While Mr. Imahashi was planning AOPA-J World Flight, one of his friend hinted him that there was another attempt from Brasil with a motorglider. Planning for airplanes was enough. One on a smaller motorglider should be very hard, he thought. Naturally he looked into motorglider's flight plan. He held his breath to find a leg on the web page (http://www.asasdovento.com.br/english/) was crossing the North Korea (!), departing from Vladivostok arriving at Seoul.

2. The challenger was contacted

It was obvious to a Japanese that the World challenge will be terminated at Vladivostok. The North Korea might not be known in Brasil. An e-mail exchange was made between Mr. Imahashi and Gérard Moss. It was found that Gérard elected not to land in Japan because he though that Japanese airports charge US$3,000 landing fee. He also commented that the expensive fee is famous among general aviation pilots in the world.

3. $3,000 landing fee was an illusion

There is no such expensive landing fees applied to Japanese domestic flights.A Japanese airport authority verified to Mr. Imahashi that landing fee table is the same both for domestic flights and international flights.  An airplane with landing weight less than 2 ton is 1,000 yen (US$8).  Mr. Imahashi's inquiry led to a conclusion: $3,000 is a ground handling fee charged by private agents at Japanese international airports.  Why they were charged with $3,000? When a foreign airplane pilot contacts, they were told to contact an airport agent.  The pilots mistakenly thought that the use of agents were mandatory.

4. So Gérard was informed

Now Mr. Imahashi decided to act as a host for Gérard for Japanese legs.  Mr. Imahashi could not tolerate that such wrong information about flights in Japan were held by international flyers.  Another AOPA-Japan member, Ms. Nanba,  who regularly makes small Japanese airplane international flights agreed to assist.

5. The motorglider

The Super Ximango that Gérard was flying for the world flight has many modifications.  The most remarkable change is the fuel capacity: it holds 250L in total.  It can cover 2,500km.  Other improvements are: STEC autopilot, satellite communication antenna, panel-mount GPS, TV transmission antenna to a satellite, two videocameras, HF radio, etc.  A nice target for North Korean air defense.

6. Japanese legs

Ms. Nanba submitted Japanese legs paperwork.  They were soon approved.  The authority notified that there would be no problem in changing the flight plan later.  The filed plan was: Vladivostok, Niigata (RJNN), KokuGakuen (private, Yamanashi), a private strip (Kushidagawa, Mie), Miyazaki(RJFM), Ishigakijima(ROIG), Macao.  KokuGakuen and the private strip never had an international flight.  This would make a nice case for such operations.  Niigata Airport, a large international airport, has an advantage to have a convenient layout for a private airplane pilot to walk around.

7. Arrival at Niigata

A couple of days before actual arrival, Gérard made a amendment to his flight plan.  To avoid a long overwater flight from Vladivostok direct to Niigata, he flew from Yuzhno-sakhalinsk via Wakkanai, then followed coast lines.  These communications were by e-mails.  On some cases Mr. Imahashi received Gérard mails transmitted onboard to a portable phone.  On August 6, 2001, Mr. Imahashi flew to Niigata on his Valentine Taifun motorglider to welcome Gérard.  Who welcomed Gérard first? Two Japanese self-defense air force fighters.  They departed from Hokkaido to intercept Gérard.  Gérard told Mr. Imahashi later that he felt chilly in the back.  He made contact with the interceptors on 121.5MHz, then made it to Niigata along a beautiful coast.  He landed a little past 2 pm.  Why the intercept happened?  Because Gérard filed a plan, it was apparent that Japanese authority did not pass the information to the self-defense force.  In Japan general aviation pilots are accustomed to inform both the CAB and the air force to fly in the vicinity of defense zone.

This is another unfriendly airport.  There nobody in the international terminal because no airliner operations were going on at the time.  It took a while to catch a person who knows where the offices are.  They waited 30 minutes for a CIQ personnel to unlock an office door.  He processed custom, immigration, and quarantine documents.  Then said, 'Return here next morning before departure to file a General Declaration Card.'  They just filed a GD card now.  Does he need a second card?  Anyway, CIQ is done!  They checked into a hotel, had some drinks at a Japanese bar.  Did Gérard went to bed? No, he began writing reports!  Then e-mails, phone calls...  It seemed to be like that until midnight.  Next morning the custom office door was locked at 08:30.  They slipped another GD card under the door and departed to KokuGakuen gliderport in Yamanashi Prefecture.

9. Niigata to KokuGakuen

They had moderate amount of clouds, but finding clear places was easy.  The heavy Super Ximango took some time to climb to 10,000 feet above clouds.  Uneventful leg to KokuGakuen (Futaba ).  Cameras, interviews, and flowers.  It is an gliderport attached to an aeronautical academy.  Students from its high school division accompanied Gérard at lunch.  In the afternoon and next morning will be spent for the motorglider's 50h check.  Gear area was thoroughly inspected because it landed onto unpaved runways in Siberia.  Gérard attended the inspection.  A minute trouble found was that the speed meter was detached from the static tubing.

10. Call from custom

Then came a call from the Niigata Airport custom with unpleasant tone.  It took them a while to understand what the problem was.  The custom insisted that the motorglider have to file immigration papers every time it made a flight in Japan.  It was suspected later that because they did not have a similar case before, they applied maritime rules.  AOPA-Japan members never faced such a regulation overseas.  Now they tell them to report to to a custom office in Kofu.  Nobody knew where it is.  They negotiated to do paperwork via facsimile for now (they submitted paper version later).  Because KokuGakuen was not an international airport, they had to file 'non-usable port immigration application' and 'non-usable port immigration report' as well as the GD card.  They finally send an approval letter via fax.  It seemed that the custom official was most comfortable if they returned to Niigata and filed 'declaration of unauthorized conduct'.  One night spent at Koku Gakuen.

Gérard was looking for taking pictures of Mt. Fuji.  Another GD card was sent via fax.  Departure at 11 a.m.  He was lucky to have clear view of Mt. Fuji's top.  He captured many photos and video runs, drawing several legs on the west side of the mountain.  The video was transmitted to Brasil.  Then they flew via Pacific coast, descent in a blue hole around Hamamatsu, then Mikawa Bay, Ise Bay, to Kushidagawa gliderport.  It was a surprise to find two custom officers waiting for them at the gliderport.  The officers took both landing and departure GD cards.  Because the gliderport is at riverbed, they had to tow the motorglider over the bank on a specially made trailer.  The private owner of the gliderport had a hangar there.  High-octane automobile gasoline with a quantity of 100 litters was fueled.  The gliderport owner also has a hotel.  The dinner was an Italian dish in a restaurant there.  They skipped lunch today.

Gérard should have been the first foreign motorglider pilot who crossed Japan from Wakkanai to Ishigakijima.  He commented to Mr. Imahashi later that Japan is such a long country with Siberian weather to subtropical.  We really hope that air authorities in Japan restructure and simplify ground requirements and much more foreign aircraft fly into this beautiful area of the world.