Homeward bound: Hong Kong home-made plane’s incredible round-the-world journey
Cathay Pacific pilot Hank Cheng spoke to City Weekend about the highlights of his landmark journey in his Inspiration B-KOO ahead of its return to the city on November 13 after three months and 50 countries
1. What has been the highlight of the trip and why?
The best bit has been flying itself. People ask me how I deal with being in a cramped place for a long period of time, but for me that’s a highlight because I get to sit in a plane I have put together myself. I am bringing together the hopes and dreams of the team. It started off as a personal project but it became a bigger group; and now I have been taking their hopes around the world. I also enjoyed flying with my wife for a couple of legs of the trip.
2. What has been the most challenging part of the trip and why? The weather has been a challenge. The plane is well-equipped but we cannot fly through bad weather. We cannot fly as high as a jetliner. Flying over the ocean for 15 hours was a challenge that I will not be able to do again. Going over the Pacific Ocean on my own was hard. But call me crazy, just sitting and looking out of the window is beautiful; there has been some great scenery. And flying solo has been a challenge. If I make a mistake, there is no one to back me up. It can be very scary.
3. What would you have done differently in terms of the planning or execution of the journey? It’s partly a joke but I think we would have built a slightly bigger aeroplane, not for personal comfort, but just to make it go a bit faster. But I have enjoyed every part of this. Even going to the toilet in the aeroplane has been an interesting enough experience in itself.
4. What have you learned about yourself from the expedition? At certain times it has been very stressful. I have just had five days delay in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and I am due to be back in Hong Kong on November 13. I have tried very hard to leave it to the team with some of the burden, so I can just concentrate on flying. I learned about how I deal with stress. I saw a side of myself that I would not see otherwise.
5. What has been the best thing about having passengers with you on parts of the trip? And their most annoying habits? Mainly to keep myself company and to have a shared experience. I really can’t complain about anything they’ve done. I truly enjoy having people with me.