Experience Aviation - World Flight Adventure

Dear Friends,

Sorry for such a long silence, but this historic venture really took a toll on me. It was very challenging to readjust to the changing time zones as I made my way home and it was difficult to eat and sleep for days afterward. The moment I landed in Miami, it was as if my body immediately knew the journey was over. I felt exhausted and weak but was happy to see my friends and family and the tremendous media coverage of the trip. For me, the venture was more than just making history—it was making an impact on today’s youth.  After putting it all on the line for 97 days, I hope I’ve impacted the next great pioneers in aviation.

I am grateful and humbled by the love and support from all of you who sent messages of encouragement as I made my way around the globe. There were many times when I felt tired, frustrated, and weak, but your words of encouragement helped to fuel my dream. Words can never express how vital your encouragement has been for me.

Although the flight is over, the journey for Experience Aviation has just begun to show its potential to educate and inspire thousands of youth. When I departed Miami, we had only three people on staff and now many others have approached us to join the team. We’ve expanded our facility to 3,000 square feet and thanks to the Children’s Trust, we are preparing to launch our educational courses during after-school programs. Our challenge now is to raise the funds needed to expand our staff and the Experience Aviation Learning Center facility so we can accommodate more students and eventually enhance community outreach nationwide. 

No man is an island and no man stands alone. Just as I successfully completed my historic journey—with persistence and dedication—I will continue to try and make a difference in the lives of today’s youth. My life has changed considerably in the past several months but I continue to keep my focus on the future of Experience Aviation.  Since my return, my team and I have been working on a book, documentary and my next great adventure. I have also been speaking to students and corporate groups around the country, encouraging audiences to aim high and pursue their wildest dreams.

I appreciate your patience and your continuing support of Experience Aviation. We utilized the few dollars we had at the beginning to make a dynamic impression on students and I look forward to making an even greater impact in the future. I encourage you all to join the Experience Aviation team and thank you once again for daring to DREAM, LIVE, & FLY!!!

Dear Friends,

What can I say? It feels good to be back in the USA. I know many of you are wondering about my experience crossing the treacherous North Pacific—I assure you it was a challenge. I saw cloud formations I’d never seen in my life and saw winds shift from almost every direction, gusting to 80 knots (92 miles per hour). Thanks to the great teamwork with Universal Weather, I was able to shorten the distance by 100 miles, but the flight was definitely a greater challenge than the North Atlantic. Yet the same thing happened on this flight as on my North Atlantic crossing—God opened up a window between two low pressure storm systems. Visibility was very poor and the ride was a bit turbulent, but there was just enough visibility for me to land at Shemya. During this time of year it is normally zero/zero visibility, but God spared me one more time after I patiently waited in Japan for more than two weeks.  

Just when I thought I’d seen enough earthly beauty, Alaska offered a most exciting view from the sky. The weather was similar to crossing the North Pacific, but I was able to see a few inactive volcanoes and the beautiful coast and mountainous regions of Alaska about 260 miles south of Anchorage. It was beauty beyond words that lasted though the evening—sunset occurs there around midnight.

I’m now in Juneau, waiting for thunderstorms to pass through British Columbia. I’ll post more photos soon.

Dear Friends,

I want to take this moment to recognize my father on Father’s Day. I am grateful to have a caring father who has truly instilled great values in me and always made our family his top priority. I am fortunate to have such a loving father and hope that one day I can be as great a Dad as he is. Both my mom and dad always wanted the best for me and from me. I will NEVER forget the late nights my dad worked doing construction and every dollar sacrificed for my education.  Now that I am a man, I am truly grateful for every sacrifice they have made for me and my younger brothers. I wish I could be home with the family and I miss you all dearly. Happy Father’s Day, Dad!!!

Your Son,
Barrington

Dear Friends,

I finally made it safely to Shemya, Alaska after crossing the North Pacific. What an experience it was, with shifting winds, different layers and types of clouds, and the possibility of icing on the wings. It was critical to avoid the visible precipitation that can cause icing, which forms rapidly at near-freezing temperatures and high aircraft speed. There is no real way to describe the experience of that flight; I'm simply grateful to be on U.S. soil again.

It is very cold here in Shemya but I was given a warm reception when I arrived. The Air Force, which contracts this airfield, has been more than supportive of the Experience Aviation mission. They are the real heroes by graciously allowing me to stop in Shemya. I will forever be grateful. 

Dear Friends,

After developing a new strategy and receiving remarkable flight support from Universal Weather, I am now only 8 hours away from Shemya, Alaska by air. Currently I am in the mountains in an area called Nakashibetsu at the most northeastern airport in Japan.  It wasn't easy flying into this airport because on my first attempt, cloud levels dropped to 200 feet and I had to do a missed approach and divert back to Asahikawa. This is a dangerous area because of the mountainous terrain and it was quite an experience flying here, relying on instrument procedures and making a safe decision about landing.

As I patiently await a challenging crossing over the North Pacific, I am working closely with Universal Weather by watching the icing conditions, winds, as clouds as we decide on timing. I have also had time to read some of the articles and blogs written about my mission since I left Miami 10 weeks ago. Never would I have imagined that this flight would touch so many people--children, students, adults, and those who wish they could fly but aren't physically able. Experience Aviation has reached thousands and I am truly grateful. I only wish I had more resources to assist the many who want my help to achieve their own dreams in aviation.

Being here in the quiet countryside surrounded by rice fields has given me a chance to reflect before this next crossing and to thank God for bringing me this far. I am comforted knowing that many of you are praying for me. It is now that I realize this flight is only a preparation for the greater things I must do in life in order to help and inspire others.

Once I leave this area and go further North, I will be out of touch for a few days with no Internet access, but I will be home soon . . . !

