MODESTO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – When getting planes delivered across the ocean, pilot Tom Lopes says there are two ways: putting it on a boat or flying the plane there. He prefers the second option.
“When it gets over there it hasn’t been disassembled, hasn’t been put in a crate, it’s got no dents or dings in it,” Lopes said. “It’s exactly how it came out of the factory, it’s essentially a new airplane.”
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Tom Lopes rose to viral fame in aviation circles last week when he piloted a Cessna 172 from Merced to Honolulu. The Cessna 172 has a standard range of around 700 miles, but the distance Tom Lopes flew it from Merced to Honolulu is around 2,400 miles. The feat was done by packing as much available space inside the aircraft with fuel tanks to complete the 17-hour journey.
Lopes says he’s been flying since before he had a driver’s license, starting with crop dusting planes.
“I got into aviation when I was like 14 years old,” Lopes said. “We lived across the street from an airport and I would sit on the fence and watch airplanes come and go.”