Circling the globe

Hans-Jürgen and Wilma Schwerhoff plan to indulge their passion for flying and travel by embarking on a life-changing journey. It started as an idea several years ago, but in the last two years they have gradually transformed their dream into reality - to fly themselves around the world.

Their tour begins in Friedrichshafen on Thursday April 8, 2010 at AERO, the international general aviation trade fair. They will also be landing at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, building bridges between the world’s two biggest events of their kind. The round-the-world flight ends back in Friedrichshafen on Friday August 20, 2010.

The tour will take the Schwerhoffs to some of the world’s most beautiful places – though the journey itself is just as important as the destinations. They will be traversing deserts, icecaps, mountain ranges, rainforests, coral reefs and oceans.

The couple will be chronicling their epic journey on their website, www.rtw2010-s3.de, sharing their passion for flying with as many people as possible, from enthusiastic amateur flyers to commercial airline pilots.

The site also offers an insight into the couple’s preparations for the project, details about their aircraft and equipment, and route descriptions. It provides tips for others contemplating similar journeys, and day-by-day reports on their impressions and experiences.

“Single-handed, single engine, single trip.” That’s how the Schwerhoffs sum up their multi-stop, circumnavigational journey. Although Hans-Jürgen will be flying the plane, the success of their mission is dependent on good teamwork in the cockpit and helping hands on the ground.

Like any trip around the world, things can go wrong. Political instability along the way, serious technical problems, weather and their own personal factors could all put the project at risk.

“The most important thing is that we don’t want to be kicking ourselves one day for not at least having tried,” says Hans-Jürgen.