Although I flew ZK-VRV across the Tasman in 2016 and knew what to expect, I was nervous about this crossing. Perhaps as you get older you become more risk averse, aware of your own mortality and conscious that you have limited time left on this planet and so don't ant to hasten the end. Now that I have grandkids, perhaps it as wanting to see them grow and blossom. Perhaps it was the Underwater Evacuation Training we did in preparation for this trip. I don't know. Whatever it was, as I lined up on Kerikeri's runway 15 and pushed the throttle forward for takeoff - I was scared.
Kerikeri to Norfolk Island
The weather forecast was good with light tail winds over the entire 484nm (896km) to Norfolk Island.
Simon Ford had generously flown up to Kerikeri in his Tecnam Sierra (ZK-LSF) to see us off and had left before me with the objective of taking some in-flight photos as we started our trip. I caught up with him about halfway along 90 Mile Beach and did my best to position ZK-VRV so he could take a picture of me.
 |
| Simon saluting me as I flew past |
After passing Simon and saying cheerio to him, it wasn't long before Cape Reinga came into view and the first leg of a long over-water crossing began. The butterflies in my tummy were subdued but still there!
At this stage I had climbed to 6500' but there was a bank of cloud in my path and I was faced with that classic pilot dilemma. Should I go under or over it (my pilots licence doesn't allow me to go through it)? As I didn't know how extensive this cloud was I opted to descend and pass under it. However, when I got to about 3500' and would have to descend lower to pass beneath it, I chickened out and I didn't want to be too low over water. The edge of the cloud wasn't far to my left so I altered my course to climb beside it so I could pass over it.
On a trip like this your altitude is constrained by your height over water - you don't want to be too low and have no time to diagnose and correct a problem, too high (above 10,000) - where the effects of hypoxia can start to impact your judgement, and well clear of cloud if the air temperature is 2 deg or lower - at those temperatures even nicking the side of a cloud can result in icing. It's a constant juggle.
As the legs across the Tasman Sea are so long, flying on top of cloud is not a problem until you're within about 50nm of your destination. It's normally not that extensive and you don't have to vary your course much to be able to remain in the clear.
At 8500' I was on top of the cloud. It came and went as I cruised along and I stayed at that altitude most of the way to Norfolk Island with only the odd deviation +/- 1000' and left and right of track to remain in the clear.
With my autopilot taking care of the flying and "Thunderbird 6" contently humming along, I quickly settled into a routine of monitoring and logging ZK-VRV's engine parameters every 15 mins and carefully watching my fuel usage. For improved endurance I carry a 40litre fuel bladder on the passenger seat beside me which I use after takeoff but is exhausted after about 1.25hrs. It's not good if the fuel being supplied by the bladder runs out and the engine stops.
Andrew, John and I chatted over the radio about all sorts of things pilots care about but would bore most other people to tears.
Well into the leg to Norfolk Island we independently calculated our Point of No Return and verified that with each other. Before reaching that point I rang the Automated Weather Station at Norfolk Island to check the actual weather conditions at the airport were as forecast and it was safe to land and passed that onto Andrew and John.
Descending from 8500' approaching Norfolk Island I had to dodge some clouds. Clear of them, Norfolk Island came into view right where it should be. Thank God for GPS!
I did a circumnavigation of the island and joined long final for Rwy 11. With a firm bump, we had arrived at Norfolk Island and after 3:23 the first leg of our Trans-Tasman crossing was complete.
Andrew, John and I had spent weeks swotting up on Australian Border Force (ABF) and biosecurity rules for our Tasman hop and were feeling very pleased with our attention to detail. Instead, we were greeted by a bolshy ABF officer who informed us, with great enthusiasm, that we’d done everything wrong, sent the wrong information, and apparently hadn’t given them anywhere near enough notice. I got a proper telling‑off. You can’t argue with these people, so you just stand there, apologise, accept your new status as a complete muppet, and smile sweetly. We were later told not to take it personally — they give the same treatment to every itinerant aircraft pilot.
