Polling Round the World

On Wednesday, 23rd May 2007, Colin Bodill and I landed our Bell 407 helicopter – N407PF, back at Alliance Airfield, Fort Worth Texas. We had finally achieved what we set out to do in 2003 – to fly a helicopter around the world via the South and North Poles.  On our first attempt the journey ended disastrously when we crashed in white-out conditions on the Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica, just two days after successfully reaching the South Pole.

Setting this new world record wasn’t just about the 171 days the trip took, the 32,206 nautical miles we covered, the 101 fuel stops or the 26 countries we crossed. It was about picking ourselves up after that first attempt, and embarking upon the three years of  planning and fundraising needed to make the second attempt. It was also about the work we did for our chosen charity, SOS Children’s Villages, and the global, environmental project we set up with the Royal Geographical Society to teach children in schools around the world about the impact their lives are having on our delicate environment.

Bell Helicopters were our chief sponsor, providing us with our Bell 407 helicopter, Insurance, en route maintenance and much, much more. Almost too much – they insisted we both got our Instrument Ratings too! Which set the tone for the general level of stress and toughness of the entire journey...