1 year ago
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MODESTO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - When getting planes delivered crossed the ocean, aviator Tom Lopes says determination are 2 ways: putting it connected a vessel oregon flying the level there. He prefers the 2nd option.
"When it gets implicit determination it hasn't been disassembled, hasn't been enactment successful a crate, it's got nary dents oregon dings successful it," Lopes said. "It's precisely however it came retired of the factory, it's fundamentally a caller airplane."
Tom Lopes roseate to viral fame successful aviation circles past week erstwhile helium piloted a Cessna 172 from Merced to Honolulu. The Cessna 172 has a modular scope of astir 700 miles, but the region Tom Lopes flew it from Merced to Honolulu is astir 2,400 miles. The feat was done by packing arsenic overmuch disposable abstraction wrong the craft with substance tanks to implicit the 17-hour journey.
Lopes says he's been flying since earlier helium had a driver's license, starting with harvest dusting planes.
"I got into aviation erstwhile I was similar 14 years old," Lopes said. "We lived crossed the thoroughfare from an airdrome and I would beryllium connected the obstruction and ticker airplanes travel and go."
Lopes says his fascination with flying led him to commencement moving arsenic a harvest duster successful his aboriginal 20s and yet helium got into delivering planes by flying them to their owners.
Lopes' astir caller transportation formation from Merced to Hawaii was successful a level akin to those helium archetypal learned to alert in, a Cessna 172.
According to Lopes, his caller transportation to Honalulu was taking the Cessna to George's Aviation Services in Hawaii for it to beryllium utilized connected backstage charter tours, formation schoolhouse instruction, and craft rentals.
But Lopes says the travel starts mode earlier helium enters the cockpit.
"That 172 formation takes rather a spot of precocious planning," Lopes said. "It's really coordinated months successful beforehand and there's a batch of paperwork, permits, approvals, and security companies. Everything is aboveboard."
Lopes says helium besides has to instrumentality into information what helium refers to arsenic the "biological aspects to flying."
"You're not going to devour big, dense dinners the time before," Lopes said.
The remainder of the 18-hour travel is casual according to Lopes, helium says he's trained galore years to absorption diligently connected checking into aerial postulation control, doing tract transfers, and formation planning. He says adjacent if helium wanted to, helium couldn't spend to suffer focus.
"I've conscionable travel to beryllium precise alert successful that cockpit," Lopes said. "I bash a batch of canned java on the mode and truthful you got that which benignant of keeps you awake, but it doesn't substance due to the fact that you've got plentifulness you're doing."
Lopes does accidental helium volition person immoderate tunes playing lightly successful the inheritance but doesn't fto himself unbend excessively overmuch until the past 2 hours of the flight.
"When everything is conscionable benignant of done and you cognize you're conscionable cruising. That's benignant of erstwhile you're going to get tired."
Luckily, Lopes says helium is allowed to instrumentality a agelong remainder aft his enactment is done. He was treated to immoderate Hawaiian hospitality erstwhile helium landed successful the signifier of a large feast from George's Aviation, and flew backmost location from Hawaii arsenic a rider connected a commercialized plane.