Norfolk Island to Lord Howe Island
After a whistle-stop tour of the historic area of Norfolk Island we were back out at the airport at 7am the next morning (1 July 2026) to complete our crossing of the Tasman Sea.
As Lord Howe Island is a world heritage park you're not allowed to stay on the island when traveling east to west. We only had permission for a "tech stop" - land, refuel as quickly as possible, don't leave the airport and be on your way as quickly as you can. On the way home from Australia we plan to stay a night to have a look around and that's permitted.
Leaving Norfolk Island I settled into my routine of monitoring and logging. Again, 8500' was a good altitude to avoid the cloud and an economic cruise height. Some rain cloud had to be avoided but the winds were light and the ride was good.
In the Tasman Sea, there is no land mass to disturb the wind so even thought the wind can be strong, the ride is pretty smooth. There are lovely puffy cumulus clouds all around and the shades of blue and white are spectacular. With Pink Floyd playing quietly in my headset to set the scene, I never tire from taking in the view.
The forecast winds at Lord Howe island were light when we left Norfolk Island but by the time we reached our Point of No Return a direct crosswind of up to 14 knots had developed. I knew from experience, that would also make the air turbulent as I approached the airfield. Braced for a lumpy ride in the vicinity of the airport and a tricky landing, I began my descent. It was a bit wild on the approach and my re-acquaintance with Mother Earth was less graceful landing and more surprise arrival.
The refueler was waiting for us and the biosecurity guy that needed to check us over was quick and efficient but ... then we encountered our first aircraft problem ...
After refueling we always drain a sample of fuel from each tank to check for water and debris. In Andrew's Cirrus that's achieved by pushing a thin needle into a valve and letting the fuel drain into a small clear cup. When he did that on the left tank and removed the needle from the fitting the fuel continued flowing. He yelled for help and we quickly tried reinserting the rod and wriggling it to reseat the valve. However, every time we tried this the problem got worse and fuel was p*ssing out. The only thing that would stop it was putting a finger over the outlet. Uh oh - now we've got a big problem.
As it wasn't practical for John to hold onto the wheel spat with his finger over the fuel drain while Andrew flew him across the remainder of the Tasman Sea to Australia, we made a call to Andrew's engineer back in New Zealand for advice. He told us how to remove the drain valve and clean any debris from it so that it would close and reseal. The problem was we were removing a valve from the underside of a wing tank that was full of fuel! Fortunately the refueler and other bystanders quickly provided some buckets to catch the fuel that would pour out of the tank when the valve was removed. With the valve removed, a finger over the outlet stopped the fuel flowing but it was a messy job that required careful coordination of people and buckets.
We successfully removed the drain valve, cleaned it and reinstalled it and it stopped running - phew. Although there was no evidence of further leaking, the valve was quickly replaced by an engineer after we arrived at Gold Coast Airport and were cleared into Australia by the authorities.
The relief of seeing the Australian coastline appear on the horizon didn’t last long—things ramped up quickly as Air Traffic Control handed me my approach instructions for Gold Coast International Airport and I was maneuvered to take my position amongst much bigger aircraft than me. Since Gold Coast is a designated First Point of Entry, touching down there wasn’t optional; it was mandatory.
We were only on the ground at Gold Coast Airport for just over an hour before leaving on the final 30 min flight to Archerfeld where we would be leaving the aircraft for two nights before continuing on our trip around the continent.
After 6.8hrs of flying over two-thirds of the Tasman Sea, I crashed into bed, exhausted but satisfied that we'd safely completed a large over-water crossing completed by few light aircraft pilots.
 |
| Refueling at Norfolk Island |
 |
| Reflecting on the day - Norfolk Island |
 |
| Thank you ZK-VRV for carrying me safely across the Tasman Sea |
Video of ZK-LDY & ZK-VRV taking off from Lord Howe Island kindly provided by Peter Phillipps, Chase n Thyme Journeys (https://chasenthyme.com).
Checkout Andrew Schofield's Blog too: https://nzcirruspilot.com/trans-tasman/
