AV I AT I O N T O U R Juliet might be a ship, not an aeroplane, but she helped many aircraft cross the great North Atlantic back in her day approach, watch out for the big hill, and then enjoy seeing the unusual sites the island has to offer from giant stone Moai heads to the strange stone houses of the Birdman cult, the navel of the world, and a stone trumpet used to coax fish ashore. Basically, a lot of stone-related stuff, and the worlds most remote craft brewery, Piroto. Mordor Yep, that spot from Lord of the Rings. They reckon it actually exists for real (or at least a place that inspired Tolkein does). It lies in Central Asia, near the Himalayas (or the Mountains of Shadow Ephel Dath if youre a real Lord of the Rings nerd) and the Tarim Basin. What has this got to do with pilots, I hear you ask? Well, not a lot, but next time youre flying over the area on a clear day, download a Lord of the Rings map and check out the topography to see if you think it looks similar. Youll be near the region if youre heading over ZWTN/Hotan airport one you might know as a better alternative if you are having issues over the Himalayas. Hotan has a 3,200m runway and offers an ILS or a VOR DME approach, but does sit at 4,671 with a pretty impressive 16,000 MSA to the south. the Shanwick or Gander Oceanic Control Stations (QSP means a free-of-charge relay). So, next time youre crossing the NAT, give a little salute down to the ghost of Juliet. She might be a ship, not an aeroplane, but she helped many aircraft cross the great North Atlantic back in her day. The lowest point in aviation Most folk have heard of ZUDC/Daocheng Yading airport because it sits at the top of the list of highest-elevation airports at an ear-popping 14,472. But what about the lowest? That prize goes to Israels LLMZ/Bar Yehuda airfield, a desert airfield next to the Dead Sea that sits 1,266 below sea level. It has a 1,200m runway, and thats about as exciting as that fact gets. So, there we have it a quick tour of aviation geographies and oddities from around the world. Daocheng Yading airport, China. It is the worlds highest civilian airport, located 4,411m above sea level Seven aeroplanes around the seven seas People are so inspired by aeroplanes and flight that they have a strange tendency to put them in random places. Here are seven worth finding on your travels: Paper aeroplane, Utah McDonalds aeroplane, Taupo Movie theatre Chachersk aeroplane, Belarus Airplane House, Abuja Smokey Joes retro aeroplane Bratwurst stand, Munich Abandoned 737, Bali DC3 wreckage, Iceland The ghost of Juliet Weathership Juliet was the busiest ocean station in the North Atlantic because she sat right in a busy transatlantic shipping lane, and below a favoured route for commercial aircraft. Her exact location was 52.30N 020.00W and she lived there from 1945-80. Aircraft flying overhead would call up on 121.5 or 126.7, or via HF, to request a radar fix, wind info, and to give a QSP of their position report to be forwarded onto A DC3 plane, which has been converted into a McDonalds restaurant in Taupo, New Zealand 42 THE LOG Win 24 pp39-42 Crossing the seven seas.indd 42 01/12/2023 16:47