Continuation of the discovery of Taipei and the Famous Taipei 101

We are now on our way to the Memorial of Chiang Kai-shek (October 31, 1887 – April 5, 1975).

For the changing of the guard:

Oh yes we are not the only one there

Followed by a visit of the Memorial of the Taiwanese people that dies in conflics.

And finally the famous Taipei 101, which was the highest building in the world before the Burj Kalifa, but still has the fastest elevator, a mere 37 seconds from the ground floor to the top at 388 meters.

Yes it is

A Taipei discovery

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a state in East Asia. The Republic of China, originally based in mainland China, now governs the island of Taiwan, which makes up over 99% of its territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and other minor islands. Neighboring states include the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east and northeast, and the Philippines to the south. Taipei is the seat of the central government. New Taipei, encompassing the metropolitan area surrounding Taipei proper, is the most populous city.

The island of Taiwan (formerly known as "Formosa") was mainly inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines until the Dutch and Spanish settlement during the Age of Discovery in the 17th century, when Han Chinese people began immigrating to the island. In 1662, the pro-Ming loyalist Koxinga expelled the Dutch and established the first Han Chinese polity to rule on the island, the Kingdom of Tungning. The Qing Dynasty of China later conquered Taiwan in 1683. By the time Taiwan was ceded to Japan in 1895, the majority of Taiwan's inhabitants were Han Chinese either by ancestry or by assimilation. The Republic of China (ROC) was established in China in 1912. At the end of World War II in 1945, Japan surrendered Taiwan to ROC military forces on behalf of the Allies. Following the Chinese civil war, the Communist Party of China took full control of mainland China and founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. The ROC relocated its government to Taiwan, and its jurisdiction became limited to Taiwan and its surrounding islands. In 1971, the PRC assumed China's seat at the United Nations, which the ROC originally occupied. International recognition of the ROC has gradually eroded as most countries switched recognition to the PRC. Only 21 UN member states and the Holy See currently maintain formal diplomatic relations with the ROC, though it has informal ties with most other states via its representative offices.

Constitutionally, the ROC government has claimed sovereignty over all of "China", in a definition that includes mainland China and Outer Mongolia,but has not made retaking mainland China a political goal since 1992.However, the government's stance on defining its political position largely depends on which political coalition is in charge. Meanwhile, the PRC also asserts itself to be the sole legal representation of China and claims Taiwan as its 23rd province to be under its sovereignty, denying the status and existence of ROC as a sovereign state. The PRC has threatened the use of military force as a response to any formal declaration of Taiwanese independence, or if it deems peaceful reunification no longer possible. Cross-strait relations as well as issues of national identity within the country are important factors in Taiwanese politics and a cause of social and political division among political parties and their respective supporters.

First the temple, we are lucky because it is in use and we are given a great explanation to the Buddist culture and religion.

Our flight to Taiwan

The departure was a little hectic.

Because of delay before departure, I had to refile the flight plan of the Mustang and the TBM.

Then weather came in and the runway was changed.

Between clearance and startup we had a 45 mn wait, then we get a storming shower while taxing, first time I wish the Mustang has wipers...

In any case we took, behind a 777 and got on our way with a climb speed requested to be 210 kts,...yes I can but it will be a slow climb


Soon we were off the departure and given radar vectors, and with ISA at plus 18/19 during the climb ( it was only +17 in cruise at 330) we were on our merry way.

Tom and Sylvia are with us to Japan

Tom has a blog and it can be seen at:

http://blog.aopa.org/blog/?cat=1018

and yes we were on radar vector for the intercept 

Our Hong Kong Departure to Taipei

After a great stay in Hong Kong and the beautiful Peninsula. it is time to fly to Taipee.

We have to prepare the departure of one of the busiest airport in the world and be part of the traffic.

We have slots to respect, we have a sequence of event before we can start the engine and then taxi and finally the departure.

Here is our brief: