The Asian Tour
| Leg 1: Changi, Singapore to Langkawi, Malaysia | |||||||||||||
| Date | 3 Dec 02 | Time Dep | 10:55 | Time Arr | 12:01 | Dur | 1.1 | Weather | Drizzling | Cruise | FL145 | Dist | 392.0 nm |
| Dep Apt | Changi International (WSSS) -- Rwy 02L | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Langkawi International (WMKL) -- Rwy 03 | ||||||||||||
| Route | WSSS-VJR-DAMAL-LATUK-ANSOM-VIH-VPG-WMKL | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Starting out on my Round the World trip in a Bombardier CRJ-200ER from Atlantic Sun Airways. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 2: Langkawi, Malaysia to Bangkok, Thailand | |||||||||||||
| Date | 4 Dec 02 | Time Dep | 05:22 | Time Arr | 06:36 | Dur | 1.2 | Weather | Raining | Cruise | FL095 | Dist | 464.0 nm |
| Dep Apt | Langkawi International (WMKL) -- Rwy 03 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Bangkok International (VTBD) -- Rwy 21R | ||||||||||||
| Route | WMKL-TRN-NKS-UPNEP-DIRAX-REGOS-POLAK-VTBD | ||||||||||||
| Comments | A visit to one of my favourite cities... Bangkok. Great bargains, great food and great people! | ||||||||||||
| Leg 3: Bangkok, Thailand to Korat, Thailand | |||||||||||||
| Date | 7 Dec 02 | Time Dep | 10:32 | Time Arr | 11:07 | Dur | 0.6 | Weather | Stormy | Cruise | FL095 | Dist | 123.7 nm |
| Dep Apt | Bangkok International (VTBD) -- Rwy 21R | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Korat Air Base (Z28Q) -- Rwy 07 | ||||||||||||
| Route | VTBD-BKK-SELKA-Z28Q | ||||||||||||
| Comments | From Bangkok, a short hop over to Korat Air Base, where I worked for a month while under detachment with the Republic of Singapore Air Force. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 4: Korat, Thailand to Ho Chin Minh City, Vietnam | |||||||||||||
| Date | 30 Dec 02 | Time Dep | 10:49 | Time Arr | 12:02 | Dur | 1.2 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL095 | Dist | 375.4 nm |
| Dep Apt | Korat Air Base (Z28Q) -- Rwy 07 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Tansonnhat International (VVTS) -- Rwy 25R | ||||||||||||
| Route | Z28Q-KRT-PNH-POPET-SAPEN-VVTS | ||||||||||||
| Comments | From Korat Air Base, to beautiful Ho Chin Minh City. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 5: Ho Chin Minh City, Vietnam to Hanoi, Vietnam | |||||||||||||
| Date | 31 Dec 02 | Time Dep | 11:29 | Time Arr | 13:06 | Dur | 1.6 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL085 | Dist | 646.3 nm |
| Dep Apt | Tansonnhat International (VVTS) -- Rwy 25R | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Noibai Int'l (VVNB) -- Rwy 11 | ||||||||||||
| Route | VVTS-TSN-SAPEN-NAH-VVNB | ||||||||||||
| Comments | A nice flight from South to North Vietnam. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 6: Hanoi, Vietnam to Haikou, Hainan Island, China | |||||||||||||
| Date | 3 Jan 03 | Time Dep | 06:35 | Time Arr | 07:30 | Dur | 0.9 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL175 | Dist | 301.6 nm |
| Dep Apt | Noibai Int'l (VVNB) -- Rwy 11 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Meilan Airport (ZGHK) -- Rwy 09 | ||||||||||||
| Route | VVNB-NOB-SAMAS-ZGHK | ||||||||||||
| Comments | A short hop to the island of Hainan, China | ||||||||||||
| Leg 7: Haikou, Hainan Island, China to Hong Kong, China | |||||||||||||
| Date | 4 Jan 03 | Time Dep | 06:15 | Time Arr | 07:18 | Dur | 1.1 | Weather | Overcast | Cruise | FL075 | Dist | 254.0 nm |
| Dep Apt | Meilan Airport (ZGHK) -- Rwy 09 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Kai Tak Int'l (VHHK) -- Rwy 31 | ||||||||||||
| Route | ZGHK-VHHK (Direct GPS) | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Strong, turbulent winds on approach. Kai Tak has been replaced by Chek Lap Kok Int'l, also known as Hong Kong Int'l. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 8: Hong Kong, China to Kaohsiung, Taiwan | |||||||||||||
