18-y/o solo pilot RTW in a C-172

A1Topgun said:
Headline should read "GPS - Autopilot coupled Cessna 172 flys 18 year old around the world." Does he know what an E6B looks like? Can he fold a paper chart?
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OK Boomer...

Not sure why either of these are needed anymore. When I fly I have the panel in front of me, an iPad, and a phone. That's 2 backups to the built in. If that doesn't do it, having paper to manage and an E6B to manipulate, while gracefully dropping out of the sky, isn't going to help much. :D

I'm more concerned with someone that young understanding how long these sort of flights will be. Fatigue will kill you up there. A 172 is going to make that trip ridiculously long.
 
IMHO, this sounds like an extravagant adventure vacation, with "raising money for UNICEF" as a toss in for PR. I would be hesitant to let an 18 year old fly commercial around the world by himself, let alone have to pilot a 172 putzing at 100 knots.

I wish him well, and that nothing bad happens.
 
Warlock said:
So solo is really not solo…cause you need a support team that looks like a moon shot…go figure…
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Jeez... when did PoA turn into a bunch of cynical boomers screaming at the sky?

This guy is flying around the world. Around. The. World... Solo. I'm sure you and @Eldorado would just stuff some expired sectionals in the seat back pocket, throw some grass up in the air, lick your thumb, hold it to the wind and just send it. This guy is flying into dozens of countries each with different rules,regulations, levels of bureaucracy but you don't think he should search for help from people who are well versed in this kind of planning.

Here on PoA every day we get threads like:

https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/help-me-with-a-trip.132841/

https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/com...mexico-to-whom-do-i-owe-money-edition.132878/

https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/vfr-out-of-north-las-vegas.132709/

For flights in and out of the US, but you think that someone flying around the world shouldn't go to others for information. (If any of the above threads are someone reading's, I'm not calling you out. I think it's great you are searching for information. I do the same thing. I was just using the posts as examples of pilot looking for gouge from others.)

I fly around the world monthly for work, and I still look up stuff before my flight. It's called planning. But I guess I'm not a real pilot.
 
WDD said:
IMHO, this sounds like an extravagant adventure vacation, with "raising money for UNICEF" as a toss in for PR. I would be hesitant to let an 18 year old fly commercial around the world by himself, let alone have to pilot a 172 putzing at 100 knots.

I wish him well, and that nothing bad happens.
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Yeah, we can't trust those 18 year olds to be mature enough to handle responsibility like that...

https://44sqn.com/newsletters/landing-page/youngest-pilot/

https://worldwarwings.com/this-is-t...orld-war-ii-plus-he-had-an-impressive-record/

http://oldnorthwestterritory.northwestquarterly.com/2013/07/01/the-youngest-naval-aviator-of-wwii/

Do you know what I've come to realize. My (our) generation constantly derides the younger generation (millennials) and roll our collective eyes at how incompetent they are at "adulting." But it's sentiments like this thread that made them this way. The thought that somehow an 18 year old couldn't be trusted to ride in the back of an airliner and get themselves around the world, let alone fly themselves is what creates that impression. I for one don't buy into that and am glad there are these millennials that are capable. Unfortunately when they try to show that they are capable, they are met with boomers telling them that they obviously can't cut the mustard because they didn't use an E6B or sectional or they had a team of planners to help them navigate the red tape that goes with a around the world flight.
 
What’s interesting I was trying to make your point with sarcasm…and if you really want to know at one point in the process was a potential host…notice my first post in this thread my daughter was interviewing him for ForeFlight…I am also British and thus the connection…
 
WDD said:
I would be hesitant to let an 18 year old fly commercial around the world by himself
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Really? I was traveling around Asia by myself at 15-17 years old. My parents worked for an airline and I had a stack of employe/dependent passes. I spent a couple months each summer wandering around over there. I had my parents schedules so I could get a night in a nice place like the Marriott in Hong Kong in between stays at cheap dives.
 
