4
GA
/ Vol. 5 / No.9 / SEPTEMBER 2013
I
first met Ryan Campbell and his
parents at an air show earlier this
year. Surrounded by banners
and a globe displaying a flight path
around 360 degrees of longitude, the
nineteen year-old had his eyes firmly
set on being the youngest person to
fly solo around the world. Now as I
write, his dream is becoming reality.
That dream began two years
ago, although at that stage he
wasn't even able to grasp if such
a flight was feasible. Bit by bit
and Google search after Google
search his questions found answers.
With every step he learned a
little more and gradually the
dream evolved into a concept and
`Teen World Flight' was born.
In itself, the `age barrier'
was not a significant issue for
Ryan. He soloed a light sports
aircraft on his fifteenth birthday
and followed that up by his first
`GA' solo on his sixteenth. Three
months after he turned eighteen
he gained a commercial pilot's
licence and it has been onwards
and upwards ever since.
For Ryan, more than the
challenge of flight planning, the
new world of visas, taxation,
funding and media promotion
presented possibly the greatest
hurdles. As always, time was the
enemy and these tasks all needed
to be accomplished and set in place
before his departure on June 30th.
The logistics alone of such a flight
are daunting. 24,000 nautical miles,
nearly 200 hours of flight time, 14
countries, 5 continents and sector
lengths ranging from 20 minutes
to 14 hours. For an experienced
aviator it would seem daunting and
for a teenager it must have seen
to be nearly impossible at times.
Marking out a route for
an around the world confronts
challenges ranging from political
boundaries and topography to the
availability of aviation fuel and
customs clearances. Ultimately
Ryan's route would depart from the
Australian east coast and island-hop
across the Pacific in sectors ranging
from one to more than two thousand
nautical miles. Along the way he
would stop at Norfolk Island, Pago
Pago, Christmas Island, Hawaii
before reaching the west coast of
the United States. Crossing America
he would make a mandatory
visit to Air Venture at Oshkosh
before continuing his journey via
Canada, Iceland, Great Britain,
France and Greece. Europe would
be left behind, bound for Egypt,
Oman, Sri Lanka and Indonesia
and finally home to Australia.
All of this was planned to
take place over ten weeks in an
aircraft carrying minimal baggage
and significant amounts of fuel.
In fact the aircraft Ryan tasked
to travel the world is a Cirrus
SR22 and carries an impressive
performance pedigree. Powered
by a 310HP Continental engine,
the modified Cirrus will cruise
at around 160 knots, which is a
little slower than standard due to
an additional HF aerial and an
underwing ferry tank fuel line.
For the `Teen World Flight', its
maximum take-off weight will be
increased by nearly 400kg as the
SR22 uplifts and additional 160
gallons (600 litres) of fuel for a
total capacity of 250 gallons (950
litres). This extra fuel is facilitated
by an additional tank located in
the cabin behind the pilot's seat
and offers nearly fifteen hours of
endurance. And the 2,100nm and
almost fifteen hour sector from
Hawaii to the West Coast will make
full use of that additional fuel.
When you speak to Ryan, his
maturity and sincerity is remarkable
for a young man in his teens. He
genuinely seeks to inspire young
people to follow their dreams,
whether those dreams are in the
field of aviation or some other
endeavour. As he rightly points
out, "It's all about commitment".
Once the dream has been conjured,
realisation only comes with
persistent dedication. There are
always a million reasons why you
can't do something, but you only
need to find one way to achieve
that goal and then set your mind to
it. Ryan is a classic case in point
of practising what he preaches.
Ryan set off on schedule and
set course over his first expanse
of water for Norfolk Island. Over
the next five weeks he worked
his way to the north east enroute
to the United States. When I
caught up with him by phone, he
had already crossed the Pacific
and the continental United
States, including a spectacular
flight past Niagara Falls.
Yet for all those special
moments, there is a lot of hard
work tying every sector together
safely and successfully. The spectre
of fatigue often rears its head in
the early stages of each flight.
