Thinking about building an airplane to fly around the world? Look no further than the Sun ’n Fun grounds to gain a wealth of information on how to actually go about that monumental task.
On Wednesday, the second day of the show, world record holder Bill Harrelson presented a forum in which he detailed how he built a Lancair IV with the intention of setting speed and endurance records. Every square inch of the Lancair was specifically designed and modified for record attempts—from the ten separate fuel tanks to the quadruple-redundant avionics. Bill also assembled a team of ground support personnel who specialized in communications, navigation and weather.
It all came together in March 2013, when Bill flew his Lancair from Guam to Jacksonville, Florida, non-stop, setting his first world record. He followed that epic flight with a 2015 global circumnavigation over both the North and South Poles. Bill documented his accomplishment in a two-part KITPLANES article “Pole to Pole!”
Other forum presenters also provided Sun ’n Fun attendees with hints and tips for transoceanic flight. Carol Ann Garrett, a Mooney pilot who has flown completely around the world three times, highlighted her flights conducted to raise money and awareness for those affected by ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). On one of her flights, she and fellow Mooney pilot Carol Foy set a circumnavigation record for westbound flights in their single-engine weight class.
On a slightly smaller scale, private pilot Sandrine Gressard presented a forum detailing how she acted as second in command on two ferry flights of Piper Archers from Canada to India. Her engaging and informative style drove home the point that transoceanic flight is possible even for those not setting world records. She offered a wealth of insight into what it’s really like to fly a small aircraft from Canada to Greenland, to Iceland and beyond.
Don Taylor was the first person to build and fly a homebuilt aircraft around the world, accomplishing the feat in 1976. Since then, 23 other pilots have completed the journey, according to the best records at Earthrounders.com. Anyone desiring to be the 24th would be well advised to visit Lakeland, Florida, during the first week of April.
So what is exactly was that four bolt clamp attached to the end of Bill Harrelson’s Lanceair’s IV plane?
I used to think I wanted to be an Earthrounder. Then I heard Adrian Eichorn give a presentation about his round-the-world trip in his Bonanza. His description of flying over the Pacific ocean in the Intertropical Convergence Zone and getting hammered by the 60,000 foot thunderstorms that towered around him cured me of me of that idea. Go for it if you want but personally, flying my RV (when it’s finished) to Alaska will be the extent of my adventure flying.
We are really proud of Bill and his round the world flights and to have been able to be a part of his last one. Congratulations Bill!