Dear Friends,

Japan is a fascinating country, an amazing blend of traditional culture and some of the most advanced technology in the world. Getting there was definitely a long haul—it was a 9-hour flight from Hong Kong to Taiwan and then Taiwan to Nagoya. When I arrived, I was surprised to see my welcoming party--the Japanese press and Jamaican natives living in Japan who had heard about my arrival. I must admit that I stayed in the hotel and slept for the first two days--I was exhausted and my body no longer knew what time it was.

After my rest, I ventured out to and rode the bullet train from Nagoya to Tokyo. It was my first time riding a train that fast--it makes you feel like you’re flying across the ground at almost 200 mph.  In Tokyo I met with Mr. Paul Robotham, the Ambassador to Japan for the Embassy of Jamaica.  He was very welcoming and provided me a tour of the Imperial Palace and other local attractions. Then he took me to dinner at a Jamaican restaurant that made me feel as if I were in Montego Bay or Miami. It is a small world indeed!  

Tokyo is a bustling city and world financial center—like New York, it’s an expensive place to live. The Japanese are proud of their country and work hard to protect their environment with recycling and other programs. I was impressed by their cultural traditions, like bowing, that are so different from our own tradition of shaking hands with someone when you meet them. In Japan, people bow when they greet one another, and they bow more deeply when the person they’re greeting is older or has a higher social status. They also sit on pillows on the floor in traditional Japanese restaurants, where tipping is considered an insult rather than a compliment.

It may surprise some of my readers to hear that hip hop has certainly made its mark here—both hip hop and rap culture have a tremendous influence on Japanese youth. I saw young people doing music video dances and businessmen watching rap videos on their laptops. I’ll be leaving tomorrow but hope to return to Japan to explore the rich cultural history behind this country made up of more than 3000 islands.

Dear Friends,

Sorry I haven’t updated my blog lately, but I’ve been busy with planning and preparations to cross the North Pacific into Alaska, which will possibly be my most challenging flight leg. Unfortunately, the current weather—with low freezing levels and icing—is not cooperating. I guess I have to earn each and every flight leg the hard way, since my timing with weather fronts hasn’t been the greatest!  For those of you wondering about my strategy for making the North Pacific crossing, it is really quite simple and echoes my approach to my North Atlantic Crossing: wait until the weather is right!!  For your review, I’ve attached two maps of the weather systems out here in the North Pacific—please see below.  Let’s hope for bluer skies soon!

Dear Friends,

I’m still alive and well here in Hong Kong, having weathered a few rounds of thunderstorms from inside my hotel! There were moments in the early morning when the thunder was so loud it felt like a bomb was going off.  When the storms subsided today, I ventured outdoors to tour the city in the light rain. What a fascinating place! I walked through the colorful street markets, rode the double-decker street carts, and took a trolley up to The Peak, the perch 1,300 above the city that offers a panorama in good weather. Unfortunately, the clouds were so low today that they covered the Peak and the panoramic view. But it was still fun and refreshing to above the city, literally standing in the clouds as I thought about flying back home again.

Life in Hong Kong is fast-paced and people and traffic are everywhere. I enjoyed trying “real” Chinese food and quickly realized that the native foods here are different from what we call Chinese food in the states. For example, among the many fish dishes they serve is the delicacy, shark fin soup; they also serve their famous Peking Duck and many varieties of Dim Sum (snacks) such as steamed barbequed pork buns and rice rolls filled with meat, fish or vegetables.

I’ll explore the city more again tomorrow as I wait for the weather in my flight path to clear!

Dear Friends,

I’m glad to say that after being delayed by monsoons and a tropical storm, I made it safely to Hong Kong. Flying into the city was exactly how it is replicated on the Microsoft Flight Simulator--with 4,000 foot mountains below, you fly over the magnificent buildings of this extraordinary city.  As I came in for landing, I decided to do a missed approach and fly one more time into Hong Kong through the haze. What an experience!  After landing, I felt exhausted and couldn’t wait to get some rest. I think being 12 hours ahead of Eastern time has finally caught up with me and I must be careful now to get as much rest as possible. I am literally on the other side of the world and day and night have traded places.

As promised, I have posted pictures (below) of the Airbus 380 I saw after landing in Mumbai, India; I’ve also posted photos from Calcutta, India and Bangkok, Thailand. I wish I’d had more time to spend in Bangkok because half a day was not enough to learn much about the Thai culture. But that gives me a reason to return someday. There’s so much to learn about the different countries and cultures in the world! I hope you all have the opportunity to travel and learn what they have to offer—it’s such a good way to put your own world into perspective.  

I’ll send another update soon.

Dear Friends,

This round-the-world flight has certainly been filled with adventure and my current stay in Calcutta, India is no exception! It’s a good thing I exercised patience and decided not to fly into bad weather to get to Thailand right away, because that same low pressure system has developed into a tropical storm over the Bay of Bengal, which is surrounded by India, Bangladesh, Burma, and Thailand. When I first saw this on the weather map, I said to myself, “Oh, no!” but what first looked bad will actually work out for the best. God has answered my prayer and although a tropical storm is moving through, it will draw all the warm air from India and bring better weather on the back end after the storm passes. In the meantime, the storm itself is definitely not fun and games, because even here in Calcutta we will feel some mild effects of the outer ban. I’ve made sure the plane is tied down and is in a safe area. All this is a challenge, as I’m looking forward to flying again, but I have comfort in God that things will go well. 

Thanks once again for your continued prayers. I’ve posted pictures below of the storms approaching. I guess it’s a good thing I grew up in Miami because I’ve had to deal with my fair share of hurricanes. It’s amazing how, in so many instances, what I’ve already experienced in my life has prepared me for moments like this. Special thanks to Universal Weather for providing remarkable flight support!!