Flying Solo

“As a kid,I would accompany my father to air shows organised by the National Guard and watch pilots performing maneuvers in F-16s. I knew then that I wanted to become a pilot and fly like them,” he says,over the phone from Mumbai,having landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on the India stopover of his 21,000 nautical miles journey around the globe. Flying in his twin-seater Mooney Ovation 2 aircraft,the 20 year-old resident of Fresno,California,is attempting to break the existing record set by 22-year-old Swiss pilot Carlo Schmidt,last year. He confesses to being an adrenaline junkie,in search of the next big thrill. When he is not flying,he loves to ski and go hunting. His favourite book is Lone Survivor,an account of a US special forces operation in Afghanistan. “Initially,when I was preparing for the challenge,it was about breaking the record and having my name in the history books. But now,it is the urge to succeed,” he says.

Wiegand dedicated a year to prepare for his record-breaking attempt. He took a semester off from the University of Colorado,Boulder. “The preparation was mostly logistical,getting entry clearances and permissions for different countries,and mental toughness,” says Wiegand. This adventure has not been cheap. Two charities in the US helped raise $ 170,000,half of which goes towards charity. “Had it not been for this money,I would not have been attempting this challenge,” says Wiegand,whose family are not aviation enthusiasts,but “they supported me.”

Taking off from California,on May 2,Wiegand has covered nine countries. There haven’t been any hurdles,but for an unexpected one. “After I landed in Canada,I could not find my passport. I realised I had left it on the copier machine at home. It was couriered to me the next day,” he says. It has been fairly smooth sailing for him,besides some unpredictable weather — high winds over the North Atlantic ocean and icy wing tips in the US. Wiegand left Mumbai on Thursday for Kolkata,and then flew to Bangkok.