PLATTSBURGH — Bob and Baz, United Flying Octogenarians (UFO) pilots, touched down in Plattsburgh recently on their Round-the-World flight in celebration of the First World Flight Centennial.
On June 1, Bob Bates and Barry Payne, also known as “Baz,” departed Mount Hagen in Papua New Guinea, in a Piper Comanche ZK-BAZ to begin a Centenary Commemoration westwards flight around the world.
They landed in Kagoshima, on Japan’s Kyushu Island, where the original flyers of the world flight began the Earth-round trip 100 years ago.
The two landed at Vladivostok, Russia on June 5.
The route so far spanned 14 stops through Russia, a stop in Malmo, Sweden before landing at Humberside, United Kingdom, where the original flyers landed, then Breighton Airfield on July 3.
According to the pilots, one of their favorite aspects of the tour so far would be the flight through Russia from Vladivostok to Saint Petersburg.
The pilots remained in the UK for a few weeks, and continued the route on Aug. 24, retracing the original flyers air path over the North Atlantic, with stops at Kirkwall, Orkney Islands; Vagar, Faroe Islands; Reykjavik, Iceland; Gander, Canada and Trenton, Canada.
One of the main challenges during a round the world tour like this is weather, according to Bates.
“The weather can always be challenging. We are currently in Greenland waiting for the weather to improve,” He said.
On Sunday, Sept 1, Bob and Baz landed at the Plattsburgh International Airport to continue the original flyer’s air path across the U.S. and Pacific to complete a full circle back to Kagoshima.
Their goal is to arrive back at Mount Hagen on Sept. 28, the same day the two Douglas Air Cruisers landed back at Seattle in 1924 completing the First Flight Round the World.
As it presently stands, the UFO pilots flight could be the only single-engine Round The World flight this year, and the only flight closely re-enacting the 1924 flight route.
This will also be the first time such an around-the-world-flight will start and finish in Papua New Guinea.
“We are flying a single-engine Piper Comanche 250. We will consume about 1,900 gallons of Avgas as it is a piston engine,” Bates said.
According to the first world flight centennial website, On April 6, 1924, four planes left Seattle’s Sand Point Field determined to make America the winner in the global race to fly around the world, but only two planes returned On Sept. 28.
The 1924 First World Flight lasted 175 days, made 74 stops and covered 26,363 miles.
The flight of Bates and Baz should be visible on Flight Radar 24 when they are in the air, as well as a Garmin tracker link with us that will show where the pilots are and enable satellite email and messaging.
Bates, 84, was born in Newcastle, Australia and went to Papua New Guinea as an Engineer in 1964 and has lived in Papua New Guinea now for over 60 years.
Baz, 77, was born in Greymouth, New Zealand and has lived there for most of his life.
Their combined ages are 161 and together have a total of 105 years of flying experience.
Bates started flying when he was 33-years-old, as an engineer with projects located around PNG which required him to fly to get around to the projects, so he learned to fly and bought an airplane.
Baz learned to fly in the New Zealand Air force when he was 20-years-old.
Baz has previously flown around the world with his wife Sandra in 2019, and Bob has flown on every continent except Antarctica.
Both Bob and Baz are members of the United Flying Octogenarians (UFO), which according to the website, is an international group of more than 1,700 pilots who have acted as a certificated PIC on or after our 80th birthday.
“Over 1,700 pilots now count themselves as members of one of the world’s most distinguished pilot organizations, the United Flying Octogenarians (UFO),” said Ken Brownie, UFO president.
“Each of its members has held an airman’s flight certificate in a fixed or rotary wing, sport, balloon, or glider aircraft and exercised the privilege of pilot in command after reaching the age of 80.”
The group currently has 1,775 members, but no office or established chapters.
“Currently, we hold events in various locations. We rely on our local hosts to set up and conduct meetings around the country. A few of the annual events are the Danbury Connecticut flying in June, Friday Harbor WA flying in September, Maryland fly in September, plus other ad-hoc events,” Brownie said.
Annually the UFO organization sends a postcard to registered pilots in the FAA database who are 74 to 80 years-of-age.
The postcard directs individuals to the UFO website and the membership page to complete an application as well as certify they have flown on, or after, either their 75th birthday (Auxiliary Wing of the United Flying Octogenarians) or their 80th birthday (United Flying Octogenarians.)
According to Ralph Bennett, a UFO board member and pilot, one of the oldest members of the UFO organization is 105-years-old, due to FAA regulations can no longer fly.
“He was born the year after World War One ended,” Bennett said.
“He’s not flying but still sharp as ever.”
Brownie began flying in 1996 when he received 10 flying lessons as a gift from his wife and a year following received his pilot license at the age of 58.
He continues to fly his experimental homebuilt Vans RV 9A, of which Brownie is the second owner.
“Flying gives you the independence and flexibility to go where you want when you want. As a UFO it gives me bragging rights to still be doing what I love,” Brownie said.
“As we say, ‘SIT BACK AND BRAG!’ You have earned your place at the table and the right to tell the younger ones how good you used to be. It cannot be emphasized enough how UNIQUE you are as a UFO pilot.”
For daily updates about Bob and Baz’s journey and more information about the original world flight, and this years flight visit https://www.pngtours.com/tours/bobnbaz.htm.
The Garmin Tracker can be followed at https://aus-share.inreach.garmin.com/ZKBAZ.
For more information about the UFO organization visit www.ufopilots.org.