Taking the long way home – Round the World

Taking the long way home – Round the World

Before I even earned my pilot’s license back in 2005, I had dreams of making three epic flights. The first, to fly coast to coast across the USA, was completed in 2007. I was lucky enough to carry out the second, to fly from Europe to the southern tip of Africa, in 2013 on the “Flight for Every Mother“. A flight around the world is in many ways an even bigger challenge to organise but finally came together.

Departing from Pittsburgh on May 6th, 2019, the route took me across the Atlantic to the UK and Europe, then through the Middle East and India into Southeast Asia, and onward to Australia and New Zealand. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a prolonged stay in the Antipodes but finally borders opened, and I was able to continue across the Pacific to the USA to complete the circle on June 30th, 2023.

The flight in figures:

  • Hours flown: 659
  • Distance flown: 84,140 miles (135,410 km)
  • Countries visited: 35
  • Airports visited: 571

Below is a listing of the pages covering the preparation for the flight, media coverage, and the write-up of the trip as it progressed.

While the flight is self-funded, and the main reason behind it is my long term dream, a flight like this offers opportunities for publicity. I am using these opportunities to raise awareness of, and raise money for, the charity African Promise.

African Promise is an organisation dedicated to supporting and enhancing primary education in Kenya. They work with multiple target schools in Kenya, serving around 2,700 children. Over the 10 years they have been running so far they have upgraded 75 class-rooms, supplied more than 15,000 text books, and provided more than 1.5 million school meals. Their building and redevelopment programme includes the construction of classrooms, libraries, resource/computer labs, dining halls and kitchens, staff-rooms and offices, teacher housing, and toilets/washrooms. They also create playground areas, install rainwater harvesting facilities, and provide furniture and equipment.

100% of donated funds go directly to African Promise; none are used for the flight.

Click here to donate to African Promise.

I am extremely grateful for the support provided by the following companies and organisations.

General Aviation Support Egypt (GASE) are a flight support company, originally founded in Cairo to assist pilots flying through Egypt. Now based out of the UK and Dubai, they provide top quality, great value flight support to general aviation flights all around the world.

GASE offer all kinds of flight support services including provision of overflight and landing permits, arrangement of handling, fuel, and accommodation, and even in-flight real time support with weather data, and a whole host more. Run by Eddie and Ahmed, I have worked with them on several adventurous flights in the past, and this will be our biggest yet!