Mid-August 2017 I launched on the first journey around the world westbound with a circumnavigation around Australia. I was leading a group of six airplanes to enjoy this unique adventure.
When we organize this type of program, safety and enjoyment are at the top of our concerns. On the safety side, obviously we look for weather issues, political issues, unrest issues, as well as mechanical or medical concerns. So far, the journey has been operating very well with a number of interesting happenings that I’ll share with you in forthcoming stories.
Amankila is located in Indonesia Bali – Wikipedia
As we were settling in at Broome in northern Australia, not too far from the Kimberleys, I am checking on conditions at our next destination—Denpasar International in Bali. Over the previous days and weeks, I had been getting reports that the ground in Bali is trembling, and that the Mount Agung volcano is getting active. The last time the volcano erupted was in 1963. So, I logged into the VONA website operated by Indonesian geologists to get some reports and a reading on what exactly is happening.
I’m not an expert, but when the press reports that the government has decided to evacuate 130,000 people within a range of 10 miles of the crater and that the villagers are reporting snakes and monkeys running down the sides of the mountain, obviously something is going on.
As the leader of the journey it does make particular good sense to me to stay away from the place. Furthermore, our hotel in Bali, the beautiful Amankila, part of the Aman hotel chain, is located at the foot of the volcano fewer than 10 miles from the crater.
Are we going to go there? The answer is plain: no. So, I meet with the participants and tell them about the new game plan. We will be flying to Bali (it’s about an 800-nm leg), land, refuel, handle the paperwork, and then launch again for a 950-nm leg to Singapore, the next destination after Bali.
Since we will be losing three nights in Bali, I decide to add three nights in beautiful Langkawi, Malaysia, and the Four Seasons there will fit the bill. We have a plan, we have an option; we have everything we need.
I believed that going to Bali to refuel and then launch immediately for Malaysia was the only solution. The option I was contemplating was to fly to an airport to the west of the island of Bali in order to stay away from the traffic as well as the risk of encountering the volcano. However, when you fly in this part of the world you need permission for an overflight, landing, takeoff, and parking. My alternate plan could not happen because of the prior authorization and permit we had received. So off we go to our original destination. We launch, but not before checking one last time to see if there is any more news or more trembling from Mount Agung. Fortunately, nothing is showing.
We have a beautiful flight with clear skies, land at the Denpasar Bali airport on a rather busy afternoon, and go straight to the local FBO’s ramp. The FBO is in a brand-new building with very modern facilities. A number of people are there to handle us, and the fuel truck is right there waiting to fuel the first bird in our group. It looks like a very well-set plan.
But in this part of the world nothing is easy. With Bali being a very busy place, we need a slot time for departure. This requires a little bit of negotiation since our original game plan had changed, and while we were assured before leaving Australia that this shouldn’t be an issue, when I learn about the slot time (5:00 pm local) we have a problem. I refuse to take my single-engine bird over the water at night on a nearly 1,000-nm leg to arrive at a VFR-only airport with no published approach. That’s a no go. We carry an SMS (Safety Management System) concept and everything was blinking red on our list.
So the decision was made. Sorry, mates, we are going to spend the night in Bali. I secure departure slots for 8:00 am the next morning, and now comes the chore of finding rooms for 16 people at the last minute.
The beauty of our journeys is that we’ve been to many of these places before and have established relationships. In this case we were able to secure beautiful accommodations in Pool Suites at the Four Seasons, not too far from the airport (about a 20-minute taxi ride) so everybody is excited. We secured the airplanes and off we go. At the hotel we are welcomed with music, dancing, a buffet and an excellent dinner before going to the brief for next morning’s departure.
Everybody is keeping an eye on that trembling volcano. Off to bed. Then around 11:00 pm, some smart local people decide it would be funny to go to the beach and launch some fireworks. Let me tell you that when you go to sleep thinking about an active volcano and suddenly you are awakened by the sound of loud explosions and bright lights shining through the shades, you say, “Oh my God, here we go! It’s happening!” Thankfully, it is not the volcano but just some fireworks.
The next morning we have a very healthy breakfast before flying to Singapore in clear weather. Departing Bali we take some beautiful photographs of the volcano.
This exciting and exotic world journey never leaves us with a dull moment. We always need to be ready and on our toes to deal with whatever wrench is thrown into the works.
The next Journey visiting Bali is the 2018 Journey Around the World, followed by the 2019 Australia and Beyond.
Thierry Pouille is the founder of Air Journey (www.airjourney.com), which offers aircraft owners and pilots escorted and concierge tours of destinations around the world.
