Michel has notified us that he has landed at Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Northern Canada. It is extremely cold there and is a remote city high up on the Hudson Bay. The weather there is -23 degrees C and snowing ice crystals! Not good flying weather. Michel asked the local FBO if he could put the tiny RV-8 inside the hangar for the night. The answer was “It will cost you $1500”. Not a very good reception for Michel. Today he will try again to put the plane in a hangar to work on it, but working out in the freezing weather is about impossible. Just the room Michel is staying in costs $220 a night.

Weather is an extremely important factor for the flight from now on. As all pilots know, icing on any surface of the airplane is hazardous, and even more so because Michel’s RV-8 is already loaded to the maximum weight with fuel and survival gear. Michel must be careful not to allow icing on the wings, tail, propeller.

The next stop will be Resolute, Nunavut about 850 miles from Michel’s position now. There he will refuel and fly across the North Pole into Norway. This is a very dangerous part of the flight to say the least. Weather, mechanical problems, human factors, all could affect the journey and Michel’s safety now.

While in Windsor, Michel was interviewed by CBC (Canadian Broadcasting). Read the story by clicking the photo below. We will update the site as soon as we get more news.