In June 2023, Da Dong, a core member of the Axfine Extreme Sports League, and his pilot friend Vinzent drove a plane together, spanning 8 time zones and 8,973 kilometers, and they used the plane camping method to cross the east and west coasts of the United States, climbing to the highest altitude of 13,600 feet, what the Americans did 100 years ago, and now they took 14 days to complete, and they recorded China's first flight-themed road movie "Ambition in the Green Clouds" with their cameras. What is the charm of flying camping? Let's take a look back at their journey today and learn more about the flying culture and camping culture behind it.
Airplane camping is known abroad as flamping (flying and camping in one), which is simply to go camping in an airplane, a very fashionable way of camping, compared to car camping or backpacking, airplane camping can reach the wilderness off the beaten track. Campsites are generally in airports, and many airports in the United States have discovered this trendy way of camping, so American airports and RAF (Leisure Aviation ** Association) have built many camping sites in airports.
Da Dong and Vinzent took off from Ohio on the East Coast, via Indiana, Arkansas, Texas, Colorado, Nevada and California on the West Coast, and then flew back to Ohio along Adaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, the reddest, and the reddest in Michigan, a flight that lasted 51 hours. As Vinzent said, why does flying call having a God's perspective? Because a point on the map is no longer a simple point for you, but a place you can reach wherever you point.
Formed by millions of years of erosion by the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon of the United States creates a chasm in the landscape of northern Arizona, making it one of the most visually striking national parks. Pilot Vinzent said that in the early days of the United States, the Grand Canyon was a transit point for local Indians to trade with immigrants who came first, and it was simply a place to catch a market, equivalent to Dunhuang in China.
The aircraft cemetery is a storage area for retired aircraft, for many metal fatigue aircraft, this is a place to be treated well, and the aircraft is a good preservation here, especially during the epidemic, many aircraft are sealed here, and these aircraft will fly away after the epidemic is over, and there are Chinese retired aircraft China Southern Airlines A380 is permanently stored in this American aircraft cemetery.
California Highway 66 is known as the mecca of American Internet celebrities, known as the "mother road" of the United States, the reason why Highway 66 is popular with the American people is because it is the only roof within a radius of dozens of miles, and the surrounding area is barren. That's because Route 66 at the time connected where America prospered with what would prosper in the future.
There is a small island in the Pacific Ocean closest to Los Angeles, called Santa Catalina Island, this small island is the island of the MacBook desktop wallpaper, through the computer screen to the real other side and far away.
Da Dong and Vinzent took off from the East Coast, and the ultimate goal was actually to participate in the San Francisco Flight Rally, which is the oldest flight rally in the United States, with a history of more than 60 years, and 2023 is the 58th, this flight rally is more of a test of flight accuracy than flight speed, so it is a flight event for the public, Vinzent said that a good pilot is like a good person who plays chess, and can think a lot of steps backwards, Vinzent wanted to hone his flying skills through the competition, which was a great test of flight planning at the level of the driver, and he hoped to reach a finishing level in this competition, hoping to stimulate more people's interest in airplanes and flying.
Overall, flying camping is a rare luxury, and Da Dong and Vinzent's flight camping journey is both a journey of seeing the small and seeing the big with the small. From overlooking the earth and embracing the sky, to smiling between people and the patterns in the murals in the Grand Canyon; As small as a small idea to fly around the United States, as big as flying from the East Coast to the West Coast and back. During the day, the view of mountains, rivers, lakes and seas from the air is stunning, and it looks like an alien landscape. Crackling bonfires in the dark, surrounded by vast jungles, beneath the wings of airplanes, sleeping with the stars, an ultimate freedom to be close to nature.
Looking back on their air marathon across the United States, they have gained not only the accumulation of distance, but also the improvement of their understanding of the world - between the grandeur and the subtlety, they have found the meaning of travel, and also felt the infinite possibilities and philosophy of life brought by extreme sports.