DesertNomad said:
Really? I was traveling around Asia by myself at 15-17 years old. My parents worked for an airline and I had a stack of employe/dependent passes. I spent a couple months each summer wandering around over there. I had my parents schedules so I could get a night in a nice place like the Marriott in Hong Kong in between stays at cheap dives.
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^^^ luckiest man alive, right here. /thread.
 
Sluggo63 said:
Yeah, we can't trust those 18 year olds to be mature enough to handle responsibility like that...

https://44sqn.com/newsletters/landing-page/youngest-pilot/

https://worldwarwings.com/this-is-t...orld-war-ii-plus-he-had-an-impressive-record/

http://oldnorthwestterritory.northwestquarterly.com/2013/07/01/the-youngest-naval-aviator-of-wwii/

Do you know what I've come to realize. My (our) generation constantly derides the younger generation (millennials) and roll our collective eyes at how incompetent they are at "adulting." But it's sentiments like this thread that made them this way. The thought that somehow an 18 year old couldn't be trusted to ride in the back of an airliner and get themselves around the world, let alone fly themselves is what creates that impression. I for one don't buy into that and am glad there are these millennials that are capable. Unfortunately when they try to show that they are capable, they are met with boomers telling them that they obviously can't cut the mustard because they didn't use an E6B or sectional or they had a team of planners to help them navigate the red tape that goes with a around the world flight.
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I work with mostly young folks 18 to mid 30s (young enlisted airplane wrench benders)... they are typically much more mature than I ever thought about being when I was that age, and they work their butts off. I have high hopes for our future when these folks get old enough to start running things.

I also get tickled to come to these forums and read all about how "those darned millennials'" are such losers because they (and increasingly "we") rely on GPS, can't use a sectional map and what are we going to do when GPS gets jammed (that one cracks me up every time). The more likely scenario is that all the publishing companies that actually print sectional maps determines they can no longer absorb the losses and finally throws in the proverbial towel; then a digital display of the map will be required, such as on a tablet or PFD/MFD. Or I guess one could print them out on a printer at home...that would be really convenient.


I wonder what the old timers thought when those new pilots started using maps and couldn't even find their way using celestial navigation, and couldn't even decipher Morse code?
 
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aterry1067 said:
^^^ luckiest man alive, right here. /thread.
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I've got two brothers who had the same flight privileges and never went anywhere. I sure took advantage of it while I could. After I turned 21, that benefit ended. When it worked, it worked very well (Singapore and Hong Kong were great), and when it didn't I got stuck places. I spent 5 days in a crummy airport hotel in Taipei during a Typhoon in the late 80s and knew a place to stay in Seoul for $20/nt. Seoul was a pain because they would not assign non-rev seats until the last minute and by then it was often too late to get through all the security and immigration.
 
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I think one thing worth noting is that although I believe most competent pilots *could* execute a flight like this given the funding and logistical support, very few actually *do*. I give Travis great credit for seizing the opportunity and for getting round this far, making some decent airmanship calls as far as I can tell.
 
Warlock said:
What’s interesting I was trying to make your point with sarcasm…and if you really want to know at one point in the process was a potential host…notice my first post in this thread my daughter was interviewing him for ForeFlight…I am also British and thus the connection…
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Sorry @Warlock, my fault. I missed the sarcasm and I actually watched the video but didn’t put your previous post together with the more recent one. By the way, kudos to your kid. Great interview!
 
Katamarino said:
I give Travis great credit for seizing the opportunity and for getting round this far, making some decent airmanship calls as far as I can tell.
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I wish him well and safe travels. I am concerned that he’s off on this adventure and he/his operation lost the main logistical planning organization because it seems they just want to do what they want to do and not follow the plan the experts put together. Not great decision making. And he’s not been anywhere yet besides US and Canada.
 
WDD said:
I wish him well and safe travels. I am concerned that he’s off on this adventure and he/his operation lost the main logistical planning organization because it seems they just want to do what they want to do and not follow the plan the experts put together. Not great decision making. And he’s not been anywhere yet besides US and Canada.
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He's flown through Eastern Europe, Russia and now Greenland too. He's nearly done.
 
Let’s root for Travis to make this happen…if nothing else to have a positive accomplishment for a young GA Pilot with a dream…God Speed..
 
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