| Date | 8 Jan 03 | Time Dep | 16:06 | Time Arr | 17:51 | Dur | 1.8 | Weather | Fine | Cruise | FL095 | Dist | 388.4 nm |
| Dep Apt | Kai Tak Int'l (VHHK) -- Rwy 13 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Kaohsiung Int'l (RCKH) -- Rwy 09L | ||||||||||||
| Route | VHHK-CH-MAGOG-ELATO-DAMON-CYRUS-PARPA-RCKH | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Crossing the South China Sea to Taiwan, or rather, politically known as the Republic of China. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 9: Kaohsiung, Taiwan to Taipei, Taiwan | |||||||||||||
| Date | 9 Jan 03 | Time Dep | 14:11 | Time Arr | 15:12 | Dur | 1.0 | Weather | Fine | Cruise | FL070 | Dist | 164.2 nm |
| Dep Apt | Kaohsiung Int'l (RCKH) -- Rwy 09L | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Chiang Kai Shek Int'l (RCTP) -- Rwy 05L | ||||||||||||
| Route | RCKH-TNN-DALIN-CCHOU-WATER-RCTP | ||||||||||||
| Comments | A flight across the Central Mountain Range to Chiang Kai Shek Int'l, where 84 died when SQ006 hit evacuation equipment during its takeoff roll. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 10: Taipei, Taiwan to Fuzhou City, China | |||||||||||||
| Date | 12 Jan 03 | Time Dep | 06:45 | Time Arr | 07:32 | Dur | 0.8 | Weather | Stormy | Cruise | FL065 | Dist | 109.5 nm |
| Dep Apt | Chiang Kai Shek Int'l (RCTP) -- Rwy 05L | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Changle Airport (ZSFZ) -- Rwy 03 | ||||||||||||
| Route | RCTP-TONNY-DEFOE-ZSFZ | ||||||||||||
| Comments | A visit to my ancestral city of Fuzhou. Coincidentally, my ancestral village was located at the site of the present airport. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 11: Fuzhou City, China to Shanghai, China | |||||||||||||
| Date | 13 Jan 03 | Time Dep | 06:43 | Time Arr | 07:56 | Dur | 1.2 | Weather | Fine | Cruise | FL100 | Dist | 332.9 nm |
| Dep Apt | Changle Airport (ZSFZ) -- Rwy 21 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Pudong Airport (ZSPD) -- Rwy 17 | ||||||||||||
| Route | ZSFZ-BK-ZSPD | ||||||||||||
| Comments | The effluent city of Shanghai, the New York of China. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 12: Shanghai, China to Beijing, China | |||||||||||||
| Date | 14 Jan 03 | Time Dep | 14:31 | Time Arr | 16:10 | Dur | 1.7 | Weather | Fine | Cruise | FL125 | Dist | 637.8 nm |
| Dep Apt | Pudong Airport (ZSPD) -- Rwy 35 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Beijing Capital Airport (ZBAA) -- Rwy 18L | ||||||||||||
| Route | ZSPD-VMB-PIMOL-PSN-UDINO-ABAR-EPGAM-BTO-VJY-ZBAA | ||||||||||||
| Comments | A visit to Beijing, capital of China. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 13: Beijing, China to Seoul, South Korea | |||||||||||||
| Date | 25 Jan 03 | Time Dep | 16:02 | Time Arr | 17:37 | Dur | 1.6 | Weather | Rain | Cruise | FL105 | Dist | 499.0 nm |
| Dep Apt | Beijing Capital Airport (ZBAA) -- Rwy 36R | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Kimpo Int'l (RKSS) -- Rwy 14L | ||||||||||||
| Route | ZBAA-LUX-RKSS | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Skipping communist North Korea, I arrive at Seoul, location of the 1988 Olympic Games. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 14: Seoul, South Korea to Osaka, Japan | |||||||||||||
| Date | 30 Jan 03 | Time Dep | 11:56 | Time Arr | 13:23 | Dur | 1.6 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL105 | Dist | 466.4 nm |
| Dep Apt | Kimpo Int'l (RKSS) -- Rwy 14L | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Osaka Int'l (RJOO) -- Rwy 32L | ||||||||||||
