Many fellow pilots thought they were mad. But you have to be crazy or very courageous (or both) to fly around the world in a light sport aircraft you’ve designed and built, with a single engine and radio equipment that works only in sight of a control tower.
That’s what buddies MIKE BLYTH (55) and JAMES PITMAN (41) of Joburg set out to do. They weren’t trying to set records but simply to see if it was possible. They succeeded - and became the first pilots known to have crossed such great distances of ocean in an aircraft that small.
To most people their Sling aircraft seems tiny and far too fragile for such a dangerous trip. But not even close shaves with a hurricane, numerous rainstorms and dirty fuel could get the better of it.
Why did they do it?
“Planes of the Sling’s type are shown at the Oshkosh aviation festival in America and there was no better way of getting the plane there than to fly it,” James says. South Africa to Oshkosh is only a third of the distance around the world, “so Mike pointed out to me we may as well fly the rest of the way too”.
Mike is an aviation world champion and former record-holder for the longest and highest flight in a microlight aircraft. James, a former lawyer, is a pilot too and an experienced rock climber.
“Everything went exactly as we’d planned,” Mike says proudly. “We were prepared for all eventualities and of course wore lifejackets whenever we flew over the ocean.” With the Sling’s limited single-engine capacity in mind they also had a two-seater lifeboat in the cabin. On one of the legs of the journey they were in the air for more than 18 hours.
They kept a daily record of their progress on their website, www.airplanefactory.co.za.
- For more details of their route and experiences see the latest issue of YOU.
