We decided to have one full day rest in between every leg.
To sit 10-14 hours alone in cockpit crossing two time zones is tiring and we
wanted to be rested enough for every flight. Today we have refueled the
airplanes for the next leg over to Hawaii. The original plan was to depart
Friday morning before sunrise for Hilo, Hawaii. However, the forecasted winds
over the Pacific between here and Hawaii are too strong. We would encounter 40
– 60 kts winds the first few hours and we would not get a tailwind until over
halfway across. After thoroughly checking the winds at the various levels and
at different speeds we concluded that it would be too marginal and decided to
delay the flight. We want to arrive in Hawaii with no less than 3 hours of fuel
remaining and as of now that would not be doable.
We went to town to get some needed equipment and
also to refill our spare oxygen bottles that I mentioned earlier. These spare
airs is something scuba divers carry with them in case their main oxygen fails.
It has enough air to get them safely to the surface. We decided to carry one in
the cockpit in the event of a water landing where we would have to disembark
the cabin under water. It is attached to the co-pilot seat right next to us and
is one of the things we would grab immediately after landing on the water.
Flying for Christ 