| Route | RKSS-SEL-KALMA-ILJUK-BULL-HODOL-BIGOB-CUN-PAROT-KPO-SAPRA-JEL-TSUNO-TOZAN-CUE40-RJOO | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Skipping communist North Korea, I arrive at Seoul, location of the 1988 Olympic Games. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 15: Osaka, Japan to Tokyo, Japan | |||||||||||||
| Date | 31 Jan 03 | Time Dep | 14:16 | Time Arr | 15:22 | Dur | 1.1 | Weather | Scattered | Cruise | FL175 | Dist | 275.0 nm |
| Dep Apt | Osaka Int'l (RJOO) -- Rwy 32L | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Tokyo Narita Int'l (RJAA) -- Rwy 34 | ||||||||||||
| Route | RJOO-XMC-LHE-SGR-XAC-RJAA | ||||||||||||
| Comments | A short stopover at Tokyo before heading up north to Sapporo. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 16: Tokyo, Japan to Sapporo, Japan | |||||||||||||
| Date | 1 Feb 03 | Time Dep | 16:40 | Time Arr | 17:59 | Dur | 1.3 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL275 | Dist | 427.6 nm |
| Dep Apt | Tokyo Narita Int'l (RJAA) -- Rwy 34 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | New Chitose Int'l (RJCC) -- Rwy 01L | ||||||||||||
| Route | RJAA-GOC-CANNA-PANSY-LARCH-RJCC | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Both Chitose and New Chitose have runways of nearly the same alignment and they are so close. I thought New Chitose had 3 runways. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 17: Sapporo, Japan to Vladivostok, Russia | |||||||||||||
| Date | 4 Feb 03 | Time Dep | 07:04 | Time Arr | 08:19 | Dur | 1.3 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL305 | Dist | 475.5 nm |
| Dep Apt | New Chitose Int'l (RJCC) -- Rwy 19R | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Knevichi Airport (UHWW) -- Rwy 25R | ||||||||||||
| Route | RJCC-CHE-IGROD-TEKUK-DELOK-LAXO-SEGUL-PERAS-UHW-UHWW | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Crossing the Sea of Japan to Vladivostok, home of the Russian Navy Fleet. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 18: Vladivostok, Russia to Harbin, China | |||||||||||||
| Date | 5 Feb 03 | Time Dep | 06:44 | Time Arr | 07:47 | Dur | 1.1 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL105 | Dist | 285.9 nm |
| Dep Apt | Knevichi Airport (UHWW) -- Rwy 25R | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Taiping Airport (ZYHB) -- Rwy 05 | ||||||||||||
| Route | UHWW-ZYMB-ZYHB | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Short stopover at Harbin, Manchuria. Next stop, the capital of Mongolia... | ||||||||||||
| Leg 19: Harbin, China to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | |||||||||||||
| Date | 5 Feb 03 | Time Dep | 09:20 | Time Arr | 11:35 | Dur | 2.3 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL105 | Dist | 816.6 nm |
| Dep Apt | Taiping Airport (ZYHB) -- Rwy 05 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Buyant-Ukhaa Airport (ZMUB) -- Rwy 14 | ||||||||||||
| Route | ZYHB-ZMBU-ZMUB | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Another short stopover at one of most isolated capitals of the world, Ulaanbaatar. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 20: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to Xi'An, China | |||||||||||||
| Date | 5 Feb 03 | Time Dep | 13:28 | Time Arr | 15:38 | Dur | 2.2 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL115 | Dist | 815.0 nm |
| Dep Apt | Buyant-Ukhaa Airport (ZMUB) -- Rwy 14 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Xianyang Airport (ZLXY) -- Rwy 23 | ||||||||||||
| Route | ZMUB-DKO-ZLXY | ||||||||||||
| Comments | The final flight of the day, landing at Xi'An, China. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 21: Xi'An, China to Chengdu, China | |||||||||||||
| Date | 7 Feb 03 | Time Dep | 14:51 | Time Arr | 16:21 | Dur | 1.5 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL045 | Dist | 347.5 nm |
