Departure: Noon local time
Routing: Northwest over Myanmar 
and Tibet, then south into Paro, Bhutan.
and Tibet, then south into Paro, Bhutan.Aircraft: Flight Club Blue Express
Altitude: 13,000 feet to Tibet, then up to 19,000 feet into Bhutan
Miles: 820 or so (no firm waypoints over the Tibet region)
Arrival Stats: 14:22 in the afternoon or 3.5 hours which works to around 230 mph
Notes: After a few days in this far-southern Chinese town I set off for what I hoped would be some spectacular flying ... I headed northwest over Putao, Myanmar (what a great sprawling valley) and then on into the Tibeten region of southwestern China. Finally over Lhasa I headed south 
into one of the most dangerous and tricky approaches in the world - Paro Bhutan. I had to climb up to 19,000 feet just to get in, then it was that spiraling descent over the NDB, 
downwind and a harrowingly close turn in the mountains to get lined up.
And wouldn't you know it, Microsoft has seen fit to make this even tougher by putting the airport down in a bit of a hole! 
But at 14:20 in the afternoon I still had some decent light and had no problems putting this beauty of an airplane down safely.
into one of the most dangerous and tricky approaches in the world - Paro Bhutan. I had to climb up to 19,000 feet just to get in, then it was that spiraling descent over the NDB, downwind and a harrowingly close turn in the mountains to get lined up.And wouldn't you know it, Microsoft has seen fit to make this even tougher by putting the airport down in a bit of a hole! But at 14:20 in the afternoon I still had some decent light and had no problems putting this beauty of an airplane down safely.A quick fuel-up later
I was heading the last 217 miles into Kathmandu.
I was heading the last 217 miles into Kathmandu.
This leg flies us RIGHT PAST some of the highest mountains in the known world, Everest and K-2 as well as others that tower nearly 10,000 higher than our cruise altitude.
This last piece was one hour, 15:00 to 16:00 local time and I landed up just as the sun was setting over the hills.
Dinner and a quick nap later I loaded up the Flight Club Mumbai Q400 and made the 1,000-mile flight to Karachi, Pakistan in the dark. I left Nepal around 1 AM local time and arrived into Karachi well before dawn. (No photos from the dark flight over India.)
This last piece was one hour, 15:00 to 16:00 local time and I landed up just as the sun was setting over the hills.Dinner and a quick nap later I loaded up the Flight Club Mumbai Q400 and made the 1,000-mile flight to Karachi, Pakistan in the dark. I left Nepal around 1 AM local time and arrived into Karachi well before dawn. (No photos from the dark flight over India.)
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