AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 22

PROFICIENT PILOT

The Earth is not flat

BY BARRY SCHIFF

Adventures in international travel
ONE GOOD REASON for being in New York on February
9, 1971, was that I was not home to experience Southern
California's San Fernando Earthquake. I confess that
the ground shaking beneath my feet completely
unnerves me. Another good reason is that I had just
completed the training in New York needed to transition to TWA's international routes. I had spent the
previous seven years flying domestically, and I was
eager to wing my way toward more exotic destinations.
I was on reserve during my first month on international and had no clue where my first assignment
would take me. But I soon learned. Crew scheduling
called to advise that I was needed the next evening on
Flight 706. I quickly took out my pairings sheet to see
where in the world I'd be going.

We got to buzz Mount Everest, use the
pyramids as pylons on the approach to Cairo,
and inspect areas so remote that the charts
were replete with "Unsurveyed" notations.

BARRY SCHIFF

made 17 flights
around the world in
TWA Boeing 707s
during the early
1970s.

22 | AOPA PILOT July 2018

I could hardly believe it. I had been assigned TWA's
most senior flight, an eastbound, 11-day trip around
the world in a Boeing 707, one that would cut across
every meridian and during which the compass would
always point in about the same direction. It was a flight
kiddingly referred to as an outside loop of cosmic proportion. (Think about it.)
A serious challenge was planning what and how
to pack the clothing needed for both frigid and tropical climates. This was before suitcases had wheels, and
you dare not take more than you could carry with one
arm. Your "brain bag" occupied your other arm and was
stuffed heavily with the books (plural) of approach plates
needed to navigate the world. It was said that you could
pick an international pilot out of a crowd by the way his
knuckles dragged along the ground when he walked-the
consequence of his arms having stretched from schlepping heavy loads through airports for so many years.
The most difficult aspect of flying around the world for
me was managing sleep. When you are incessantly crossing
time zones, living out of a suitcase, and sleeping in different
beds at odd hours, this becomes a serious issue, so much
so that pilots flying around the world often operated in a
semi-constant state of fatigue (then and now).

The most tired I can recall being followed a layover
on Guam. Against company rules and common sense,
my crew and I foolishly took a flight on Air Micronesia
to Saipan during our 26-hour layover. The 120-nauticalmile overwater hop took only minutes, and we spent
hours checking out intriguing Japanese relics and
remains from World War II. It wasn't worth it, though.
We returned to the Saipan Airport only to discover that
our return flight to Guam had been canceled, and there
were no others that day. The only way to return to Guam
in time to operate our TWA flight to Honolulu was to
charter a pair of Cessna 310s, a very costly but necessary proposition. We got back to our hotel without time
to nap and barely enough time to change into our uniforms, pack, and be ready for the crew bus to take us to
the airport and disgorge us for the midnight departure.
We operated our flight on time, but remaining awake
during the eight hours to Honolulu was painful. We
were so tired that we needed toothpicks to prop open
our eyelids.
All of the excitement and adventure was worth occasional discomfort. We got to buzz Mount Everest, use the
pyramids as pylons on the approach to Cairo, and inspect
from above areas so remote that charts covering them
were replete with "Unsurveyed" notations. We gained a
perspective of the world afforded only to those who fly.
ATC procedures could be unusual. Because of a
mechanical delay in Tel Aviv, for example, we were
flight-planned to arrive late in Bombay after the tower's scheduled nightly closure (from 0200 to 0400). The
controllers apparently didn't have the patience to await
our arrival, however, and called us on high frequency
while we were over central Iran. "TWA 706, Bombay
Tower is going bye-bye. Maintain level 370. Cleared
VOR approach. Cleared to land. Good night." Further
attempts to contact the tower were fruitless. Finally
arriving over the BBB VOR at FL370, we pulled back all
four thrust levers to idle, made a sweeping, 7-mile-deep
spiral descent to pattern altitude, and landed, praying all
the while that there were no holy cows on the runway.
When we finally set the parking brake after the last
leg of my first circumnavigation, I calculated-I still
have the logs-that we had flown 26,532 nm in 56 hours
and 55 minutes; consumed 738,900 pounds of fuel; carried 1,409 passengers on 16 legs; and proved once again
that the Earth is not flat.
AOPA
www.barryschiff.com


http://www.barryschiff.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018

Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Intro
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Cover1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 10
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 12
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 16A
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 17A
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 18
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 20
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 22
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 24
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 26
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 28
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 30
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 32
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 34
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 36
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 38
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 40
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 42
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 47
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 50
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 58
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 66
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 72
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 81
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 82
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 83
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 87
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 88
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 91
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 94
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 95
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 98
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 99
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 100
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 102
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 104
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 106
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 107
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 108
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 112
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 113
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 114
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 115
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 116
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 117
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - 118
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2018 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202001
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201907
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201906
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201811
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201707
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201706
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201103_test
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201011demo
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot0308
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com