| Dep Apt | Xianyang Airport (ZLXY) -- Rwy 23 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Shuangliu Airport (ZUUU) -- Rwy 20 | ||||||||||||
| Route | ZLXY-NSH-SUBUL-JTG-ZUUU | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Short hop across Daba Shan to the capital of the Szechuan Province. Also encountered the edge of the massive Kunlun mountain range. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 22: Chengdu, China to Kunming, China | |||||||||||||
| Date | 9 Feb 03 | Time Dep | 15:55 | Time Arr | 17:01 | Dur | 1.1 | Weather | Fine | Cruise | FL265 | Dist | 371.2 nm |
| Dep Apt | Shuangliu Airport (ZUUU) -- Rwy 20 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Wujiaba Airport (ZPPP) -- Rwy 21 | ||||||||||||
| Route | ZUUU-ZYG-KMG-ZPPP | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Kunming, capital of the Yunnan Province in the south end of China, home of the Dai people. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 23: Kunming, China to Mandalay, Myanmar | |||||||||||||
| Date | 18 Feb 03 | Time Dep | 10:53 | Time Arr | 12:14 | Dur | 1.4 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL125 | Dist | 426.4 nm |
| Dep Apt | Wujiaba Airport (ZPPP) -- Rwy 03 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Mandalay Int'l (VYMD) -- Rwy 17 | ||||||||||||
| Route | ZPPP-MAKUL-GMA15-GMA-LINSO-LSO-IBONA-MDY-MIA-VYMD | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Back in South East Asia, but not going home yet. Next stop, Bangladesh. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 24: Mandalay, Myanmar to Dhaka, Bangladesh | |||||||||||||
| Date | 19 Feb 03 | Time Dep | 16:29 | Time Arr | 17:35 | Dur | 1.1 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL185 | Dist | 334.9 nm |
| Dep Apt | Mandalay Int'l (VYMD) -- Rwy 17 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Zia Int'l (VGZR) -- Rwy 14 | ||||||||||||
| Route | VYMD-VGZR (Direct GPS) | ||||||||||||
| Comments | First flight as Atlantic Sun Airways' First Officer. A proud moment. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 25: Dhaka, Bangladesh to Kathmandu, Nepal | |||||||||||||
| Date | 20 Feb 03 | Time Dep | 11:43 | Time Arr | 12:56 | Dur | 1.2 | Weather | Cloudy | Cruise | FL335 | Dist | 384.6 nm |
| Dep Apt | Zia Int'l (VGZR) -- Rwy 32 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Tribhuvan Int'l (VNKT) -- Rwy 02 | ||||||||||||
| Route | VGZR-DAC-BBD-VNLK-VNKT | ||||||||||||
| Comments | I made an illegal detour to do a flyby of the tallest peak in the world, Mt Everest. It was so cool! | ||||||||||||
| Leg 26: Kathmandu, Nepal to Hyderabad, India | |||||||||||||
| Date | 23 Feb 03 | Time Dep | 11:44 | Time Arr | 13:51 | Dur | 2.1 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL265 | Dist | 792.7 nm |
| Dep Apt | Tribhuvan Int'l (VNKT) -- Rwy 02 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Hyderabad Airport (VOHY) -- Rwy 27 | ||||||||||||
| Route | VNKT-SMR-RISPA-BBN-BHITI-TAMID-BUSBO-FIR27-HHY-VOHY | ||||||||||||
| Comments | A smooth flight to Hyderabad, India... one of 3 Hyderabads on the Indian subcontinent. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 27: Hyderabad, India to Chennai, India | |||||||||||||
| Date | 24 Feb 03 | Time Dep | 13:28 | Time Arr | 14:28 | Dur | 1.0 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL265 | Dist | 286.5 nm |
| Dep Apt | Hyderabad Airport (VOHY) -- Rwy 27 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Chennai Int'l (VOMM) -- Rwy 07 | ||||||||||||
| Route | VOHY-HHY-BODEL-MMV-VOMM | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Visiting the coastal town of Chennai, not too long ago named Madras... | ||||||||||||
| Leg 28: Chennai, India to Colombo, Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||
| Date | 25 Feb 03 | Time Dep | 16:43 | Time Arr | 18:01 | Dur | 1.3 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL265 | Dist | 351.8 nm |
