I’m Flying Around The World in 2020

EDIT: If you’ve been paying attention to the news you may have seen a global pandemic hit in 2020, just 4 months before I was due to set off on this trip. So my Round The World project has been postponed (not cancelled) to a time when I can properly set off and explore the planet again. Meantime, here’s the original article about my plans from the start of 2020.


 

On January 29th 2020 I announced that in 5 months time I would be setting off to fly make my way around the world.

It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was little. Except the original idea was to do it in a boat, with a cat (I read about someone who did that once, and thought I’d like the company). I’d grown up in the UK with a Father who liked sailing and took me out to various lakes, lochs (when we were up North) and sometimes even the English Channel to sail. I read a lot of books about sailing as well, Bernard Cornwell’s Wildtrack sticks in my memory, and I’m sure it was this that sparked my love of exploring this planet under my own steam.

But my real love was aviation. We used to go to the Biggin Hill Airshow every year in the UK and I can distinctly remember the sounds (and smells, who doesn’t love the smell of Jet A1) of the Red Arrows blasting overhead alongside the huge RAF Vulcan. I also loved novels about aviation. Stories like Flight Into Fear by Duncan Kyle where part of the book covers a journey under treacherous conditions in a Cessna 337 Skymaster from Gander (Canada) to Shannon (Ireland).

Circumnavigating my own way around the globe was therefore something I’d wanted to do for a long time. I love to travel, I love to explore, and I’m no good when I’m in one place for any length of time. I like to move.

The slower we move, the faster we die. Make no mistake, moving is living. – Up In The Air, Movie

But I was just a kid with a bowl haircut, a stack of books about adventurous travel, but lacking the funding (and transportation) to realistically fly around the world myself.

Fast forward through a few decades of life. I got into the technology business, setup some companies (some did ok, some did badly, but one or two did quite well) and all of a sudden I had a bit of spare time and funding on my hands. I’d been flying for over 10 years, I’d got my Commercial Pilots License and Instrument Rating, and in early 2019 I finally bought my own aircraft – VH-EYZ – a Cirrus SR22 G3 built in 2007.

VH-EYZ my little Cirrus SR22

So here I am, with the means, the time, the plane, and the physical ability to realistically have a go at achieving that boyhood dream – and that’s what I plan to do in 2020.

I made a video about the trip, which explains more about VH-EYZ, the route I’ll be taking, and some of my motivations for the trip. That’s down below. I’m also going to be making more content about the planning behind the trip, the updates we’re making to the aircraft, and how I’ve approached planning what will be the biggest project of my life (so far).

Round The World – Announcement Video

How to follow the trip

I’ll be making regular videos for my YouTube channel during the trip, but also before I head off I’ll be sharing more details about the planning and preparation for the trip.

I’ll also be posting updates to this website and once I’m on my way you can use the EYZ Live Tracking link to follow my progress as I make my way Once Around The World.

You can also see some behind the scenes footage and photos on my Instagram and Twitter accounts (I don’t have Facebook anymore, sorry).

Looking forward to sharing this adventure with you,

Stef

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