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Thursday 29 July, 2010
Europe
Two recent graduates from the University of Leeds are planning to fly to fourteen countries in twenty-four hours, breaking a world record and raising money for good causes in the process.
After months of planning, James Van Der Hoorn and Iain MacLeod, both 22, will be waiting for a fine day over the next two weeks to set off on their audacious challenge.
The two friends, who are both members of the Yorkshire Universities Air Squadron and hold Private Pilot’s Licences, hope to raise over £5000 charities including the Yorkshire Air Ambulance from the 1500 mile expedition.
The current world record stands at nine countries in a 24-hour period, but the two hope to smash this by taking their single engine Piper Warrior PA28 from the UK to the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland. Neither James nor Iain have as yet piloted a plane abroad or indeed for such a long time.
They will have to battle against the elements to get their single-engine aircraft across the continent on schedule. Small aircraft are very susceptible to weather conditions, and the direction of the wind can make all the difference in deciding whether the attempt is a success or a failure. A strong cross wind at an airfield could prevent them from landing, while turbulence while crossing Europe’s colossal mountain ranges could wreak havoc with the aircraft: severe icing could cause their engine to stop, and icing over the wing would cause the aircraft to float like a lead balloon.
