European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 6, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday septembers 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 Over Here Shetland  Atlantic Ocean s & s map Peter Jaeger its Al ill How thu to nay army maj. Mike Kinsey his wife Jenny ind their son Jon pose with the Little plane that took them overseas. The map shows the route they new. Family finds High adventure in trip overseas by Janet Howells Tierney staff writer Hanau Wesl Germany after Clearing the fog off the Small windows the family saw Clouds billowing below them and Little else. While the sound of the aircraft s single engine made conversation difficult the Pilot s creased brow reflected his deep concentration on the Job of keeping the plane on course thousands of feet above the North Atlantic. Having to Cross the Ocean for an overseas assignment happens eventually to most military families but few choose to make their own arrangements As this army family did. For maj. Mike Kinsey his wife Jenny and 3-year-old son Jon the trip to West Germany was the latest adventure in a life of challenges. On one of our first dates we climbed mount Washington North of Boston Mike said. After marrying they drove 3,000 Miles from Mobile ala., Toel Salvador. Flying across the North Atlantic fitted nicely into their interests. So near the end of their tour at fort ,kan., the Kins cys bought a 1966 single engine Cherokee six air plane for their move to Hanau West Germany. The aircraft which Cost $29,000, would easily fit in a two car garage. Preparations then began for the journey to Mike Snew assignment As an Engineer with the 3rd brigade 3rd army div in Friedberg. Jenny an emergency medical doctor will work in the Community clinic. Since getting his Pilot s License in 1985, Mike had logged 300 hours flying time before setting out on the trans Atlantic  Rode along with her husband often and this sparked her own interest. She now has 10 hours of flying time logged As a student Pilot. Dunn the Long flight she occasionally took the controls when Mike was pulling out charts. When they first got their new aircraft Mike an Jenny took it on a few dry runs. To lighten the plane and make room for safety equipment Many unnecessary items had to be removed including three of the six seals. During their initial calculations the couple figure the trip of about 3,500 Miles would Lake five to seven Days in the plane that could travel 1 so Mph. It Loo double that time. Their adventure began sedately with flights across the United states to visit relatives and say goodbyes. Then on july 11, the Kins cys arrived in Bangor Maine where they had a 50-Gallpn fuel tank and a special High frequency Antenna installed. As these preparations were being made a health problem grounded them for nearly a week. Jenny who was three months pregnant began bleeding excessively and decided to have an ultrasound performed. The results convinced her that the fetus was All right but the family walled a few Days to be sure before taking off. They left Bangor on july 17 and made the 90-Minutc flight to Moncton Canada. All single engine planes Are required to Stop in i Moncton to be inspected before crossing the Atlantic Jenny  checked to Sec that the plane carried the required emergency land and sea equipment such As agent sleeping bags life preservers a raft and some dry suits insulated clothing that the three had to Wear while Over the water. Also while in Moncton Mike had to take an Oral exam to assure that he knew what to do if problems  getting the thumbs up later that Day the Kins cys made the 4 a hour flight to Goose Bay Canada the last Stop before setting out Over the Ocean. Flying at 9,000 feet Over Canada Mike and Jenny were struck by the desolate terrain below. There were no signs of civilization Jenny  Between the mountains were valleys which were usually full of water. It Felt a Little uncomfortable both were looking for a place to land if they had an problems but there was no Flat land. I became very apprehensive Mike said. Thought maybe we should do something different but then 1 realized we had too much invested in the  after arriving in Goose Bay Jenny became ill again and they postponed their departure until july 21, when another ultrasound showed the baby was Fine and he condition improved. The next leg of the trip had some tense moments. I took 5 a hours to reach Nassar Ssuan on the Southern tip of Greenland and Jon was very uncomfortable in his dry suit. Although looser than a wet suit the apparel is reputed to keep a person warm in the icy Ocean water up to eight hours in which a person normally would t last 10 minutes. Jon was miserable for the first flight Jenny said. He screamed the whole Way Mike said. But the suit stayed  besides dealing with the screaming child Thek Iscys found the plane used lots of fuel to get to the Best Altitude where they would experience less air resistance. But the higher Altitude brought another complication. We hit some Clouds and got some ice on the win sat 7,000 feel. So we got permission and dropped to 6,000," Jenny said adding that a buildup of ice could have prevented air from flowing Over the wings causing them to lose Altitude quickly. After dropping to a warmer Altitude the couple experienced their next round of turbulent times. The plane s regular fuel tank ran dry before they reached land and the couple had to Hook up the extra tank that had been installed during the Stop in Bangor. It caused a Little excitement Mike said of the midair fuel change. The  t complicate Das Long As you Don t panic. After switching the tanks we kept the plane in a shallow Glide until the engine kicked Back  finally they sighted land Greenland s rugged Mountain coastline that was rimmed with ice. They had to navigate the plane through a 50-mile Long fiord a narrow winding Inlet to the Airfield. As part of their approach the Kinsey were careful to watch for icebergs floating in the water next to the Airport. The Kins cys were landlocked in Greenland for three Days by bad weather and had to pay $ 120 per night for a double room. A meal for two Cost about $80. During their wait the family took sightseeing Tours and Learned a bit about the  july 24, they took off for the 6w-hour flight to Reykjavik  Miles out we hit rain fog and Clouds Mike said. I had to use an instrument approach. We were almost Down to the approach lights before we saw  Reykjavik they paid $ 110 a night for a hotel room a Pilot s special while waiting for the weather to Clear. Again they spent the Down time touring the  remembers the trolls of Mccland referring to the unusual Rock formations along the coast. On july 28, the weather and their Luck  flight to the Shetland islands which normally requires 6 to hours took Only five  had a Good Tail wind of 50 knots about 57 Mph Mike  few Days later on july 31, the flying family took off for the last leg of their adventure. This time it did not go  Over the North sea they were forced to reroute around a dutch naval live fire training exercise. Then Between Holland and West Germany they hit Clouds at about 8,000 feet and ice quickly built up on the wings. First they tried to get up above the Clouds for an hour at 9,000 feet but later had to drop to 6,000 Over West Germany when they hit thicker  tense hours after Takeoff they landed on the Hanau army Airfield despite the tribulations of the 14-Day adventure and the 30 hours in the cockpit the Kinsey faces begin  at the mention of the trip. It was an experience of a lifetime Jenny  never would have seen those places otherwise and we re going to Sec Many More while in Europe they plan to use the plane a couple of times a month for  they already have begun thinking about a. Challenging Way of returning to America when their time comes. We might sell the plane for a boat and sail Back tothe states Mike said with a Grin