In April 2000, Christian Science Monitor correspondent Brad Knickerbocker, a former Navy pilot, helped pilot Arthur Hussey ferry a single-engine Cessna from Namibia to Alaska. The aerial odyssey—documented in photos, daily logs, and e-mail conversations with supporters around the world—was published by the Monitor. But it was also a spiritual journey—full of unforeseen revelations and epiphanies. The first installment appeared in last month's Journal and left him in Nouadhibou, Mauritania, where robed men hand-filling the Cessna with fuel broke for prayer at the age-old Muslim call. This is the second half of his journey.
A photo gallery, his daily logs, and the e-mail conversations he had with supporters—known and unknown—around the world can be viewed at: http://www.csmonitor.com/smallplane.
We're over Europe now, our second continent. Weather is starting to become a major factor. We've maneuvered through thunderstorms over the Gulf of Guinea, hundreds of miles from land and out of radio contact. Threading our way between hills into San Sebastián, Spain, we're pummeled by rain then snow and hail as lightening flashes around us. The farther north we get—particularly over the North Atlantic—this is expected to become an increasingly critical factor in flying and it's frightening.
