Looking down at the fuel gauge and seeing only 20 minutes worth of JET A remaining is enough to catch the attention of any aviator, let alone one who is flying across remote, unknown territory. This was just one of the many notable events Robert DeLaurentis recalled from his recent Pole to Pole expedition in his heavily modified 1983 Gulfstream Twin Commander 900.
On November 16, 2019, he started what became an 8-month, 23-day journey that took him to almost two dozen countries. The nearly 140 hours of flying included time over oceans, rainforests, mountains, deserts, plus 12 and 18-hour legs over the vast landscape that makes up the Earth’s southernmost and northernmost points.
Of course, when overflying hostile terrain for extended amounts of time with minimal navigation and virtually no safe landing options, there is a considerable amount of psychology at play. During one portion of his North Pole leg, Robert faced five hours without GPS, autopilot, attitude heading and reference, communications, and magnetic compass. Just as with other routine flying applications (i.e., busy commercial traffic 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 pilot 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 similarities 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 ‘Citizen 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 requires ample preparation. The route began at Robert’s home airfield in San Diego, with planning initiated a full 24 months prior to the initial liftoff date. While the route would take him to remote and rarely seen locations, 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 nautical mile Pole to Pole jaunt. The airplane was initially capable of flying around 2,000 nautical miles and essentially had to be fully redesigned from nose to tail. One of the most noticeable enhancements was the addition of two MT five-bladed nickel-tipped scimitar composite props. These propellers, which were the first-ever manufactured of the type, were fronted by two TPE331-10T Honeywell Turbine engines.
Along with a Gulfstream-initiated pressurization increase in this model from 5.5. PSI to 6.7 and a 10-foot longer wing compared to earlier years, the plane before modification could fly at approximately 28,000 feet and 260 knots, burning roughly 75 gallons of JET A per hour. After further modifications, like the addition of six long-range fuel cells and a ceramic coating, the plane’s expected performance rose to nearly 311 knots at 35,000 feet, consuming only 70 percent of the amount of fuel that it had previously. Other enhancements included upgraded Concorde batteries suitable for extreme cold, AMSAFE seatbelt airbags and Avidyne IFD 550/440 Touch-Screen Aviation GPS Navigators. In all, more than 50 modifications and upgrades were incorporated.
“Nothing was left on the table in terms of modifications,” said DeLaurentis. “There isn’t anything else that could have been done to improve speed, altitude, or range. I had even thought of stripping the exterior paint to save weight but was told that would not be beneficial.”
Even with the sheer amount of preparation and aircraft improvements, Robert wasn’t entirely sure that the mission would be a success. Some of this concern arose from others vocalizing it wouldn’t be possible (including a sponsor). Before too much doubt could creep in, Robert regained his focus and faith in success. “I didn’t think I was led down this path to fail,” he said.
With improvements and flight testing complete, the aircraft (dubbed the “Citizen of the World”) was ready to prove itself. The aircraft took off from San Diego, heading south towards its first stop in the Brownsville, Texas area, then onwards to Central America.
Overcoming the Challenges
Encountering road bumps is an aspect of any aviation mission, and, of course, there were many during a flying adventure of this magnitude. Aside from the 20 minutes of fuel that remained while finishing the South Pole portion of the flight, there were obstacles such as unexpected changes in wind or weather, extreme cold below the operating limits, a considerable fuel leak, and the unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic causing closures across many countries’ borders.
But despite numerous challenges and delays, the mission was a success. The aircraft completed its intended mission and returned to the United States after nearly nine months of travel. Aside from a safe return home, there was much Robert took away from the trip and was able to celebrate. Among the positives was the incorporation of several sponsored experiments carried aboard the aircraft during the trip. One was the NASA “Wafer Scale Spacecraft Experiment,” which took 700,000 photos during the trip and served as an example of the future of spaceflights. Another was the simple addition of 3M double-sided tape to the nose and wingtips of the aircraft, which sought to capture any microplastic particles that may be floating around at altitude.
Mobile STEM Lab
Today, the Twin Commander retains its dedication to education and science, having since been
transformed into a mobile STEM lab. One of the highlights of this nationally-touring, flying education vestibule is the transport of a Redbird simulator. The simulator is set up at each airshow or event to allow attendees and children to try their hand at flying the aircraft virtually.
Robert worked with Redbird to integrate several aspects of his excursion into the simulations, with one of the flight options being the flight to the South Pole. One reason this portion of the flight was chosen, other than its unique nature and breathtaking scenery, is the lesson it teaches students. By flying this portion, they learn about the stresses on planes and pilots, while Robert guides the simulation as a virtual copilot. The students see that even an experienced pilot who has planned a certain trip for several years can still face unexpected challenges.
Since Robert and the Citizen of the World returned to the states in late 2020, touring has largely been on hold due to COVID. Still, the aircraft was featured at Sun ‘n Fun and EAA AirVenture and is expected to be at other shows as activity ramps back up.
Another way the public can experience the Pole to Pole mission is through a 12-part docuseries covering various portions of the flights. One example is Robert’s grounding in Spain at the time COVID first locked down countries. Here, he stayed with a group of monks in a monastery and headed to the mountains when the facility was shut down to the public. Other memorable encounters along the way included a dog sled driver in Argentina, a ballerina in Bulgaria, and a Zulu Warrior in South Africa.
While Robert is not currently planning any additional around-the-world flights, he has a premonition that any mission he takes in the future may align with the types of aircraft of tomorrow, such as those with electric or hybrid-electric power plants.
For more information about Robert and his Pole to Pole flight, visit flyingthrulife.com.
What an adventure!
Did he do this flying solo?s