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TEN ROMEO NEWSLETTER TEN ROMEO TO MOSCOW, Report 1 February 16, 1984 Greetings! What an exciting project this is, and I'm delighted to be back in touch with friends all over the country who are a part of my "communication network". Some of you have not been a part of this network" before, so a bit of background may be appropriate. Over five years ago I did some "dreaming" in a project proposal called, "OPERATION SILVERSTREAK". That proposal outlined my intent to take one of the first single-engine prop-jets (and I knew the state-of-the-art single of the 1980s would surely be available by 1985) and fly it against all single-engine records but endurance. My friends in general aviation suggested that my "visibility" and "credibility" would have to be enhanced to be successful in such an ambitious undertaking. Thus - on April 1st, 1983, I took early retirement from my responsibilities with New York State to start that journey toward increased "visibility" and "credibility". My first project was to fly my Beech-36, TEN ROMEO (N7710R), in the 1983 GRAND PRIX AIR RACE. Many of you flew that exciting race with me through ten reports. As you may recall, I flew every mile of the 2100-mile route with everything to the fire-wall, learned much about my equipment in the three months of preparation for the race, completed the route first, (but out of the money - it was a handicap race) and met many delightful new friends. My second project was a return to the Soviet Union last November and December to do a 25 year UPDATE on my 1958 EDUCATIONAL FIELD STUDY which was a part of my doctorate requirements at Boston University. My 9500 miles of travel within the USSR was outstanding, and once again, Soviet schools were opened to me, I was treated as an honored guest, and I left the Soviet feeling I had made many new friends. The UPDATE research was not "general aviation" oriented, but I did extend my stay in Moscow to request permission to fly TEN ROMEO into the Soviet Union on July 4th, 1984. My "pitch" for approval was simple - "When your government and mine are experiencing strained relationships, every effort should be made to increase the opportunities for friendly contact at the people-to-people level". There was general agreement with this position, and steps were started at that moment for TEN ROMEO to make a record attempt into Moscow on July 4th, 1984. (I hope to arrive in Moscow just in time for the Embassy party!) And that brings us to the present project, TEN ROMEO TO MOSCOW. Objectives of this project are to:
The potential excitement that this present project might generate was first experienced in Boarding School #38, in Moscow, in late November. In that 7th grade classroom I asked, as I had in every other classroom I had visited within the Soviet Union, "Do you have any questions you would like to ask me?" For the first time the children asked about my family, and I took a picture of my wife and five children out of my wallet and shared it with them. They wanted to know where each of my children were, and I indicated Roger was in Switzerland studying the Lute, Mary and her husband were in the Virgin Islands, Ann was with the Burn Unit in North Carolina, Kirk was in New York City in the final year of Cornell Medical College, and Janet was in Rochester, New York, with three jobs. As I returned the picture to my wallet, I pulled a picture of TEN ROMEO out, and told them what I was planning. WHAT EXCITEMENT! It was as if electricity had struck! DR. HARMON FLYING HIS LITTLE TINY AIRPLANE INTO THEIR CITY, MOSCOW, ON A FLIGHT OF FRIENDSHIP! I asked them if they thought their government would let me do that, and they indicated that, of course, their government would allow it to happen. The response I have had since my return home has been no less enthusiastic in my contact with close to 100 friends, colleagues, and TECHNICAL ADVISORS. These respected individuals I have asked to serve the project as Technical Advisors have all said "yes" immediately. Again, there seems to be a general feeling that TEN ROMEO TO MOSCOW just might provide that very small crack which could lead toward the first steps of a "thaw" which the whole world is hoping for. My next report will share with you further plans and progress. ------------ TEN ROMEO TO MOSCOW Flight Plan Route It is planned to register each leg of TEN ROMEO's flight from Albany, New York, to Moscow, USSR, and return, for CITY TO CITY WORLD RECORDS. Flight legs have been planned to slightly exceed normal fuel range of the standard Beech-36 configuration, and thus enhance the possibility of any World Records obtained being held for a period of time. TEN ROMEO will be modified to carry a maximum of 150 gallons of internal fuel. While this gives TEN ROMEO a 2,000 mile range, gross weight will be held to under 3,858 pounds to remain in NAA Class C-1.c.
A Russian navigator will be aboard TEN ROMEO from Oslo to Moscow, and from Moscow to Berlin. A request will be made that the Russian navigator remain with TEN ROMEO until Basel, to clear Soviet Block territory. *If, for whatever reason, approval of the OSL-SVO-BER flights are withdrawn at the last moment, the alternate route will be: OSL to BSL, Oslo --- Basel, 860 nm. ---------- TEN ROMEO TO MOSCOW DRAFT BUDGET The following represents anticipated costs for preparation and execution of the project, "TEN ROMEO TO MOSCOW".
Four financial sponsors will be solicited from the oil company industry. Each sponsor will be asked to contribute $10,000. Should sponsorship fall short, the safety items under "Aircraft Preparation" could be dropped. "Additional equipment" might be borrowed, but this could generate problems in the event of a loss.
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