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By Bill Goldston |
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May 5, 2010 — One hundred years to
the day, two pilots started an immense journey to celebrate the first
flight of an airplane in Switzerland, in 1910. The pair of European
pilots departed April 30th, they are following a carefully-designed
route around the planet. One big difference in this flight: the journey
will be done in two nearly-identical aircraft flying as a team. “Two Swiss airline pilots left their home country, each flying in a modified CTLS aircraft,” announced Tom Peghiny, president of Flight Design USA. Yannick Bovier, 37, and Francisco Agullo, 41, departed Sion, Switzerland on the last day of April flying the first leg of the around-the-world tour that will take them 44,000 kilometers (27,500 miles) through 18 countries and across five continents and two oceans. |
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The two pilots have named their aircraft: Céline (registered as HB-WYA) and Dreamcatcher (HB-WYB). Each carries 120 gallons of fuel (a stock CTLS carries 35 gallons of auto gas or 100LL giving it a range of more than 800 nautical miles).
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“We believe this
immense undertaking shows very well how effective the CTLS can be at
flying long distances. Most Americans may not fly around the world but
they regularly see the In July 2007, a single CT was flown around the globe in the other direction by two Indian military pilots to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Indian Air Force. The Twin CTs around the world flight has four primary objectives; pay a tribute to the pioneers and commemorate the 100th anniversary of Swiss aviation, promote a more ecological and economical general aviation in order to reduce its environmental impact in the future, inspire young people thinking of starting in aviation or making a career out of it, and make a dream come true and encourage other people to act and fulfill their own dreams. |
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