@Sam_Rutherford many thanks for the update and what a great achievement, especially the courage of carrying out the Alaska-Russia elements in such cold temperatures.
Zara proved that it’s possible to circumnavigate the world VFR and VMC at all times – you just have to be incredibly patient! Oh, and divert frequently!
proved that it’s possible to circumnavigate the world VFR and VMC at all times
I’d suggest she didn’t prove that, but confirmed the fact. Lest we forget that the early, and some of the latest, Earth roundings were done VFR/VMC… What she demonstrated, is doing such as a young woman, hats off 
@Sam_Rutherford: That was actually not quite the answer to my honest question. It was more about how the non-western world deals with VFR traffic. Does ATC just give them IFR instructions or does each country have specific VFR regulations? Where did you get all the VFR airspace charts from? How does the flight planning for such flights work? Or did you just file airways in flight plans and followed them?
Planning a cross-country international VFR flight inside Europe can be already a challenge, as discussed many times on this forum, due to different kinds of airspaces, rules, regulations per country etc. We are just interested how this worked on such a round-the-world trip. It would be highly valuable to share some experiences on this.
Okay, sorry!
You put V in the right box, then put a route along/under airways – with altitude as you want.
Then you go!
There is very, very little airspace in most of the world – having a flight information service (where available) also helps keep you out of trouble.
It’s actually very simple.
The details posted above by Sam show that this flight was supported by a massive logistics and support team.
This is exactly as expected; everybody doing this kind of thing in light GA has done exactly the same, although most have done it under IFR (officially, or “less officially”) because it is much easier. For example Polly Vacher did most if not all as IFR, and also with a high level of support.
It’s just too time-consuming to do this “alone”. Even just getting permits takes effort. The only relatively easy way, as I wrote before, is to fly “like a big plane” in a TBM, bizjet, etc.
I do wonder where the charts came from. When I first started flying down to Greece, almost 20 years ago, I had only the ex USAF ONC/TPC charts, which were last updated in 1998. I scanned them in, calibrated them, and ran them under a generic satnav app, on a heavy “milspec” tablet. Today the GPS part is easy but you still need to have some idea of airspace and such.
It would interest many to hear more detail.
Just a thought. Stuff you don’t know, you don’t bother about either. I mean, you gather the information you need and nothing more.
Here on EuroGA we tend to overcomplicate every little thing, in particular when it comes to rules and regulations. One of events, like nasty German customs officers, becomes the rule rather than the exception and so on.
For instance, some overcomplicate and overanalyze the pros and cons of operating ULs and homebuilds in Europe compared with EASA “IFR certified” planes. Others just fly and think nothing of it
My point is that the level of up front planning and investigation needed to do a certain task, and to feel good about it afterward despite one or two “mishaps” that could be prevented with better planning varies greatly. In addition it varies how different persons handle uncertainties. Some can live happily in a fog of uncertainties, solving problems only when needed. Others cannot, they need a higher level of control and clarity.
To go on a real adventure, like flying around the world in a tiny little plane at the age of 19, the most important thing is that you are a few notches more adventurous than average person. It’s as simple as that IMO.
From the dictionary: adventurous – adjective – willing to take risk or to try out new methods, ideas, or experiences.
That’s a common pilot personality
However, there are things you can do, like flying VFR in IMC, for which nobody can get you, and probably nobody can get you even if something goes badly wrong.
Then, there are things you can do, like crossing a border without a flight plan, for which nobody will get you until something goes wrong – example. Or flying a Permit aircraft without a permit and doing it in some country where something goes wrong and you really p1ss off somebody “big”; the potential for that exists in any country which has a, shall we say, “reduced level of transparency in official procedures” and you know the ones I mean
And a pilot has to know the difference between the two.
I think people have been asking reasonable questions, and we all like to learn how to do this sort of trip… or even a much shorter one outside Europe. However, I doubt much detail will be published because a large element of the trip was a big PR/sponsorship operation. I might be wrong though; maybe one of the many people behind it will write it up in detail one day. Maybe @Sam_Rutherford will – I am sure the exposure would bring him some business
For this forum, I’m guessing the interest is in the flight ops part (rather than the other aspects)?
For that, we were ‘just’ two people plus Zara.
Don’t hold your breath for a ‘report’, I’m afraid it would take days to write, if not weeks – time I don’t have to spare.
Happy to answer occasional questions here, but a huge rambling tome is not currently planned!
Safe flights, Sam.
