A Marlow flier who became the UK’s youngest solo glider pilot in 2016 is set to take to the skies again for a world record-breaking solo flight around the world.
Travis Ludlow, who was a member of the 1811 (Marlow) Squadron Air Training Corps Air Cadets, first flew solo on February 16, 2016 on his 14th birthday.
He went on to get his private pilot’s licence five months before he was even allowed to have one, with dad Nick saying he was waiting outside the CAA offices to collect his licence at 8am on the morning of his 17th birthday.
The youngster has had a keen interest in airplanes since he was four-years-old and passed six of the nine CAA exams at the tender age of 15.
Travis was due to take-off for his world record flight on June 1 last year in a bid to become the youngest person to fly solo around the world in a single engine aircraft, but unfortunately Covid put an end to that.
Nick said at the age of 17 years and 110 days, he would have “beaten the record by nearly a year” if he had managed to do it then.
He is now set to take off on May 27 to “fulfil the dream he has had since he was 10” and break the current world record.
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Travis will take off from Booker Airfield to fly solo in a single engine Cessna 172 around the world. He will be 18 and 104 days old.
The current record of 18 years and 163 days is said to be held by American pilot Mason Andrews.
Travis, who is currently doing his A-Level exams at Great Marlow School, will travel east, flying over Europe, then Russia, Across Alaska to Canada, then down to the US before heading back up the east coast of the US and Canada to Greenland, then Iceland, and back home.
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He will travel more than 23,000 miles, visiting seven countries and three continents. This route has been changed from 27 countries and five continents, due to Covid and the time constraints, to give him the best chance at succeeding in his world record attempt.
Travis will finish his final A-Level exam just four days before he departs on his epic journey.
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