Travis Ludlow is an 18-year-old schoolboy who has been flying since he was 12. He became the UK’s youngest glider pilot at 14 and the youngest certified PPL pilot at 17. His dream, since the age of 10, was to become the youngest pilot to fly around the world. He has never let go of that dream. Subject to weather, he’ll stop at Donegal Airport on Sunday as he nears the end of his round the world trip.
Travis departed Teuge in The Netherlands on 29th May, heading east across Europe via Poland, before flying through Russia, Alaska and Canada. His remaining hops will take him up the Eastern Seaboard via New York, then back into Canada, before continuing on to Greenland, Iceland, Donegal Airport, Portugal, Morocco, Gibraltar, Spain, UK, France and Belgium – landing back in the Netherlands on 7th July. He’s currently in New York but bad weather may delay his departure.
Travis is flying a 2001 Cessna 172R, that has been prepped and updated, especially for this long distance world record by Hangar-One Technics & Avionics in The Netherlands. The aircraft has numerous upgrades, including the latest avionics and safety equipment. The aircraft body has all of the aerodynamic fairings, wheel fenders and WAT LED lighting. This particular C172 is fitted with a Diesel engine, which is more economical and perfect for this long distance adventure.
For the last updates about the flight, visit https://aroundtheworldsolo.co.uk/ and for live position reports, you can click here.
