One man is about to throw caution to the wind and embark on a 30,000-mile trip around the world.
Lifting off from Baltimore, Md., Oct. 13, American native Gustavus McLeod will fly high above frozen tundras and steamy rainforests in a Beech 18 airplane in honor of the centennial of powered flight. This celebration salutes the first powered airplane, flown by the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, Dec. 17, 1903.
McLeod is making the trip to educate students on aviation history and will communicate with students through e-mail or a live Internet transmission from the cockpit of his Beech 18.
McLeod’s lessons will be transmitted to schools in such locations as Brazil and England, with each selected country receiving a lesson tailored to its geographic region. Over London, McLeod plans to educate about British aviator Amy Johnson, and when directly over the North Pole, he will discuss the ozone layer.
While the four-week, 30,000-mile trip around the poles may sound daring to many, McLeod is not an amateur pilot. McLeod holds two aviation records and has recently written a book, “Solo to the Top of the World,” based on an award-winning National Geographic aviation documentary. McLeod has proven his extensive aviation expertise by also earning the Conqueror of the Pole Award from the Smithsonian Institution, the Medal of Distinction from the Air Force Association and even Congressional recognition from the U.S. Congress, among other distinctions.
McLeod’s trip is estimated to cost more than $300,000, mostly to cover the cost of several hundred gallons of fuel.
“You burn over nine-and-a-half gallons of fuel every hour,” said a local Blue Skies pilot from Lake in the Hills, Ill., who asked to be identified as “Joe.” “Depending on the wind speeds and if you’re flying over water, you could burn a lot more.”
“Joe” was skeptical of the fuel-tank capacity in McLeod’s Beech 18 plane.
“To make a trip like that, you’re going to have to take out the interior of the plane and have a gas tank sitting next to you,” he said. “You would have to be right on the money, or you could end up right in the ocean.”
But another local pilot believes McLeod made the right choice of airplanes.
“[The Beech 18 plane] really isn’t that fast, but it can carry a lot,” said a local pilot from Morey Airplane Company in Middleton, who asked to be identified as “Dax.”
“It has a ten-seat capacity, so your useful load, or the space you have to carry things with you, is ideal for such a long trip,” he said.
A venture of this sort has yet to be seriously attempted by other pilots. However, “Dax” said it would be something he would enjoy.
“It would definitely be a lot of fun,” he said.
