Description

Figuring out a way across Northern Australia

Our route could be summed up by the words "West along the Tropic of Capricorn". Flying westward gives us more daylight and by staying within the Tropics, we can take advantage of the Trade Winds. We will join the Tropic of Capricorn by flying South to Easter Island by way of Miami, Panama and Lima, Peru. From Easter Island, we will continue our Pacific crossing through French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Western Samoa and Vanuatu, completing the crossing in Australia. We will cross Northern Australia and then start our Indian Ocean crossing by flying to the Cocos Islands, a few hundred miles South-West of Sumatra, then on to Mauritius to finally reach the African Continent in Mozambique. From there, we will cross over to the Atlantic shore and land in Namibia, and follow the coast North to Gabon and Ghana. The South American shore will then be within reach and Natal, Brazil, will be our entry point on the American Continent. Following the Northeastern shore of South America, we will stop on the Island of Trinidad next, and then enter the United States in Charleston, South Carolina. A "short" hop will bring us back to New Jersey.

In all, we will make twenty stops in six weeks and will cover over 30,000 statute miles.

Weather Synopsys

The normal weather conditions for July and August over the route described are probably the most favorable weather conditions to be found throughout the whole year. The largest yet isolated storms of the whole trip will be found near Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. The weather dries quickly south of the Columbian west coast. Average but not excessive rains are to be expected at Easter Island, then generally dry favorable conditions are to be expected to Samoa. Some stormy weather may be encountered over the western Pacific near Vanuatu and the Solomon's, just east of the Coral Sea. Very dry conditions are the norm across northern Australia and even most of the way to the Cocos Island of the Indian Ocean. Very dry conditions will exist from Mauritius to Madagascar and south and west Africa. The "Great Rains" of the southwest African coast are to be entirely avoided, as they are most active in May and June. August weather norms over Ghana and The Ivory Coast see nearly one inch of rainfall for the whole month. The route from Africa to Brazil will most likely show minimal weather until close to the South American Continent. Some of the heaviest weather to be encountered will be from Brazil to Trinidad, with the northeast South American coast most active with afternoon and evening thunderstorms. From Trinidad to South Carolina, crossing the Caribbean, this area is in Atlantic Hurricane Season. Ample weather information will be available for this leg and simple avoidance is the key.

Winds aloft are most favorable throughout the whole trip averaging a tailwind of about 10 to 15 knots.

All in all, weather and wind wise, this is an optimum time to do this trip. Bear in mind that local weather nuances may play a factor in actual weather conditions encountered, but this is most definitely the best time of year to complete this mission.