I started this thread to highlight the low key press coverage of a very young man who has broken records for long distance flying.
I agree there are plenty of wealthy pilots doing their Earthrounders trips but Lachlan is only 18 and not from a wealthy family. If it is so easy why has no other 18 year old ever done it.
His efforts appear to have been dismissed because he is not a famous personality or has a well oiled
PR machine.
Had Richard Branson just flown a small two seater single engined aeroplane from Australia to the UK across the Pacific and Atlantic there would have been hundreds of media people and a few B list Royals awaiting him at Biggin.
The story would have been on all the news channels and fronts pages.
Lachlan had less of a welcome than most of the minor celebs that enter the UK every day in their chauffered jets.
Indeed talking to a few friends in the national media the consensus is that he is not from the UK so there is no story and there will not be a round of high profile receptions.
If you bother to read his blog his ancestor's came from the UK and did their duty in WW2.
He also illustrates how he got his dream moving alone.
However, being an Aussie,Lachlan will have to wait until he returns down under to get recognition for his amazing achievements.
I emailed all the key people at HCAP but none have got back to me.
Here is the dismissive Press Association story.
An Australian teenage pilot has touched down in Britain part-way through his bid to become the youngest person to fly around the world solo in a single-engine aircraft.
Lachlan Smart, 18, is now on an 11-day stopover in the UK after flying a Cirrus SR-22 plane into Biggin Hill in Kent from the Azores, in the Atlantic.
He will resume his challenge on August 6, when he will fly to Cannes in the south of France as part of his eight-week, 24,000-nautical mile record bid, titled Wings Around The World.
Mr Smart's UK stopover will enable his aircraft to be serviced, while he explores his family's aviation links to Britain. Both his great-grandfathers flew out of Biggin Hill during the Second World War.
He said: "The journey so far has been a roller coaster. There have been so many ups and downs. The weather is something that's been out of my control.
"There have been some great times, including flying over the Grand Canyon and the Mississippi River. I'm looking forward to seeing my aunts, uncles and cousins while I'm here, as well as doing some touristy things like seeing Buckingham Palace."
Mr Smart started his adventure on July 4 from the Sunshine Coast of Queensland where he was brought up, and he hopes to return there as a record-breaker at the end of August.