Tina, me, and Gunter, on the day we met.
It looks like the ruins of a Roman aqueduct, but this scenery at Schwetzingen Palace was built in the 18th century and always looked like this. Photo courtesy of Tina Haug.
June 30 — Worms, Germany to Mannheim, Germany
Earthrounders befriend me; mechanics assist me
People who have flown around the world in an airplane are known as earthrounders, and they’re a pretty small group. As I was planning my trip, I got a lot of advice from those who had done what I planned to do, especially fellow Mooney pilots Brian Lloyd, Pieter Nel, and Tina and Gunter Haug. It is a friendly community of people who are more than happy to pay forward the assistance they received when they were planning and undertaking their own adventures.
Tine and Gunter made their trip in 2025. You can read all about it here.
I reached out to Tina and Gunter and asked if I could stop by for lunch or dinner as I made my way down to Austria for my marathon in Pitztal. Not only did they agree, but they also invited me to stay the night at their apartment near Mannheim. “Of course,” Tina said. “You’re an earthrounder.” “Not yet,” I said, “but I’m trying.” They met me on arrival, and after a bite to eat at the airport cafe we headed to Schwetzingen Palace, where the beautiful grounds include an 18th century fake Roman aqueduct ruin. We then feasted on charcuterie and talked about flying and flying adventures, and they gave me some pointers for the rest of my trip.
There was one thing Tina and Gunter couldn’t do for me: help me get my engine to perform a little bit better. It was acting as if there was a slight blockage in one of the four fuel injectors, thus requiring me to operate the others a bit rich (more fuel per unit air) to get that cylinder to run well (the necessary amount of fuel per unit air). Fortunately, I walked over to a hangar at Mannheim and found Dennis Deaton and Justin Black.
Justin Black, me, and Dennis Deaton at Mannheim Airport.
Justin and Dennis are veterans, aviation mechanics, and very friendly people. They got the partially blocked injector cleaned, and the plane flew perfectly. They were happy to contribute to making my adventure a success, and I was–and am–grateful for their assistance. Thanks, guys!