Around the world??

[ozzieb88]

Hello everyone,

I will be starting my PPL and be flying every week so that next July i can have my PPL on my 17th birthday.

The main reason im writing this is to find out how to get sponsored for around the world flying?

I want to be the youngest pilot to do a solo around the world! at 17, do anyone know of any company or organisation that helps or do i have to private fund this?


Thanks

[FNG]

Oz, something like that would only happen if you made it happen. You would have to engage the interests of sponsors, by direct contact, press features etc (local newspapers usually run short features on 16 year old first solos and 17 year old PPLs). There aren't any "Sponsoring people to fly around the world" companies, but if you captured the imagination of a CEO or two you might get some backing.

Good luck with your PPL.

[Whirlybird]

Ozzie,

FNG is right. However, you need to convince people that you're to be taken seriously, and it'll help if you're known and have a bit of a track record. So you need to start the publicity soon. Let your local paper know that you're starting your PPL, and youwant to get it on your 17th birthday. Tell them when you get it. Once you're qualified, you'll need a lot of flying experience before you can safely fly round the world solo - do some interesting flying, enter competitions and rallies, and get more publicity as the youngest person to enter (win?). That way, when you actually reach the point of being able to consider flying round the world, your name will be recognised, you'll be taken seriously, and you'll have a better chance of getting sponsorship. At the moment, if you tell people you want to do this when you can't even fly, they won't believe it's possible - sorry, but that's reality. You need to change that by your own efforts.

Good luck with your PPL and all future plans. :ok:

[dirkdj]

Ozzie,

Nice to see your enthusiasm for flying. When I was 18, with about 70 hours under the belt, I flew to N.Africa in a 300hp seven-seater with the rest of the family. All went well, but now, 35 years and a lot of hours later, I am still learning.

The more you know, the more you realise that there is still a lot more you don't know or ever will know.

I would use that hypothetical money to get an instrument rating instead, do basic aerobatics, get some serious piston engine management course, fly many different types of airplanes, gliders, etc.

There is a group that calls themselves the 'Earthrounders' and they have a website somewhere.

The PPL is a license to learn, nothing more, nothing less.

Good luck.

[Tiger_ Moth]

Oz, you should take inspiration from this great guy called Bear Grylls. He was in the SAS and then he became the youngest Briton (aged 23) to climb Everest. The point is that in order to get sponsored to climb Everest he had to go around to loads of companies begging his case and phone literally hundreds of places, and most importantly he never gave up, not even when Richard Branson's housekeeper chased him and his friend away from Bransons house. He wrote a book about it, called "Facing Up", which you, and everybody else for that matter should read.

It's true that you need to first achieve something so that people will at least listen to you and getting your PPL at age 17 is something that will help. Then you have to build your flying experience and not give up when chasing sponsorship.

Good luck.

[ozzieb88]

Hi people.

Thanks alot for your replies, i appreciate the help!

Oz

[Whirlybird]

See www.earthrounders.com. Lots of interesting stuff, but I couldn't find who was the youngest person to fly round the world.

[MLS-12D]

It appears that thus far the youngest pilots to fly around the world are Dan Dominguez and Chris Wall (http://www.thehollandsentinel.net/stories/121700/new_fliers.html), who were both 22 years old at the time. See generally this site (http://www.worldflight2000.com/), which should provide some ideas and inspiration.

Arguably, 11-year-old Tony Aliengena was the youngest person ever; but of course he had no license and was flying on his father's ticket (à la Jessica Dubroff (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1996/04/13/MN35572.DTL)), which doesn't cut it IMHO.