Message from Michel 7/18/98

A car arrived and the peace was finished. I was taken to the Flight Dispatcher office and requested to fill a report about my not authorized landing. People there are kind but it is very hard to deal with them. It is a psychological war. New people were appearing (as we know: the bad guy, the gentle one that seems to protect you). Always the same question: why did I land there without permission ?

My report was, is, and will be the same: I had an initial clearance to overfly the country. Upon the Laos message (after several requests never answered) that I should proceed via diplomatics that should take too long, I sent a new routing request to Vietnam, really two AFTN addresses: one was the initial one where I did request the first flight, second is a special one for updates and modifications of the first one.

From U-Taphao, the day before departing, the flight plan was posted, and was accepted. Since my start, when something was not accepted by a country that was affected by the flight plan, they immediately sent a message to the departing airport telling for instance (Bangladesh) that the flight was not accepted.

So, my flight was accepted and I took off.

I entered the Vietnam FIR ( Flight Information Region) and was cleared all the way to destination. The only not normal point was my endurance left request , just before landing. I understand that they can tell me something if I would have been told not to enter their airspace and doing it, or not to land and doing it.

It is the GAME. Come here dear stranger, you are welcome. Once there, you will leave (I hope) but you will have to pay our conditions!).

Politics, ideas, Capitalists, Communists. It is interesting. We, capitalists, are not paying navigation charges and just a symbolic fee for landing ones (if requested). There (Vietnam, China, Russia), they request an average of $800 per day. When coming back home, I have to study more about the meaning of those words .

So, after completing the form, they wanted me to pay a $200 fee, as punishment for my landing. They stated that they even didn’t receive the flight plan (so why they didn’t send a fighter to intercept the UFO entering magically their country?). I refused, because that would have meant the acceptance that I did something wrong…and I didn’t.

Also they wanted me to pay incredible landing fees, immigration fees, custom fees, and best of all, $130 fee for using a follow me car I didn’t ask for. Finally, they accepted a price of $238, instead of $700. At 9 PM, after filling the next day flight plan, I was cleared to go to the aircraft and refuel it. When there, the fuel truck disappeared just before starting and I was taken to immigration where my passport was confiscated. I was taken to the airport hotel.

July the 17th, at 0700am. I am called to my room and requested to go to the airport immediately to refuel the aircraft.

"Is my flight plan approved?"

"Not yet Sir, but it will be soon."

"OK, I will have my breakfast and then proceed to the airport."

Breakfast ready, I call the airport: "Is the flight plan approved?"

"Not yet Sir, but it will be soon."

"So, then, call me when approved!"

I contacted the Spanish Embassy. I was also able to get some cash from Hong Kong Bank, and then proceeded to the Embassy with all my stuff. Since then, they have worked all the day long to get everything fixed. I was invited to a delightful meal, and since then, I am hosted by them, in particular, by Jordi Carrasco Muņoz, of the Economic and Commercial Section (as the Embassy itself is at Hanoi).

The Spanish Chancellor contacted Vietnam Civil Aviation representatives and Military ones (as they want also to give their permission). Finally, they agreed to let me out if I pay the airport fees, fuel and $200 fine. We said OK.

So, we went to the airport to pay everything.

"Sorry Sir, you cannot pay or refuel until your permission is granted!"

Calls and calls…

Permission is granted but not sent. The General responsible of it was at a meeting finishing at 04:30 PM, finishing at 05:00 PM, finishing at 07:00 PM, finishing at 10:00 PM. The Spanish Chancellor in person wanted to wait for the General at the end of the meeting.

Permission is granted but will not be given before next day at 0730. So, China gave the clearance but just for July the 18^th. Only way to comply with it is taking off at sunrise (around 0600 am) and landing at sunset into Nanning. Not being able to take off before 0930, and Chinese not allowing a 24 hrs delay and requesting a new overflight permit, means that the entry in China has to be delayed until next Wednesday, July 22^nd. Also, the Russian permit is lost and the guy that give it is not helpful.

Now, again, several options are available:

Next Friday, Lufthansa cargo flight to Frankfurt (if the Vietnamese let me take my airplane out using this way).

Round the world flight leaving the KF anywhere in Japan or USA, to be able to meet everybody at Oshkosh.

China routing, China -Japan routing.