| Dep Apt | Chennai Int'l (VOMM) -- Rwy 07 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Bandaranaike Int'l (VCBI) -- Rwy 04 | ||||||||||||
| Route | VOMM-MMV-KEVAN-DABAR-CA-KAT-VCBI | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Crossing the Palk Straits to Sri Lanka and its capital, Colombo. Gotta watch out for those surface-to-air missiles from the Tamil Tigers... | ||||||||||||
| Leg 29: Colombo, Sri Lanka to Bangalore, India | |||||||||||||
| Date | 26 Feb 03 | Time Dep | 06:00 | Time Arr | 07:25 | Dur | 1.4 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL255 | Dist | 407.9 nm |
| Dep Apt | Bandaranaike Int'l (VCBI) -- Rwy 22 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Bangalore Airport (VOBG) -- Rwy 27 | ||||||||||||
| Route | VCBI-KAT-CA-DAGAR-KEVAN-BBG-VOBG | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Back north to Bangalore, India | ||||||||||||
| Leg 30: Bangalore, India to Mumbai, India | |||||||||||||
| Date | 2 Mar 03 | Time Dep | 10:32 | Time Arr | 11:49 | Dur | 1.3 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL255 | Dist | 472.3 nm |
| Dep Apt | Bangalore Airport (VOBG) -- Rwy 27 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Chhatrapati Shivaji Int'l (VABB) -- Rwy 27 | ||||||||||||
| Route | VOBG-BBG-BBI-MINIT-AVKOR-BBB-VABB | ||||||||||||
| Comments | After a long stopover at Bangalore, I head for ancient Mumbai (Bombay) | ||||||||||||
| Leg 31: Mumbai, India to Hyderabad, Pakistan | |||||||||||||
| Date | 2 Mar 03 | Time Dep | 16:52 | Time Arr | 18:09 | Dur | 1.3 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL115 | Dist | 492.5 nm |
| Dep Apt | Chhatrapati Shivaji Int'l (VABB) -- Rwy 27 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Hyderabad Airport (OPKD) -- Rwy 02 | ||||||||||||
| Route | VABB-BBB-BOFIN-BVR-VASLA-TELEM-OPKD | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Heading to Hyderabad... no, no, not the one in my 26th RTW flight, but the one in Pakistan. It is one of 3 Hyderabads in the Indian sub-continent. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 32: Hyderabad, Pakistan to Kandahar, Afghanistan | |||||||||||||
| Date | 5 Mar 03 | Time Dep | 08:08 | Time Arr | 09:25 | Dur | 1.3 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL145 | Dist | 393.7 nm |
| Dep Apt | Hyderabad Airport (OPKD) -- Rwy 02 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Kandahar Airport (OAKN) -- Rwy 05 | ||||||||||||
| Route | OPKD-SHANO-LOTUS-ORLAR-OAKN | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Headed to Kandahar, scene of fiercest ground fighting during Operation Enduring Freedom. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 33: Kandahar, Afghanistan to Kabul, Afghanistan | |||||||||||||
| Date | 6 Mar 03 | Time Dep | 12:03 | Time Arr | 12:52 | Dur | 0.9 | Weather | Clear | Cruise | FL195 | Dist | 252.0 nm |
| Dep Apt | Kandahar Airport (OAKN) -- Rwy 23 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Kabul Airport (OAKB) -- Rwy 11 | ||||||||||||
| Route | OAKN-MAXIN-GN-KB-OAKB | ||||||||||||
| Comments | A short flight over to Kabul to take some photographs of a new Afghanistan. | ||||||||||||
| Leg 34: Kabul, Afghanistan to Dubai, United Arab Emirates | |||||||||||||
| Date | 6 Mar 03 | Time Dep | 05:45 | Time Arr | 07:59 | Dur | 2.2 | Weather | Drizzling | Cruise | FL205 | Dist | 926.7 nm |
| Dep Apt | Kabul Airport (OAKB) -- Rwy 29 | ||||||||||||
| Arr Apt | Dubai Int'l (OMDB) -- Rwy 30R | ||||||||||||
| Route | OAKB-MAXIN-LOXOL-ELOKI-OMDB | ||||||||||||
| Comments | Planning to head to Iran, but permission to land not granted. Diverted to Dubai, United Arab Emirates instead. | ||||||||||||
| Hours | 45.8 hrs |
| Distance | 14,491.5 nm |
| Total Hours | 45.8 hrs |
| Total Distance | 14,491.5 nm |