AEROMEDIA
The Italian Aerospace Information Web
by Aeromedia - corso Giambone 46/18 - 10135 Torino (Italy)

"Flying into the Sunrise"
Homebuilt Aircraft to Fly from Spain to USA Eastward

The Spanish pilot Michel Gordillo will fly his 600 pound homebuilt experimental aircraft 10,000 miles in order to arrive in time for the July 29, 1998 Experimental Aircraft Association convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The flight will be historic because of the difficult eastward route, which over-flies long stretches of uninhabited Siberia, Alaska, and Canada, and because of the limited capabilities of the small airplane, a Skystar Kitfox.
In planning the flight, Gordillo must overcome the difficulties involved in obtaining landing permission for the many stops at Russian and Asian airports, and in locating the proper fuel for the Kitfox's 80-horsepower Rotax engine at each stop.
Michel Gordillo is a professional pilot currently flying for Iberia Airlines. He also holds a Silver Wings sailplane rating and has nearly 10,000 hours flying experience. He has advanced navigator ratings from his Air Force training.
Gordillo constructed his Kitfox Model IV in his spare time over a period of 12 months. The aircraft is a two-passenger, tube and fabric aircraft that has a wingspan of 31 feet, a 600-pound useful load, and a 500-mile range without refueling. It is capable of landing on unimproved runways.
The flight is one that very few pilots have completed in an airplane as small as the Kitfox. The route will be flown with the use of GPS navigation and aeronautical charts that will be viewed on a laptop computer. Gordillo will keep in touch with his home base through satellite communications, including electronic mail. Photos and pilot reports will be posted real-time on a World-Wide Web site created specifically for the flight. The current flight-planning process, as well as the progress of the flight itself can be viewed at www.sportflight.com.

In the picture: Michel Gordillo with his Kitfox IV

(Aeromedia, March 1998)