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Of course, when overf lying hostile terrain for extended amounts of time with minimal navigation and virtu- ally no safe landing options, there is a considerable amount of psychol- ogy at play. During one portion of his North Pole leg, Robert faced five hours without GPS, autopilot, attitude heading and reference, communica- tions, and magnetic compass. Just as with other routine f lying appli- cations (i.e., busy commercial traf- fic patterns, skirting around severe weather, etc.), self-assurance must be intentional during these low margin of error flights.
Mission Behind the Mission
Robert DeLaurentis is a 2,000- plus hour commercially rated pi- lot with an advanced degree in Spiritual Psychology and a thirst for adventure. He tackles challenging, purpose-created flight profiles with an overarching mission to educate others about the commonalities seen across humanity.
Much of Robert’s own worldview was acquired through his 14-year Navy career, where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander as a Surface Warfare Officer. And in
2015, he embarked on a solo around- the-equator flight in a Piper Malibu Mirage. The 26,000-mile trip took him to 23 countries, further opening his eyes to varying cultures.
“I found that there are more simi- larities than differences amongst people,” said DeLaurentis. “What everybody on the planet seemed to want was peace, safety for their family, financial stability, joy and happiness. I found those to be the common threads that really sort of unite everybody together.”
Prior to beginning his Pole-to-Pole mission, the “Zen Pilot” (as Robert has come to be recognized) said, “This polar circumnavigation of the ‘Citi- zen of the World’ has been created to highlight all the above elements and qualities, desires and dreams; it is the common thread that joins humanity together. We are dedicated to connecting the South Pole to the North Pole and everyone in-between as Citizens of the World – on a mission of one planet, one people, one plane, oneness for humanity.”
Pole to Pole Planning
Obviously, traversing both Poles re- quires ample preparation. The route began at Robert’s home airfield in San Diego, with planning initiated a full 24 months prior to the initial lift- off date. While the route would take him to remote and rarely seen loca- tions, much of the prep was related to the polar portion of the trip. With few having flown this route, let alone solo in a twin-engine aircraft (Robert would be the first), there were many unknowns that had to be identified.
Some of the biggest considerations were related to the South Pole’s dangerous weather and the fact the Twin Commander lacked the endurance for the big 4,300 nauti- cal mile Pole to Pole jaunt. The air- plane was initially capable of flying around 2,000 nautical miles and es- sentially had to be fully redesigned from nose to tail. One of the most noticeable enhancements was the addition of two MT five-bladed nick- el-tipped scimitar composite props. These propellers, which were the first-ever manufactured of the type,
Robert preparing to depart for Antarctica from Argentina.
10 • TWIN & TURBINE / August 2021