Lands In Honolulu After 15.5-Hour Trip

Ferry pilot Fred Sorenson has successfully delivered the first Diamond Star aircraft to the 50th state, following a 15-and-a-half hour flight in a single-engine DA40 over the Pacific Ocean from Oakland, CA.

Sorenson -- no stranger to long trans-pacific flights, with 400 under his belt -- reported no problems during the flight, and in fact said the DA40 performed flawlessly. "This was the first experience we have had with a DA40 so we didn't know what to expect operating the airplane 25% above its maximum certified gross weight," he said. "The aircraft was very stable, climbed well, and was able to maintain excellent true airspeeds throughout the flight."

"The DA40's outstanding performance and excellent handling characteristics made this one of the most enjoyable Pacific crossings we have made," said Sorenson.

Owners Steve and Lori Baker kept in contact with Sorenson through occasional satellite phone calls, according to a Diamond press release, and monitored the flight from their home in Honolulu. Baker, an ocean marine pilot, purchased his DA40 from Galvin Flying Services in Seattle, WA.

"I thoroughly researched all the new airplanes available and concluded that the DA40 equipped with the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit was best choice," said Baker. "I wanted a safe, proven and reliable airplane that had good performance as we do a lot of open water flying in the islands."

"I took delivery at the factory in Canada and attended the factory G1000 transition training course, for confidence with the new avionics system," continued Baker, "before flying the airplane to Nevada for installation of the ferry tanks."

To handle enough fuel for the long flight across the Pacific, Baker's DA40 was fitted with two temporary fuel tanks able to hold 138 gallons of avgas between them -- in addition to the standard 40-gallon fuel capacity of a standard DA40.

According to Sorenson, the plane averaged 136 knots and 6,000 ft. MSL, and landed with 50 gallons of fuel remaining after the 2,118 nm trip. Average fuel burn was a fairly miserly 8.9 gph.

FMI: www.diamondaircraft.com