Travis Ludlow
British teen completes solo circumnavigation
“I got out of range from ATC contact and below me was nothing but forest, so it was kind of scary. That’s when it really hit me that I’m all alone out here,” he said.
The instrument-rated pilot was 18 years and 150 days old when he landed at Teuge International Airport in the Netherlands July 12 after a 44-day journey through 16 countries and four continents, becoming the youngest pilot to fly around the world solo. Ludlow began planning for the record-setting trip soon after he earned a glider certificate at age 14; he had fewer than 400 hours in his logbook when he departed on the around-the-world flight.
Ludlow tasted alligator in Florida, witnessed a cattle drive in Texas, sat in a North American P–51 Mustang in Minnesota, circled the Statue of Liberty in New York, and encouraged other young people to become pilots through in-flight social media posts (while the autopilot was engaged). He also raised money for UNICEF through contributions. He seized the Guinness World Record from mentor Mason Andrews of Louisiana, who completed a solo circumnavigation in a Piper Lance when he was 18 years and 163 days old in 2018.
Running out of his favorite snack food, Jaffa Cakes—a chocolate-topped biscuit made with zesty orange jelly—was a significant challenge early in the journey, but the kindness of strangers more than made up for it with other treats along the way. He thanked “the most amazing welcome from friends, family, and well-wishers” and recognized them for the “amazing support” he received along the way.
Ludlow said he has “always been addicted to aviation. I wanted to do it and I pushed [myself] to follow my goals.” His advice for young people is to “keep believing in yourself, keep following your dreams no matter what gets in your way. Just believe in yourself and one day you’ll make it.”
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