5. Planning His Route
It was impossible for Smith to recreate the original route. It was not possible to get permission to land some of the original stops. Since the bulk of the trip crossed international borders, he had to plan pit stops at specific places in order to make it through immigration and to refill his tanks with the correct fuel. He said it took him several months to complete the paperwork prior to take-off.
6. Lift-off
Although he wanted to take off at Rose Bay in Sydney, he had wanted to bid his mother farewell first. She lives roughly 90 minutes east out of Melbourne. More importantly, he wanted to tell his mother about his plans in person. That night he landed in Wollongong which is south of Sydney leaving early in the morning and landing in Sydney Harbour.
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