Crossing The North Atlantic

The ferry flight was a success but we had to stay flexible---only one day went as planned.  Fortunately, we were able to stay within the various country diplomatic clearance windows. The trip began with low ceilings and fog in the Caspian and Black Sea areas and ended with "polar vortex" conditions through Greenland and Canada with surface temps -25 degrees. Twice we had to divert to alternate airfields. We also had to bypass St. Johns due to surface winds over 50 knots generated by the polar vortex.  To beat the snow associated with another fast moving cold front, we diverted to Burlington, VT to clear U.S. Customs.

 

The highlight of the ferry trip occurred during a stop in Scotland.  We flew into Prestwick, drove to Glasgow and then took a train to Edinburgh to visit the historic Edinburgh Castle.

On January 24th, we returned the aircraft to Dynmaic Aviation in Virginia and then drove to Washington, DC to await a flight.  On January 26th, we departed Dulles International Airport for a week of demobilization at Ft. Bliss, located in El Paso, Texas.