Pilot completes Pole-to-Pole circumnavigation

Nine months and several “pandemic pauses” after takeoff on a planned five-month global Pole-to-Pole peace mission, San Diego pilot and former Naval officer Robert DeLaurentis has returned home in his highly modified 1983 twin-engine aircraft “Citizen of the World.” 

DeLaurentis set out on a record-setting 26,000 mile, 22-country, six-continent flight to connect the only two places on the planet where there has always been peace: The North and South poles. He called the flight “One Planet, One People, One Plane: Oneness for Humanity.”

During his journey, he interviewed leaders and local residents for an upcoming documentary “Peace Pilot to the Ends of the Earth and Beyond,” asking them, “What does it mean to be a Citizen of the World for the World?”

In addition, Robert also set multiple first-time aviation records including: 

• Successfully used biofuels over the North and South poles for the first time ever 
• Longest duration flown in a twin or single engine turboprop — 17.5 hours 
• First and fastest Polar circumnavigation of the planet in a twin or single engine turboprop 
• First testing for plastic microfibers across the globe including over the South and North poles 
• First testing of NASA WaferScale Spaceship outside of Santa Barbara  

Upon DeLaurentis’ return San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer proclaimed Sept. 21, 2020, as “Citizen of the World Day” in San Diego. 

According to the proclamation: “In harmony with the United Nation’s International Day of Peace, also celebrated on Sept. 21, “Citizen of the World Day” honors Peace Pilot Robert DeLaurentis for his circumnavigation and global peace mission, which begun on Nov. 16, 2019, from Gillespie Field in San Diego County, returning home to San Diego eight months and 24 days later on Aug. 10, 2020.  

“I took the biggest chance of my life with this Pole to Pole peace mission,” said DeLaurentis. “It was certainly the riskiest flight I ever set out on, with more opportunities for failure than I’d ever experienced. Add in a coronavirus pandemic that was not on the route schedule and having to navigate different countries’ lockdown policies and count on the goodwill of people whose language I didn’t speak was daunting at times. But I learned more about what it truly means to be a “Citizen of the World” and the power of peace — both inner peace and peace between people and countries — than I ever dreamed possible.”  

In February, the COVID-19 outbreak quarantined DeLaurentis in Spain. 

DeLaurentis said he named his twin-engine Turbine Commander 900 aircraft “Citizen of the World,” to show a “divided world that we are all connected through our shared desire for health, happiness, the safety of our families and ourselves, our desire to belong, to dream and explore this beautiful planet, our home, and live in a peaceful world.”

DeLaurentis successfully flew over the South Pole Dec. 16-17, 2019 (the 116th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight) and the True North Pole, the Magnetic North Pole and the North Pole of Inaccessibility on July 13, 2020.

“When critical communication systems, navigation, heading and reference systems went offline for several hours on both flights, DeLaurentis’ courage, flight survival training, experience as a Navy officer in the Gulf War, and his advanced spiritual psychology education helped guide him to a safe landing,” a press release stated.  

A 10-part docuseries to be released in 2021 was filmed throughout the trip and includes interviews with local residents in the various cities throughout the expedition answering questions, including what it means to be a “Citizen of the World for the world” and what communities are doing to create peace in their part of the world. 

“To the one shared world in which we live, celebrating Citizen of the World Day and International World Peace Day on the same day is a special reminder that we are all global citizens, and when we use our courage and compassion in our daily lives, we help end violence and strengthen peaceful relationships worldwide for the good of our collective humanity,” said DeLaurentis. “One planet, one people, one plane, oneness for humanity.”

Check out two stories by Joni M. Fisher about how DeLaurentis prepared for his flight: Pole to Pole circumnavigation: Aircraft and logistics preparation and Preparing mentally and physically to fly to both poles.