The flying career of a wandering private pilot

After obtaining a Private Pilots’s Licence in 2005, I decided that it must be possible to use this new skill for more than occasional local flights for a cup of tea. With very little experience, and a similar amount of guidance, I set off to see what adventures could be had. It soon became clear that a number of other private pilots had the same ideas, although making up a tiny fraction of the overall pilot population. What was missing was shared information on their experiences, the tips and tricks that ease this kind of endeavor. Hence, this website: to chronicle my adventures, and hopefully provide helpful information and advice to those wishing to do the same thing.

The site is intended to offer ideas, tips and tricks for other pilots who are keen to make similar trips. I also keep it as a way to chronicle these experiences for my own enjoyment.

You can click here to visit the index of all flying adventures so far.

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Return to Australia

The flight around the world finally came to a close on June 30th, 2023. What was meant to be a one year trip turned into four years thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, with an extra three years added on, stuck in New Zealand and Australia waiting for the last of the Pacific Islands to open their borders.

The universe has a sense of irony however and, less than a year after returning to the US (much of which was spent on a full refurbishment of Planey including a snappy new paint scheme) I was offered a new job in, you guessed it, Australia. There was no way I was going to spend a few more years down under without Planey, so another long adventure was on the cards.

View the live satellite tracker here.

The flight in figures:

• Hours flown: 32.4
• Distance flown: 5,236 miles (8,427 km)
• Countries visited: 3
• Airports visited: 8

The write-up, day by day:

• Section 1: The Atlantic, via the Azores
• Section 2: A new route across Eurasia
• Section 3: The final run to Australia

Click here to read more about the flight.