Feasability

Hello Ashton,

Thank you for your email and for your comments on the Earthrounders Site. Congratulations for your very ambitious project of flying around the World... the ultimate destination.

It is impossible to give an idea of the cost of a RTW flight. Most pilots do not want to disclose the cost of their flights. You must start by counting at least 100 hours of flying time plus all other costs, hotels, meals, bachshishs, clearances, landing fees and the like. The fuel costs are only a very small part of the equation. You will also have the hiring or purchasing and maintenance of an aircraft...Also you may not be able to put 4 people in a 4 seater aircraft as you will need more room for extra fuel and survival gear.

Flying VFR on such a long route is almost impossible, also 14 days would be an almost impossible race against time and weather. I do not know of any pilot that was not IFR rated and the minimum hours these pilots had is at least 500. A lot of experience should be gained before attempting such an endeavour, like building flying hours and practicing flying to nearby friendly foreign countries.

I hope this should not deter you in your project, a very ambitious one and I hope you will be able to achieve it.
If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us. You may want to read the stories of other pilots on the Earthrounders Site and contact as many Earthrounders you may encounter.

Regards

Claude Meunier
claudemeunier@bigpond.com
www.earthrounders.com