N5810T is a 1985 Mooney M20K 231 and one of the last five made. It’s a proven platform for a round-the-world flight, with Brian Lloyd completing his 2017 RTW flight in the same model aircraft. Brian was part of the inspiration for my flight since he did my transition training onto the Mooney, and I had the chance to sit in his Mooney 231 and look at the systems he installed for this flight. My…

All circumnavigators face a few route choices. For example, you can cross the Pacific via the Aleutians’ northern route, the classic “middle” route via American Samoa and Hawaii, or the southerly route via Easter Island and Chile. These days, it’s mostly Avgas logistics that determines route choice. For that reason, the middle and southern routes are problematic since there are no longer Avgas at the island airports along the way. I would have chosen the…

The most recent statistics show that 6664 individuals have summited Everest, and 644 have been to space. In contrast, fewer than 100 individuals have circumnavigated the globe solo in a single-engine piston aircraft, and only 22 individuals hold the FAI’s westbound circumnavigator certificate. I had a skipper’s ticket well before my pilot’s license and was always fascinated by the pioneers of solo round-the-world sailing—to the extent that I once organized a first date where we…