Australian pilot, Michael Smith, isn’t keen on fanfare. He’s currently in Japan. After a fairly incredible around the world adventure, he is planning to touch down quietly back onto Australian soil in his little Searey amphibian Southern Sun at Longreach next Wednesday 11 November, then plans to call into Rylstone Aerodrome (near Mudgee, NSW) next Friday 13 November before ending his epic flight back in his home town of Melbourne.
When Michael decided to go for a fly earlier this year out of Melbourne, he didn’t really believe he’d even make it to Darwin. When he did, he just hopped back in to his plane, and proceeded to fly across to Indonesia, through the Middle East and then – just because he could – on to London. And maybe coz he looked at a map and thought he’d put a pin into the next friendly continent he could find, he loaded up again and set course across the Atlantic to the US. After all, that stretch of ocean is nothing but a big old runway to a seaplane pilot, so happy days!
Once he reached landfall on US soil, he flew down the coast to Florida where he was welcomed by an enthusiastic bunch at the seaplane base there, then off he popped again, over to Seattle, and up to the Aleutian Islands.
From there, with winter approaching, he was going to put the exhausted little Searey into a container headed for Melbourne, 'til someone talked him out of it, and suggested he should try and get airspace approvals to fly it home himself via Russian and Japanese airspace. Well, the Russians played hardball and didn’t come to the party, but that didn’t stop him, so he flew direct to Japan, AS YOU DO in a midget seaplane that flies flat out about the same speed as a Tiger Moth, and totally on your own.
Seriously, this guy is one hell of an adventurer.
So, he’s now in Japan and apparently intends to slip back quietly into the country via New Guinea, Horn Island, Longreach and Rylstone, before sliding into Melbourne, giving the Southern Sun a bit of a tub, and putting her into the hangar for a rest. I would imagine he may then put his feet up somewhere quiet with a beer and think “Well, I’ll be buggered. THAT was good fun.”
Sensational achievement, and with NO fanfare. He has not been seeking any media attention the whole way. That’s the lovable bit. This man gets my vote.
The whole story of the adventure so far is on the Southern Sun's blog site.