Flight Training - September/October 2021 - 21

DAVID TULIS
FIVE QUESTIONS
BY DAVID TULIS
TRAVIS LUDLOW
WORLD RECORD HOLDER FLIES AROUND THE WORLD AT 18
BRITISH PILOT TRAVIS LUDLOW, 18,
secured a Guinness World Record as
the youngest person to fly solo around
the world after he landed a Continental
CD-155 Jet A-powered 2001 Cessna
172 at Teuge International Airport in
the Netherlands in July 2021. Ludlow,
an instrument-rated private pilot who
earned a glider certificate at age 14, was 18
years and 150 days old when he emerged
victoriously from the Skyhawk with his
arms thrust into the air. A small crowd of
family, friends, and well-wishers greeted
the young pilot in person while a cadre
of social media followers posted compliments
via Facebook and Instagram. The
44-day journey through 16 countries and
four continents surpassed by almost two
weeks the record set by one of Ludlow's
mentors, Mason Andrews of Louisiana,
who completed his own solo circumnavigation
in a Piper Lance when he was 18
years and 163 days old in 2018.
How did you get started in aviation?
I've been interested in flying as long as
I can remember. From the time I was 4,
I never went to sleep without reading
something from the stack of airplane magazines
by my bed. I have watched every
program on TV and YouTube to do with
flying and can tell you, in detail, the cause
of every accident on every episode of Air
Crash Investigators. I started flying at 12.
I became a glider pilot at 14 and a private
pilot at 17. Since I was 10, I dreamed of
becoming the youngest pilot to fly around
the world.
What were your biggest challenges?
During the flight, one of the biggest
challenges was combatting the seclusion.
I missed all my friends, and my family, and
my girlfriend as well. I missed flying with
people in the plane. The whole time I was
by myself, sometimes it's eight hours at a
time. That's probably the hardest part of
the trip, the loneliness.
How far did you travel? ForeFlight and
Flight Aware data show that I logged a
total of 26,759 miles. My journey included
64 stops, with 12 rest days and 235 hours
flown, an average of nearly 840 miles a day.
Favorite aircraft? The late-model Cessna
172R I rented is powered by a Continental
CD-155 engine. The aircraft has a fuel
capacity of 44.6 usable gallons and much
lower fuel consumption than an avgas-powered
Skyhawk. The engine only burns four
gallons an hour of Jet A and you can get it
pretty much anywhere in the world. It can
run on car diesel as well, and it's perfect
for an around-the-world flight. Burning
four gallons an hour, I had 10 hours plus of
endurance, so I could go 1,000 miles in one
flight. I needed that range.
Advice for students? Keep believing in
yourself, keep following your dreams no
matter what gets in your way. Just believe
in yourself and one day you'll make it.
@travisludlow_aroundtheworld
FLIGHT TRAINING SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
21
Flight Training - September/October 2021

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