Update
Tarris and Bleeker left Sunday from Goodyear Airport, landing in Cancun after a 9 hour non stop trip. They experienced refueling and "paperwork" delays in Cancun on Monday. Early this morning they left for Peru. Click on the panel at right to get the latest on where they are.
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Oro Valley resident Tim Tarris is on his way around the world…
Oro Valley resident, Tim Tarris, is on a trip around the world. But it is no vacation. He is flying in a 1974 Cessna 210L Turbo Centurion. Together with co-pilot Buchanan Bleeker, this single-engine plane will carry them around the world. They have adapted the plane to accommodate fuel tanks, modern radios, and navigation equipment so there are only two seats. As Tim told us, he will be shoulder to shoulder with his co-pilot every flying hour.
Oro Valley resident, Tim Tarris, is on a trip around the world. But it is no vacation. He is flying in a 1974 Cessna 210L Turbo Centurion. Together with co-pilot Buchanan Bleeker, this single-engine plane will carry them around the world. They have adapted the plane to accommodate fuel tanks, modern radios, and navigation equipment so there are only two seats. As Tim told us, he will be shoulder to shoulder with his co-pilot every flying hour.
...honoring the first “flight around the world”
Tarris left Sunday from Goodyear Airport on a trip to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1924 first “flight around the globe". Four planes each with a pilot and mechanic flew west to east, starting in California and ending in Seattle; having visited 22 countries and four continents. All were in the northern hemisphere.
The planes were single-engine. The cockpits were open. The crews had lots of downtime and logistical support. Three of the four planes accomplished this feat in 175 days. This was a national effort. It was a race to be first. Others were also trying to be the first.(Watch a video of the 1924 Flight).
The commemorative Centennial Flight: Seven continents, 34,000 miles in 35 days
The planes were single-engine. The cockpits were open. The crews had lots of downtime and logistical support. Three of the four planes accomplished this feat in 175 days. This was a national effort. It was a race to be first. Others were also trying to be the first.(Watch a video of the 1924 Flight).
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| Flight Plan |
The route will take Bleeker and Tarris to 16 countries. They will be flying south to South America and Antartica and then east to take advantage of the prevailing winds (See panel). The route has been planned so they can avoid any of the craziness going on in the world. For example, they will fly no closer than 250 miles south of Gaza.
This is no luxury flight
This is no luxury flight
They will fly from eight to nine hours a day, from point to point, stopping for rest, food, fuel, and any necessary maintenance. They will sleep in local accommodations close to their plane. Tarris told us that their accommodations '…will be nothing fancy. We're not on a sightseeing tour.' Skyplan Services is handling logistics. Their onboard food? Energy bars. Rest facilities? None!
Track their progress
Track their progress
The crew plans to provide updates and pictures on their Web and Facebook pages. We will monitor those and update you as we learn more. In the meantime, we have created a panel at right called: “Where's Tim”. Click on it anytime to see their progress.
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About Tim Tarris
Tim Tarris is a 35 year resident Oro Valley. He and his wife Vicki live in the original section of the town. He is a retired Air Force and UPS pilot with over 30,000 hours of flying experience. Commemorating a major event is nothing new to Tarris. In 2019, he was a crew member that flew a WWII paratrooper airplane to Europe to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy.
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More info: KGUN9 Report