Possibly there is a slight `adrenaline
dump' and relief in getting back
into the skies that causes a sense
of weariness. And of course there
is no-one there to chat with as he
sets course across the world.
At other times he has been
entertained by the air traffic
controllers across the United States.
At first they query his aircraft
registration with wonder, however
when they inquire further they are
dumb-founded. Hearing that the
flight consists of a nineteen-year-
old circumnavigating the world
solo in a single-engined Cirrus,
the normally rapid-fire controllers
border of being lost for words.
Now Ryan sees the North
Atlantic as his immediate
challenge. Beyond that, the sectors
beyond Greece through Egypt
and Sri Lanka are set to offer
up a set of unknowns until the
Australian coast-line looms ahead.
No matter how experienced
you are as an aviator, to set
off solo around the world is a
remarkable undertaking. For a
teenage commercial pilot to set his
sights on such a goal is amazing,
but to follow through and make it
a reality is something to behold.
Undoubtedly along the way there
have been frustrations and even
moments where butterflies swirled
in the stomach. However, the real
achievement lies in Ryan's ability
to confront, adapt and overcome
these hurdles along the way.
As I spoke to him over the
long distance line, there was an
unmistakeable sense of wonder
in his voice. He oozed unfailing
enthusiasm tempered with a mature
balanced perspective. He referred
to the fact that no matter how much
preparation you undertake, the
reality will still take your breath
away. You can only truly marvel at
the power of towering equatorial
Cumulonimbus clouds when
you see them and understand the
solitude of such a journey when
land lies one thousand miles behind
with still one thousand miles to go.
Ryan Campbell is on an
incredible journey. He maybe solo,
but he is selfless in his dedication
to the task and the causes he
seeks to support. When the Cirrus
appears over the escarpment on
that final descent, it will mark
the end of a phenomenal journey.
However, I tend to think that
when the wheels touch the asphalt
it will really mark the arrival
of a truly special young man.
Owen Zupp has over 16 000 hours of varied experience
having first flown as a commercial pilot in 1987. His
background includes charter work, flight instruction and
ferry flights. Serving as a Chief Pilot, Chief Flying Instructor
and an Approved Test Officer rounded off his time in General
Aviation before joining Ansett Australia in 1994 as a First
Officer on the 737.
He has a Masters Degree in Aviation Management. His
writings on aviation have been published both in Australia
and abroad. Owen won the Australian National Aviation Press
Club's Aviation Technical Story of the Year award in 2006. In
2007 his first book,
Down to Earth, was published and traces
the combat experiences of a WWII RAF fighter pilot.
By Owen Zupp
Global View
Solo Around
the World
MCC Aviation, is an established fixed and rotor wing air charter service
operator, based at Lanseria International Airport. MCC Aviation operates a
100% wholly owned fleet of several piston and large turbine prop aircraft,
passenger jets as well as turbine helicopters.
· Multi Engine (C402, C90, B200, Jetstream J41)
· Jet Aircraft (Lear 35, Gulfstream)
· Turbine Helicopters (Bell 206 / 407, AS350 B3) · VIP Lounge
+27 (0) 11 701 2332
charter@flymcc.co.za www.flymcc.co.za
LANSERIA AIRPORT - Johannesburg
Lanseria International - Johannesburg Tel: +27 11 516 2300
Cape Town International Airport - Cape Town Tel: +27 21 934 5764
enquiries@execujet.co.za
Murtala Muhammed International Airport - Lagos Tel: +234 1295 5110
enquiries@execujet.com.ng www.execujet.net
24 hr No.
+27 82 330 7399
SERVICES
OFFERED
LANSERIA AIRPORT - Johannesburg / CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL - Cape Town
· Aircraft Maintenance · Aircraft Management · Aircraft Sales (new & pre-owned)
· Avionics/Instruments · Charter · Concierge Service · FBO · SimplyFly Jet Card