Three Cessna Mustang jets, one Embraer Phenom 100, two Daher-Socata TBM turboprops and 16 people departed Quebec City, Canada, toward Greenland May 9 for the first leg of an 11-week trip to circumnavigate the world. The group of general aviation pilots will visit 27 countries and fly their planes 25,000 nautical miles before returning to the United States.
“This is the third year we’ve been able to do this trip,” says Air Journey’s Thierry Pouille. “It’s a pilot’s ultimate dream vacation, flying their own airplane around the world.”
Air Journey has been organizing escorted adventures for more than 14 years. Pilots sign up to visit any number of destinations, from simple trips to the Bahamas to 76-day trips like this one around the world. As with all AirJourney trips, a professional journey director accompanies the group each step of the way. Virtually everything is prearranged for the pilots, including all weather briefings, route planning and navigational charts, foreign customs, hotels, ground transportation, gourmet meals and a wide range of local activities at each destination.
“The pace of our trips is always leisurely,” Pouille added. “We want everyone to have time to see the sights, sample the local cuisine, meet the people and still have plenty of free time. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we want to make sure everyone comes home with lots of wonderful memories! ”
The Around the World trip has pilots crossing the Atlantic, then traveling south through Europe to Northern Africa, visiting Gibraltar and Morocco. The group continues through Turkey and Egypt, Dubai and Oman before flying east to India, Malaysia, Thailand, China and Russia.
“We are very excited to say that we’ve added Shanghai to our itinerary this year,” Pouille adds. “There are not many pilots here in the west that can say they’ve flown their own airplane to China!”
Later this year Air Journey will launch a trip that circumnavigates the continent of Africa.
Follow the trip day by day at AirJourney.com/blog. For more information: AirJourney.com, or call 561-841-1551.
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