He flew around the world in 80 days for charity

Pilot Dave McElroy flew around the world in 80 days to raise money for Scotland’s Air Ambulance Charity.

How long have you been flying?

I’ve been flying for 47 years. I took flying lessons as soon as I had enough money to pay for them and learned to fly in the Rocky Mountains in Canada.

What gave you the idea for the flight?

I always had a dream to fly the North Atlantic. I had done a lot of long-distance flying but had never crossed an ocean before. As I was coming up for retirement, for the first time in my life I
had a bit of time, so I decided to do the North Atlantic and just keep going.

Which charity did you raise money for?

I heard about Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance from its chief executive, Gavin Davey. He told me they were forming the charity and that they would be based at Perth airport, so it was the natural choice. It was aviation, it was helping people in grave distress and it was centred at Perth airport where I was chairman of the Scottish Aero Club. I also raised money for Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto in my home country of Canada.

What type of plane did you fly?

I flew a Piper Comanche single engine aircraft. My partner Chris flew some of the way with me and I was sponsored to take passengers. So I ended up flying around the world with eight people.

How many miles did you fly?

38,000 nautical miles, which is over 70,000 kilometres.

Did you do it in 80 days?

Yes, Toronto to Toronto in 80 days and Perth to Perth in 81 days. And the only reason it was 81 is because in order to suit arrival arrangements into Perth we held back in Iceland an extra day.

Did you have any particularly scary moments?

When I landed in a thunderstorm in India, that was a little bit exciting. Then we delayed our flight into Perth, Australia, due to thunderstorms. My partner Chris, whose plane it is, has really done a lot of work in refurbishing it. It’s an old plane, 54 years old. It is to his credit that I didn’t have one mechanical issue.

Do you have a highlight?

I think the biggest highlight would be the Pacific crossing and Israel, although you could never go there now. I was lucky enough to be there before all the troubles started. Greenland, which I visited three times, is the scenic highlight. It’s just stunning flying over the ice cap. The coast of Australia was also stunning and the coral islands of the pacific were amazing.

Do you have any plans for more adventures?

Not at the moment, although I am going to write a book and am available to give presentations on the trip with the proceeds going to SCAA. The journey really was the greatest experience
of my life.

Find out more about the SCAA at https://www.scaa.org.uk/

• This feature was originally published in 2014.