survival equipment
• Advanced Navigation Equipment
• Satellite Telecommunication equipment
• High Performance audio-visual equipment
• Fuel capacity for 1000km of flying between refueling stops

When the expedition gets under way in March 1999, the two microlights will be borne from two distinct aviation manufacturers.

While the pilots can incorporate a virtually limitless variety of wing and engine designs, Long range fuel tank characteristics are one area where microlight accepted limits are changed. Beyond that, the sky is literally the limit.

Long Range fuel tanks and a thorough preparation separate the men from the boys. However, consideration must be given to the added weight this additional fuel will add. And weight is vital. Payload layout must also be configured to allow the aircraft to be safely piloted by one person for hours on end. This style of microlight is capable of speeds in excess of 80 knots / 100km/hour.

The enormous power to weight ratios of these long distance microlights ensures a margin of safety in normal situations, but with the extra loading this margin reduces. Each kilogram of luggage or pilot mass, is 1 litre less fuel or roughly 7 minutes less flying time - 3 or 4 kilograms can be the difference between safety landing on a runway or ditching in the ocean!

For the 1999 Microlight Pacific Adventure, there will one new aircraft design with the other being a standard unit from a French manufacturer. The new Rainbow Aircraft design, named the COBRA , will incorporate radical features that will be watched with great interest by the microlight aviation world in general.

On the 27th November 1999, Olivier Aubert and Mike Blyth touched down on Contermanskloof Airfield in Cape Town thus ending their 43,000 km flying adventure that began 8 months earlier in Buenos Aires, Argentina!

The pilots then flew back to 'home base' in Johannesburg, where Mike has resumed his 'normal' life as a businessman. Olivier has flown up to Namibia with some friends and will spend a few months there before going back home to Switzerland.

Countries Visited

Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatamala, Mexico, United States, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Angola, Namibia, South Africa.

Distance Travelled

43,017 km

Time Spent in the Air

441 hours

Average Airspeed

98 km/h

Olivier and Mike were on the move for 246 days, 12 hours, 21 minutes, 19 seconds of high adventure and pioneering flight.

For a full account of this expedition do visit their own web site www.pacific-expedition.com