Two planes, eight pilots circle globe
Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jun 04/01) - Keep your eyes peeled, Northerners.
A small squadron composed of two Japanese planes "on the flight of a lifetime" will be passing overhead this week.
The two Piper Mirages, piloted in shifts by eight members of the Japanese chapter of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, will circumnavigate the globe.
The pilots are scheduled to arrive in Yellowknife June 5, then make stops in Baker Lake and Iqaluit.
According to Kozo Takita, president of AOPA Japan, "the idea (during the circumnavigation) is to fly no more than eight hours a day, find a good local restaurant at a stop, have fun."
The pilots are a diverse lot, running the gamut from mechanics to doctors in their non-piloting incarnations.
The pilots have already enjoyed Northern hospitality, having enjoyed a feast with Russian navigators who were required to accompany them over Russian airspace.
The journey is expected to be complete in July.
