Australian Flying — November-December 2017

to which they relocate their

whole families for three months

over summer. That, and having

so many aeronautical engineer

graduates perfecting unusual

ideas in design bureaus, seem to

have contributed to a desire for

interesting watercraft.

Mission

accomplished

If I’d listened to the nay-sayers,

I would never have ventured into

the middle of Russia and would

have missed out on what may

turn out to be a life-changing

opportunity. It highlights the

importance of mental framing

and what I like to call Organised

Spontaneity, careful planning

accompanied with f lexibility to

react to the situation at hand.

Crucially, the way we approach a

problem has a dramatic effect on

the end result. Without knowing

exactly how this would turn out,

I went in with an open mind

and was rewarded with great

discoveries.

It’s rare to find a vehicle of any

sort, whether car, boat or plane,

that comes so close to perfectly

satisfying the required missions

at hand. There are so many other

adventures I have imagined that

my beloved Searey just isn’t up to,

due to speed and carrying capacity.

Simply, I’d like to take some people

along. With the SeaBear L44 I

think I’ve found a great vessel.

So what’s next? Well, my

circumnavigation started with

an Excel spreadsheet nine years

before the actual trip, and if

planning is the first step of

a successful journey... to the

keyboard. To be continued!

Michael Smith was named Australian

Geographic 2016 Adventurer of

the Year for his record breaking solo

circumnavigation in his SeaRey

amphibian, Southern Sun. More

details, including the film and book

available at http://www.southernsun.voyage.

AUSTRALIAN FLYING November – December 2017

34 Russian Seaplanes australianflying.com.au

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a dozen or so engineers running

around working on them. The

sight of the Antonov AN-2 firing

up for a day’s work is an impressive

if smoky affair!

Everyone I met was very proud

of their aeronautical industry and

countryside. They live through

awful winters of snow, ice and

subzero temperatures, so in return

make the most of their summers.

Many have cabins or campsites

The f lying we did around

Irkutsk, self proclaimed as the

Paris of Siberia, was not only

interesting for its stunning

scenery and city, but also

intriguing for the heavy metal

still active, being raided for parts

or simply dormant at the Oek

airport from which we operated.

There was a very active scene

with dozens of aircraft including

MiGs, Yaks and Antonovs with

LEFT: Pristine

Lake Baikal.

This is what

amphibians

are for.